I’m trying to an effort for Marijuana legalization here at my university, but so far my recruitment efforts haven’t gone too well. I posted flyers up around campus, but some pompus jerks decided that they would rip them down :mad: I’ve gotten a few people here and there, but nothing really substansial. I figured that since it was a legalization effort, and more of an “underground” thing, the best way to promote it would be by word of mouth. The problem with that is, I don’t just want those people; I want to attract more faculty and other students who people don’t think use mj (eventhough I’ve discovered that a lot of people who don’t look like they do, or speak bad against it, actually do). With this being said, what do you think is the best way to get the word out. I’ve devised flyers specifically for various parts of campus. I.E. MJ gardens for the Plant and Soil Science department, confiscation pictures around dorms, larger posters with pot leafs on them for main entrances to major buildings that a large majority of the students enter into or leave everyday, and hopefully an add to run in the upcoming paper. Any other suggestions or criticisms would be welcome and greatly appreciated.
I would first contact Students For A Sensible Drug Policy if there’s not already a chapter at your campus. I work with the UW-Madson branch helping them organize and run their 4:20 Festival, and coordinating Harvest Fest, in October.
They’re a great organization at a national level, with good leadership and realistic goals for promoting medical marijuana, decriminalization, education and most importantly, a logical and sensible drug policy at the National and State Levels.
You also might look into the Marijuana Policy Project, another well run and professional organization that is more strictly focused on Marijuana specifically. They are much more active in some states than others, as they direct their efforts to those specific regions where they feel they can make the greatest gains in the legislative arena. Currently, they are focusing on Nevada pretty heavily, because of some hanky-panky that the Secretary of State tried to pull by invalidating a referendum petition by changing the number of signatures needed to put it on the ballot after the MPP achieved a number in excess of the original requirements. Last I saw, a Federal judge at some level ruled that this was patently unfair, but I don’t think it’s progressed much beyond that, but I’ve not been watching closely either, as I’m swamped with work these days.
Lastly, you can always contact NORML. Personally, I’ve not been impressed with them in quite some time. But a large portion of that is due to the fact that each state chapter is fairly autonomous and the chapter in WI is run from Green Bay, not Madison, the seat of government and the ‘officers’ in charge of the organization are a pair of ditzy ladies who are more concerned with getting high and throwing around some leaflets at a hippie/jam band club show than taking any organizational or legislative action to promote their agenda. But - it’s entirely possible that the IL chapter really has their sh*t together, so it’s worth looking into.
Just my thoughts…
Picker
Decriminalization Activist for 7 Years
Sorry, Saluki_Fan - I forgot to mention the reason I posted all that information. Each of these organizations (but especially SSDP) provide a lot of information to the local chapters about methods of getting the word out effectively, mobilizing your activist and support base, and providing things like flyer templates and such.
So hopefully you can find some people at these organizations that will help you find the most effective ways to accomplish your goals.
Start giving out samples? 
Okay, just kidding. I don’t really have any good advice. Good luck, though!
Do you have a Marijuana Party, and, if so, are they reasonably competent and can they support your effort?
Depends on your budget. There are companies that will custom print packs of cig papers with your logo/ad. Maybe a pot-friendly band that would donate their sevices?
Best of luck with the effort, it is a noble one. If you are ever in my neighborhood, look me up;).
I think your best bet would be to move out of Carbondale. 
I thought about passing out packs of rolling papers with our contact info on the inside.
Okay- first piece of advice.
Make sure that they know you’re *working * on legalization- that means that it is illegal now. So no smoking right now.
I can tell you, as someone that’s not a pot smoker but is on the side of legalization- the achilles heel of the pro-pot movement is that it seems to be run by potheads. Now, i don’t mind pot (and would probably smoke occasionally if it were legal), but I HATE potheads.
