Legalize Marijuana! How to Counter the Rhetoric of Prohibition (Sponsored Training)
Session Type(s): Training
Training Tag(s): Communications
Starts: Saturday, Aug. 12 3:00 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Saturday, Aug. 12 4:15 PM (Eastern)
The prohibition of marijuana has resulted in more than 26 million arrests in the past 80 years. Even in the age of legalization, more than 600,000 were arrested last year. With less Democratic power at the federal level and in many statehouses, convincing Republican legislators to repeal prohibition is a top priority in states like Georgia. Join Peachtree NORML and national NORML for a training on how to convince those who have been indoctrinated in the ways of Reefer Madness that marijuana decriminalization, medical programs, and outright legalization is the path forward on cannabis policy. You’ll hear best practices from those who have been on the front lines and participate in an exercise that will challenge your abilities to do verbal jiu jitsu in countering the tired old rhetoric of prohibition with facts, data, and a healthy dose of morality.
This training is for all audiences.
This training is sponsored by NORML.
Trainers
Sharon Ravert
Sharon Ravert
Is an Atlanta native, small business owner, wife, mother of two young ladies, drug policy expert and activist working for sensible drug policy reforms across the country.
Twelve years ago her family was traumatized by the “War on Marijuana”, when the local drug task force woke the family at 4 am pounding on doors and screaming commands. They were looking for her 19 year old college student, Brittany and “drugs”. The shock and awe raid turned the entire family into activist for change almost over night.
Sharon is the Founding Director of Peachtree NORML, Georgia’s state-wide affiliate of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. She works with legislators from all represented parties from the local level to the federal level to address their concerns, provide statistics, share stories of the harms of our current policy and give clear direction toward workable solutions. She works tirelessly assisting victims of the drug war, raising money for legal defense and showing up in court rooms across Georgia. She also trains people on the use of Naloxone and helps Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition distribute the life saving rescue kits. She sits on the steering committee of Mom’s United to End the War on Drugs and travels the country as a guest speaker at events and conferences.
Sharon is a coalition builder, working with other nationally recognized organizations to end the drug war like Drug Policy Alliance, NAACP, ACLU, Law Enforcement Action Partnership,, Stop Mass Incarceration Network and the Latin American Association in Georgia to connect the war on drugs to many of the social ills in our communities, human and civil rights, and criminal justice issues others have been working on for decades. Her work has been highlighted in numerous magazines to include LadyBud Magazine; HighTimes; CannaHealth and Newsweek. CBS, NBC and Fox in Atlanta contact her regularly to comment on subject ranging from drug policy to police brutality.
Other sessions: Prohibition, Mass Incarceration and Racism: How We Can Halt the Prison Pipeline for Cannabis Use