2009 top 10 Massachusetts marijuana reform actions

1. Marijuana legalization hearing at MA State House, well attended with many speaking in support and only one who spoke against it. Hard to ignore were the local college orgs, Suffolk NORML, UMass Amherst CRC, Emerson and Northeastern SSDP, Boston University NORML who did bring out their members. This one goes to them as much as NORML, MassCann, Steven Epstein, Bill Downing, Dick Evans who led the charge for so many years. Several generations united from Dr. Lester Grinspoon to the undergrads who know that change takes hard work.

2. MA Marijuana decrim takes effect in January of 2009.

3. Huge 20th Boston Freedom Rally, 50,000+, High Times, NORML, music including a surprise set from Styles P and national speakers like Toby TigerHeart Grear, Keith Stroup of NORML, Miss NJ 2006; Georgine DiMaria and a new second stage sponsored by Stingray Body Art. Stingray donated several thousands to support the event. For the first time ever there were no arrests for smoking pot in public at a Boston Freedom Rally.

4. City hall marijuana ordinance hearings. Bringing change in Quincy and Methuen.

5. Protest of State Senator Scott Brown's re-crim bill.

6. Local medical marijuana mom grower front page story, Boston Phoenix.

7. Online media support for MA marijuana reform grows. Ever larger and growing on youtube and facebook, with support from websites like norml.org, HighTimes.com, cannabisculture.com, celebstoner.com, mikecann.net, bostonfreedomrally.com, masscann.org, and new supportive marijuana reform websites scheduled to launch in 2010, marijuana reform in MA continues to get larger online. Protest of State Senator Scott Brown, the city hall ordinance hearings were organized and promoted online which lead to more mainstream media coverage.

8. Scott Gacek and the Girls4Ganja.com raise a $1000 for MassCann/NORML.

9. DJ Slim (pictured above, promotional photo from DJ Slim) gets searched and not arrested or fined by Boston Park Rangers over a couple of joints at the Boston Free Marc Emery protest.

10. Prospect Hill, DJ Slim, and GutterHeads lead a pack of top local acts supporting marijuana reform with music, events and by showing up at hearings and protests.