Roc NORML was founded in January 2018 and is the Rochester, NY chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law. The chapter is a non-profit grassroots organization in the process of filing as a 501(c)4 corporation..
Our Mission
Roc NORML's mission is to educate the public about the benefits of responsible cannabis use, while working to reform the laws surrounding cannabis prohibition. We advocate that consumers have access to high quality cannabis that is safe, convenient, and affordable in a normalized and de-stigmatized environment.
Our Vision
Our vision is that with our organizations advocacy and our communities voices, New York will be the leader in building a socially responsible model to regulate and tax cannabis for adult use.
How We’ll Do It…
- Center the conversation around reparations to individuals and communities that have been most targeted and damaged in the war on drugs, including:
- Sealing of records, re-sentencing convictions, and eliminating other types of state supervision for offenses that become legal under the new legislation;
- Priority licensing and other measures, like financial and business related support, to ensure diversity and equity within the cannabis industry;
- Establishing a Community Reinvestment Grant Fund from 50% of tax revenue generated. The funds would be accessible to community-based organizations for job training and placement, re-entry services, adult education programming,and other services;
- A model supporting small business and multiple access points into the industry, similar to how the craft beer industry in New York is structured;
- Consumer protections, especially in regard to: housing, driving, and employment;
- Inclusion of home cultivation that allows for collective/community gardens; and
- Allowing for on-site/public consumption spaces
- Provisions for banking and with making business expenses deductible for State taxes; and
- Measures and funding to conduct research