WI NORML is planning for a lobby day September 15 @ Wisconsin State Capitol.  Please schedule an appointment with your legislator for a 5-15 minute appointment.

Find your legislator here http://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/ – search by address in the top right hand corner of the page.  Call and schedule an appointment to speak to them on September 15.

As you may know, on June 13th Wisconsin NORML started a petition in Milwaukee to allow up to 4 ounces of marijuana in private residences and reduce the fine for public possession from $50 to $5.

We have had a lot of support so far, with 8 businesses collecting signatures and a majority of the people we see being very supportive of our initiative. For a list of businesses collecting signatures, and more info on the petition in general, visit the Petition to (Partially) Legalize Marijuana in Milwaukee page.

We can always use more help though, especially with Summerfest coming up. We can easily collect tens of thousands of signatures during Summerfest, but only if we have the people power to do so. Ideally we would like to have a dozen or more people outside the Summerfest entrances every day.

If you are interested in helping collect signatures, at Summerfest or anywhere, there are a number of ways you can get involved:

• Join our Facebook Group where we will be organizing groups.
• Email the petition coordinator, Eric Marsch, at eric@sewisconsinnorml.org to discuss ways to get involved.
• Visit Closet Classics or Pipe Dreams to pickup informational packets and signature forms so you can collect signatures on your own
• Look for the Wisconsin NORML flag to know that Wisconsin NORML is there collecting signatures. We generally have extra clipboards, pens, and petition forms so you can help collect with us on the spot – no preparation needed on your end.
• Attend one of SE Wisconsin NORML’s weekly meetings at Closet Classics at 4:20pm every Sunday during the Summer.

Together with your support, we will collect the signatures we need to get our ordinance on the ballot. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to working with you.

On June 13th we will begin an official petition to legalize possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana in private residences in the City of Milwaukee!

In addition to legalizing private possession, we will decriminalize public possession of up to 4 ounces with a $5 fine, and allow all medical marijuana patients with a “valid prescription or order of a practitioner” to possess their medicine in public. To qualify for the ballot we need to collect at least 30,801 *valid* signatures in 60 days.

The success of this petition is very important to our overall strategy, and the impact of this initiative will go far beyond just the City of Milwaukee. We’ll be sending a strong message that the people of Milwaukee – and Wisconsin – want marijuana legalized and that we are an organized group that can not be ignored.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Get petition forms
   • Print out and staple together both the Milwaukee legalization ordinance text, and the petition form.
     **The ordinance text must be stapled to the petition form to satisfy the legal requirements**
     
   • Or come to one of our weekly meetings at Closet Classics (1000 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53212), Sundays at 4:20pm to pick up a packet of signature forms.
2. Carefully read the instructions and rules on this page regarding when signatures can be collected (between June 13th and August 11th), when to turn them in by (August 11th, so we can get them in on time), who is allowed to collect signatures, and what constitutes a valid signature
3. Collect signatures
   • We have a list of ideas for places to collect signatures further down the page
   • Stay tuned to the Wisconsin NORML Facebook page and updates to this page for organized group collections at events around the city.
4. Return signatures. This is almost the most important part. If the forms are not returned to us by August 11th, none of the signatures you collected will be counted. Returning forms often will help us keep an accurate count and will ensure all signatures are counted. We are dealing with the government: This deadline has no leniency.
   • You can mail in completed forms to:
     Eric Marsch
     1222 N Breezeland Rd
     Oconomowoc WI 53066
   • You can return the forms at one of our weekly meetings at Closet Classics (1000 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53212), Sundays at 4:20pm
   • We will be looking for supportive businesses that will agree to be drop off points for petition forms. This page will have updates. (Do you have a Milwaukee business? Shoot us an email!)

WHO CAN SIGN/WHAT’S A VALID SIGNATURE?

For a signature to be valid the signer (Make sure the signer meets these criteria *before* signing, please). Essentially the person must be a Milwaukee resident who is eligible (but not necessarily registered) to vote:

• Must be at least 18 years of age

• Must live in the City of Milwaukee (no suburbs)

• Must not be currently serving a felony sentence (jail/prison/probation/parole); felons who are no longer on probation/parole can sign

• Must sign within 60 days prior to the submission of the petition (signatures between June 13th and August 11th will be valid)

• Must not have already signed (Duplicate signatures are thrown out, but the original still counts. So all signing multiple times hurts is our estimate of how many signatures we have)

WHO CAN COLLECT SIGNATURES?

