About Us

Officially founded on October 31st, 2000, NORML of Macomb County is registered with the Michigan Bureau of Commercial Services as a nonprofit corporation. Our mission is to promote marijuana law reform at the Federal, State and local levels. We discuss the consequences of marijuana prohibition and the benefits of alternative policies. We strive to "demythologize" cannabis so that a more rational discussion of cannabis policy can occur. NORML of Macomb County is a recognized affiliate chapter of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

We believe that responsible marijuana use causes no harm to society and should be of no interest to state and federal governments. We believe in the removal of all penalties for the private posession of marijuana by adults, cultivation for personal use, and the casual, nonprofit transfers of small amounts. We also suppport the development of a legally controlled market for marijuana.

Marijuana prohibition appplies to everyone, including the sick and dying. Of all the negative consequences of prohibition, none is as tragic as the denial of medical marijuana to the tens of thousands of seriously ill patients undergoing chemotherapy, AIDS patients suffering from "wasting syndrome", glaucoma patients, and those suffering from chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis and a variety of spastic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, quadriplegia, and epilepsy. We believe that marijuana should be immediately made available by prescription to seriously ill patients.

We believe in ending the ban on the farming of industrial hemp. Hemp refers to the non-psychoactive strain of marijuana grown by farmers throughout the world for industrial purposes. Hemp is one of nature's strongest and most versatile agricultural crops and has many commercial uses. Various parts of the plant may be used for making paper, textiles, cosmetics, paints, clothing, foodstuffs, insulation, and animal feed. It produces a much higher yield per acre than substitutes such as wood pulp and cotton and requires virtually no pesticides. Farmers in 30 countries - including Canada, France, England, Germany, Japan, and Australia - grow hemp for industrial purposes. Presently, federal and state laws prohibit American farmers from growing this profitable and environmentally friendly commodity.

In conclusion, we believe marijuana prohibition is counterproductive to the social and economic health of the United States. The Cannabis plant is much more than just a recreational smoke. It has the potential to revolutionize our paper, textile, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and food industries, reduce the environmental impact of these industries, and alleviate the suffering of countless thousands of ailing people.