Frank Discussion: Strategy Ideas

Strategy Ideas
Ending Cannabis Prohibition in Canada

Main Objectives

1. Mainstreaming our message.
Customize our message to more effectively reach a mainstream audience

2. Stronger presence in the media & combating misinformation.
More press releases, coordinated talking points, LTE & PR teams

3. Grow and strengthen our support base.
Attract new activists, get more organized and work cooperatively.

4. Make an example of the worst prohibitionists.
Bring attention to the people and organizations that are the worst offenders; who misinform and confuse the public about the cannabis issue.

Objective 1: Mainstreaming our message

Utilizing a demographically-appropriate message. Customize the message to more effectively reach a mainstream audience.

There is much more potential for the mainstream to find the Harms-of-Prohibition message more relevant to their lives than a Pro Pot message.

Keeping the message on prohibition helps keep the conversation from getting bogged down in the "is pot harmful/addictive/stronger/gateway-drug" arguments that continue to used as reasons why cannabis prohibition should continue.

We need our message to focus at the heart of the problem -- prohibition. The harms, failure and cost of prohibition is reason enough to end it.

Touting the safety or benefits of cannabis, as a reason why prohibition should end, will "convince" only a small percentage of population.

The "unintended consequences" of prohibition is degrading and corrupting Canadian society. That is what we need to educate the public about. Whether or not cannabis is addictive, stronger or is a gateway drug are secondary issues.

We really NEED a lot of informed public on our side to make gains politically. For that our messages need to address how prohibition affects THEM.

As always, I refer back to what I think is the most important Senate Report quote for the general public to hear:

"The continued prohibition of cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being of Canadians much more than does the substance itself."

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, 2002
Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy
http://www.senatereport.ca

A key goal should be finding comfortable ways for the general public to acknowledge their support for cannabis law reform. Getting our message about cannabis prohibition to the public is possible if we come up with interesting and creative ways to get our message across.

Harms of Prohibition info-sheet (PDF)

Ways to mainstream our message...

A very important reality to get out to the Canadian public...

"The continued prohibition of Cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being of Canadians much more than does the substance itself."
- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, 2002

Promote the Senate Report (Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs)
Promote the web site > SenateReport.ca

Create a "Reference Guide to the Senate Report" to make important content more easily accessible.

Do person-on-the-street surveys to gather information from the public about their thoughts and beliefs about cannabis and cannabis laws that will help us better connect with the mainstream.

The objective for the interviews is to simply collect the unvarnished truth; simply capturing the reality of what members of the general public think about cannabis. Ask them why they think the way they do and study the results to learn how to better engage and educate the public. suggested survey questions

These surveys could also serve as a rough gauge of the effectiveness of public education efforts.

(If statistical rules and the rules for surveys and market research are able to be followed, good solid reliable data would be produced from which to manage efforts. The most important rule about this is that you have to start measuring what you're doing from day one.)

Solicit help from businesses - A majority of Canadians want the cannabis laws reformed. There is support out there. It may just be a matter of asking enough of them till you find one that is willing to help support cannabis law reform efforts by way of low cost, or no cost services, sponsorship of events, etc. Offer to place their names/logos on promo materials if they are comfortable with being public about their support.

Example businesses that could be a good fit:
• print shops
• sign printers
• sticker printers
• t-shirt printers
• marketing/ad agencies
• event organizers
• musicians
• audio-equipment rentals
• tent rentals
• food vendors

Objective 2: Stronger presence in the media & combating misinformation.

• form teams to work on letters-to-the-editor and press releases
• coordinated talking points for media activists
• emphasize harms/costs of prohibition
• show that we take this issue very seriously

Ways to have a stronger presence in the media...

Form a Media Education Team to quickly and efficiently create letters-to-the-editor, press releases, talking points, etc. in a timely manner.)

Educate the media by sending them a friendly informational emails correcting inaccurate reporting and including links to further information. The easier we make it for journalists to research about cannabis the more truth will be reported. Form relationships with journalists and keep them informed/educated about the cannabis issue.

Idea: make availble a collection informational responses to various topics for anyone who wants an easy way to educate a journalist or politician

Form a network of respected experts who can be called on to counter government BS with fact-based evidence that can be quoted in the press releases.

Objective 3: Grow and strengthen our support base.

Attracting new activists, getting more organized and working cooperatively.

Ways to grow and strengthen our support base...

Rallies - rallies are important for showing public support for cannabis law reform, but they are currently underutilized in their potential to educate and solicit new activists. Smoke-outs, especially those with young attendees, are not good as a public outreach efforts, they are community building efforts.

Some ideas on how to more effectively utilize rallies to build our support base:
• collect emails for letting people know of upcoming rallies/events
• provide cannabis information literature
• give out info on how to get more involved
• give away "activist kits" to get people started quickly/easily
• solicit feedback on how it could be improved for next time
• make more effort to improve the optics of the rally and its attendees to encourage more mainstream participation at future rallies

Solicit feedback from activists to monitor the pulse of the activist community and adapt support and resources to evolving needs.

