Seven legislators is all it took to delay selling cannabis legally in Massachusetts.  The voters agreed that one year is enough to figure out the regulations for cannabis stores. But less than two handfuls of legislators decided to delay the inevitable for six more months.

Their excuse is that that we need to figure out what regulations are needed for cannabis stores and for arresting people for driving under the influence of cannabis. While breathalyzers don’t work for cannabis, every day police deal with drivers under the influence of many legal and illegal substances, or who refuse to take a breathalyzer. Have them walk a line for a start!

Strangely absent from the discussion is that we have had 83 years of regulations on alcohol that could easily serve as a starting point for cannabis regulations. Make common sense regulations and iterate as we encounter any real problems. Unfortunately for us, that is too hard for our legislators.

We need your help in getting pirates in the legislature and other offices.

We train people and groups on how to protect their privacy on their devices and in their communications. An effort we will expand in the months ahead since the next administration is no friend of personal privacy or the First Amendment. The monthly Somerville cryptoparty has been a success with 30 people attending in November and 22 in December. We need more of them and we need to help more vulnerable groups.

We continue to help people prevent banksters (and their assistants in the legislature) from stealing their homes, an effort that will unfortunately be more rather than less urgent in 2017.

We need your help, whether it is your time and skills, whatever money you can spare or especially being a candidate.

Thanks and may 2017 be a better year for you, family and friends and pirates worldwide!

PS – MASS CANN/NORML is organizing a lobby day on Wednesday, January 18 so people can talk sense with legislators and their aides about cannabis. We will work with them to get pirates there. Let us know you want to join the fun by sending your contact information in an email titled “Lobby Day” to info@masspirates.org.

PPS – Here are some of the volunteer tasks we need help with:

  • Silk screening flags
  • Writing blog posts, press releases and party literature
  • Calling supporters, volunteers and potential candidates
  • Updating our website and adding better ways for supporters to communicate with one another
  • Organizing events, cryptoparties and hackathons
  • Starting local chapters
  • Making connections with press
  • Making connections with other groups to help them with their efforts and help them communicate privately
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