To collect signatures (“circulate the petition” in legal terms) the circulator:

• Must be at least 18 years of age

• Must be a US citizen

• Must not be currently serving a felony sentence (jail/prison/probation/parole); felons who are no longer on probation/parole can collect signatures.

WHERE CAN SIGNATURES BE COLLECTED?

Signatures can be collected on any public property (sidewalks, parks) and any private property with the consent of the property owner. Collecting signatures on sidewalks outside of music and sporting venues and at public events at public parks is allowed and encouraged, but don’t try to collect the signatures inside the venues or in their parking lots as you may be asked to leave or get in trouble.

You are also legally allowed to go door-to-door to collect signatures. If you do, please let us know where you went so we don’t duplicate effort.

Signature collection ideas:

• Ask friends and family to sign

• Bring petitions to parties

• Collect signatures at your job

• If you own/manage a store, collect signatures there (And let us know so we can direct people to you)

• If you organize events, collect signatures there (And let us know so we can direct people to you)

• Go door-to-door

• Outside concert venues after concerts (The Rave, Turner Hall, The Pabst, The Riverside, Shank Hall, The Miramar. Other ideas? Let us know!). Remember to stay on sidewalks and off the venue’s property unless you get explicit permission.

• High traffic public areas (Brady St, North Ave, Farwell Ave, Oakland Ave, Kinnickinnic Ave, Downtown. Other ideas? Let us know!)

• UWM Campus

PETITION FORMS AND ORDINANCE TEXT

Print out and staple together both the Milwaukee legalization ordinance text, and the petition form. **YOU MUST STAPLE THE ORDINANCE TEXT TO THE PETITION FORM** in order to satisfy the legal requirements of the petition.

**DO NOT DETACH THESE PAGES**

HOW TO CONTACT US/RETURN PETITIONS

Make sure the forms are back to us by August 12th (If you’re mailing them, please mail them a week ahead of that date). It would be best if filled out signature forms were returned as often as possible so we can keep an accurate count of where we are and to ensure no forms miss the deadline. We are dealing with the government: This deadline has no leniency.

**FORMS MUST BE PHYSICALLY TURNED IN. THEY CAN NOT BE EMAILED**

MEETINGS

We will be having meetings every Sunday at 4:20pm at Closet Classics in Milwaukee (1000 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53212)

ONLINE

Email us at info@sewinorml.org or contact us on Facebook at facebook.com/winorml. **FORMS CANNOT BE RETURNED ONLINE**

MAIL

You can mail completed petitions (make sure you certify each form at the bottom) to:

Eric Marsch
1222 N Breezeland Rd
Oconomowoc WI, 53066

MORE ABOUT DIRECT LEGISLATION IN WISCONSIN

Direct legislation in Wisconsin is covered by state statute 9.20. This statute allows the residents of an incorporated municipality (ie, city or village) to petition for the passing of a particular ordinance in their municipality. If the petition collects enough valid signatures within 60 days, the city council decides to either pass the ordinance directly, or it will go to a vote by the residents of the city. If the ordinance gets more than 50% of the vote, the ordinance becomes law, and cannot be repealed for at least 2 years.

The number of valid signatures required is 15% of the number of residents who voted in the last governor’s election, which in The City of Milwaukee, works out to 30,801, or about 5% of Milwaukee’s total population. There are a few rules regarding what a valid signature is, which we outline on the next pages.

WHY NOT THE WHOLE STATE?

We would love to organize a petition to legalize marijuana throughout Wisconsin, similarly to Colorado. Unfortunately, Wisconsin law and statute 9.20 only allow direct legislation at the municipal level. We hope the high-profile of our petition in Milwaukee can be used to spark debate about the need to make Wisconsin a ballot initiative state, but until then, we need to work city-by-city to enact direct legislation, and we will need to encourage our legislators to both legalize the sale and use of marijuana as well as allow direct legislation by The People.