Provide new activists with "tools" and guidance so they don't get frustrated from not being able to find a way to help out. Reduce the learning curve for new activists. Team up new activists with experienced ones for "on the job training."

"Activist Helpdesk/Resource Center" [on a web site?] for interested/motivated activists who are:
• looking for feedback on a project idea
• looking for some ideas of ways to help
• looking for some assistance with organizing their project

Activists Wanted campaign (on its own web site?) Connect activists with projects.

Head Shop Network - work with owners of head shops across the country to facilitate widespread distribution of cannabis and activism related literature.

Form sub-groups to work on specific tasks (more efficient, less duplication of effort, able to quickly respond to important events, and a more focused message)

Possible sub-groups:

• Media Group (LTE writers, press releases, talking points)
• Education Group
• Legal Group
• Web Communication Groups (information distribution network, posting to web sites, forums, e-lists, blogs, social networks, etc.)

Objective 4: Monitor the efforts of those who act as an impediment to ending cannabis prohibition.

Make an example of the worst prohibitionists.

Pay attention to the people and organizations that are the worst offenders who misinform and confused the public about the cannabis issue. Make them aware we are closely monitoring what they are saying and might call them on it.

Who are those who are vocal about their opposition to ending cannabis prohibition?

• police unions
• some politicians
• some journalists
• anti-drug lobby groups

What other factors are hindering our efforts?

• apathy on the part of the public about the CLR issue (CLR = Cannabis Law Reform)
• not enough of the public understands that current laws are causing harm to society
• ignorance on the part of politicians about how to create a legal environment for cannabis
• the U.S. drug 'czar', John Walters, reacts with threats of border slowdowns whenever there is talk of reforming Canada's cannabis laws.

Ways to monitor and address the worst prohibitionists...

Analyze techniques that prohibitionists use to distort the truth, confuse, and mislead:

1. They confuse the issue by switching back and forth from talking about cannabis to talking about illegal drugs in general

2. They confuse by switching back and forth from talking about decrim and legalization

3. [submit a suggestion]

Create a "Hall of Shame" (on a web site) for public figures and journalists who are the worst offenders in their statements about Cannabis and Cannabis policy
(present them with a "dinosaur of the year" or a "tin foil hat" award.)

Other Thoughts:

STARTING SMALL
It will require a small group of people to work cooperatively and set a direction, leading by example, showing results and progress. Once other activists see the results of a more cooperative and organized effort more people will get involved.

MEASURING PROGRESS
It's important to be able to gauge a project's effectiveness in order to leaarn from it. How do we measure progress? What indications can we look for to verify progress?

SURVEYS / MARKET RESEARCH:
It's very important to collect information from the public to find out what people's perceptions of cannabis laws and cannabis activists, cannabis events, etc. Find out what type of event they would be comfortable attending or ways that we could more effectively reach them with our message.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
Formulate and use guiding principles to influence all subsequent decision-making so the outcome is effective and remains on-message.

• At present the Canadian cannabis law reform movement has no steering committee, or strategic leadership or a national non-profit organization or political lobbyists in Ottawa. There is no organization analysing the "big picture" of what's going on and making informed strategy decisions. We need to start moving toward these things as a goal.

• We will advance much faster working together as a cooperative.. There needs to be more structure in place so our time is used more effectively and there is less duplication of effort. Becoming better organized will result in more effective activism and observable results.

• It is my belief that ending cannabis prohibition is possible if we come up with creative, demographically-appropriate ways to educate the public with the facts about cannabis and cannabis laws.

• Public opinion polls show there is considerable support for reducing penalties for cannabis possession, and a slight majority of Canadian (53% in 2004) already want cannabis legalized. And that's without the majority of Canadians understanding the ways cannabis prohibition is causing harm to society.

• Determine the most effective messages before organizing an event and make sure those messages are clearly presented.

• We need to evolve faster as a movement. After each activism effort it's important to solicit constructive feedback on how it could be improved upon for the next effort. Evaluate... learn... improve.

• If you want to get involved, find an activist that's already making efforts and offer to assist them with their efforts.

• Help reduce the learning curve for new activists. Experienced activists need to help guide new activists towards the best use of their efforts, with advice and assistance. Fewer activists will give up from discouragement if their efforts are utilized more effectively.

• We need more people making a small effort instead of a few people trying to do too much.

What I believe to be true...

• We need much more public support to affect political change in cannabis laws.

• Educating the general public (voters) about cannabis prohibition is a top priority.

• We need to market our message to the general public using an approach that is engaging to them; tailoring the message specifically for that demographic.

• An anti-prohibition message is more effective at reaching the mainstream than a pro-pot message. Focus on the human and dollar costs asscociated with prohibition. We need to show them that ALL Canadians have a vested interest in ending cannabis prohibition; that it's in Canada's best interest.

Have some feedback on these strategy ideas?

What the future might look like...

A collection of Studies, Reports, and Analysis of Cannabis Policy

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