Thanks for all the suggestions, they really are a help. I went ahead to get the information and start up a SSDP chapter down here and hopefully we can get the ball rolling and make some headway. Stonebow, I completely agree with you, and hopefully I can attract people like you to the organization. I don’t care what a person looks like or does in the privacy of their own home; but in my opinion, a person who is truly dedicated to the cause will realize that there is a time and place for everything. BTW, Sunspace there is a marijuana party here in IL and they have been helpful and very encouraging. Thanks again everyone.
If you really want to have a successful organization for this you need to have something the rest don’t…some power. I believe most people (such as myself) don’t get involved for two reasons:
- They don’t think it will accomplish anything
- They don’t want to be associated with a group that the government is out to get
I fall neatly into both slots. As much as I’d like to support an organized effort I don’t believe those currently around will have any affect on law in my lifetime. I am also very cautious about who knows that side of my personality…getting on a government blacklist is not my idea of a good time.
This is the DEA. We have seen your SDMB username, and your house is surrounded. Step away from the computer …
saluki_fan wrote
Though I wouldn’t be removing your posters, I don’t think people who do are necessarily pompous asses. In fact, knowing nothing else about two people, other than that one of them posts large pictures of pot leaves in well-frequented places and one removes them, I suspect more positive attributes can be found in the person who removes them. I don’t see posting them any different than posting a large picture of a Jack Daniels bottle, or an ad for stronger drugs. Effectively you’re advertising illegal drug usage by by posting these, just as much as Nike would be if they posted a picture of their shoes. It’s irrelevant that your claimed message is to legalize it; the received message is to partake.
As you may have guessed, I don’t support your efforts, even though I don’t have a problem with people who smoke pot.
Speaking as someone who has experience with political campaigns (but my personal views are anti-legalization), these flyers seem to be the abolsutely worst way to attract members to your cause. They seem to be the epitome of every worst stereotype of the pro-legalization movement.
Come on, a big pot leaf on a flier? What is this organization, a club of stoners or a group of principled folks who think the laws out to be changed? That cliche design, in my mind, clearly puts the group in the former, rather than the latter. You’d do very well to break out from this conceptual box, because I don’t think it’ll bring in anyone but the most devout pro-legalization people, who are probably in your group already.
To the maximum extent, I’d say that you would want to maximize your slant on the group toward the more principled message of “our drug laws don’t work” rather than “jackbooted government thugs want to take our fun away.” Try reaching out to libertarian groups on your campus. Organize petitions where you can collect people’s names and email addresses, and start a listserv. Organize efforts to cover campus events and pass out literature. Start holding your own event that are interesting, like getting a band to play a free concert or something, rather than the odious speech-a-thons of hippies railing against Big Brother.
The first step to getting people active is getting them interested. Don’t expect people to just show up at your meetings, first reach out to folks and just give them info about why your cause is important. Then organize things to DO – not just Tuesday night group-grope sessions – and THEN mobilize people to join in. And, most importantly, get the campus newspaper to cover the events. Oh, and don’t pay for ads in papers, that’s just a waste of money. You should be seeking to make your group MAKE news. That’s free.
Once again, speaking as an anti-legalization person, worst of luck to you! 
<somewhat related hijack>
US District Judge James Mahan. State and county officials had told ballot petitioners that the required number of signatures was equal to 10% of the total number of people who voted in the last general election. Three petitions (one regarding marijuana and two dealing with tobacco use) were turned in to the state using the 2002 election as the benchmark. Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller’s office ruled that the petitioners should have used the 2004 election, and all three petitions failed based on this criterion. Mahan overturned that decision and sent the petitions on to the state legislature. If the legislature does not approve the petitions, they’ll be added to the 2006 ballot as referenda.
I’m still a little confused as to why a federal judge has jursidiction over what seems to me to be a state government issue, but I’m happy with the decision.
</hijack>
What exactly do you want your recruits to do? I work with a couple of environment-focused nonprofits, and we have a much easier time recruiting volunteers for specific tasks than for general “come help with the cause” purposes. There are usually on a few especially dedicated people who will devote the time and effort to making the concrete plans - the volunteers we recruit are there to help carry them out.