NORML is a non-profit national lobbying organization promoting marijuana legalization and advocacy.  As state on their website, NORML stands for the “National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws”.  The organization was founded in 1970 and since then NORML has been fighting anti-marijuana public policy and legislation.  Not only does NORML advocate the reasonable use of marijuana, the organization also serves as a source of knowledge and information regarding marijuana and hemp.  The organization sends out a periodic newsletter, prints leaflets, sponsors an annual conference, constantly updates its educational website, publishes a blog, conducts lobbying efforts in the form of a PAC, supports a foundation, and serves as the national focus for the pro-marijuana and pro-hemp movements (www.norml.org).

The ideology of propaganda is defined in the book by Kecskemeti as providing “the audience with a comprehensive conceptual framework for dealing with social and political reality” (Jowett & O’Donnell, 2012, pg. 291).  An organization’s ideologies are the building blocks that constitute its ideals, values, and commitments.  NORML’s ideologies derive from the basis of rational personal use of marijuana and the legalization of marijuana within the U.S.  The organization’s mission statement is “to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable” (www.norml.org, Board of Directors, 2013).  This statement embodies the NORML’s ideology of promoting the reasonable use of quality marijuana in a legal location.  Important in this regard is adult-only usage, prohibition of driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana, user awareness of the setting of marijuana use, prohibition of marijuana use at the point of health or personal development impairment or damage, and respect of other’s views on marijuana (www.norml.org, Board of Directors, 1996).

The purpose of the NORML leaflet is educating the U.S. population on proper marijuana use and reporting current news featuring marijuana issues.  The purpose of most persuasive pamphlets is attaining societal acceptance of the organization's ideology.  By publishing their leaflet, NORML promotes the legitimacy of its pro-marijuana ideals to the public.  The propaganda that NORML advocates is disseminated through different techniques in various platforms that result in shaping people's cognitions and perceptions.

One of the techniques used by NORML is integration propaganda, which “maintain(s) the positions and interests represented by ‘officials’ who sponsor and sanction the propaganda messages” (Jowett & O’Donnell, 2012, pg. 291).  The NORML pamphlet achieves this integration by adding various advertisements of well-known celebrities who support the rational use of marijuana.  Two examples of this are the ad of actress Jennifer Aniston that says, “I enjoy smoking cannabis and see no harm in it” and the ad of Olympian Michael Phelps, which reads, “Marijuana helps me relax, without affecting my athletics” (NORML LEAFLET, pgs. 15,17).  These two pamphlet advertisements use celebrity support for the advancement of proper marijuana use.

Another propaganda technique is agitation propaganda.  Agitation propaganda guides behavior to “arouse people to participate in or support a cause” (Jowett & O’Donnell, 2012, pg. 291).  This is shown in the article “Pot Legalization Could Save U.S. $13.7 Billion Per Year, 300 Economists Say” on page thirty of the pamphlet.  This article utilizes agitation propaganda with its reference to the national deficit.  The article states that legalizing marijuana will generate additional tax revenue (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 30).  This argument helps persuade some American citizens to support marijuana legalization in the mission of lowering the federal deficit.

Another example of agitation propaganda is contained in an article in the industry section of the leaflet.  “Many commodities which replaced traditional uses of industrial hemp in the United States in the last century and a half have created significant environmental externalities”, says Smith-Heisters (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 38).  There is a diagram in this article that depicts the modern uses of the hemp plant in items such as rope, nets, carpets, newsprint, insulation, margarine, fuel, soaps, granola, animal feed, denim, and so on (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 38).  This provides the reader with a long list of the uses of the hemp plant that are environmentally friendly.  

NORML also used humor as another propaganda tool, as seen throughout the leaflet.  Many people will want to read a cartoon, but would never willingly bore through an article.  Cartoons are easier to remember then dull, analytical articles and everyone likes to laugh and retell cartoons.  The Rastafarian old lady cartoon (pg. 25), the bad news, good news, really bad news cartoon (pg. 46), the clip/bong cartoon (pg. 43), the “Corporate Bladder Cartoon” (pg. 21), the “Don’t be a Nuggethead” (pg. 41), the make sure your marijuana use is purely medicinal granny cartoon (pg. 46) are all easy to remember (NORML LEAFLET). Cartoons are easily understood and quite memorable.  A picture is worth 1000 words and is a very efficient communication technique.

NORML exists in part because Americans started to believe that marijuana usage was significantly different than hard-core drug usage, such as cocaine and heroine.  In the year that NORML was founded, 1970, the federal government passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. This federal act legislated that marijuana was no longer categorized as a narcotic and legislated that federal penalties were no longer mandatory in the case of illegal possession of small amounts of marijuana (“Marijuana Timeline”, 2014).  The passing of this legislation prompted the creation of NORML and helped initiate its efforts against other anti-marijuana laws and its support of laws legalizing marijuana.  The NORML leaflet portrays a statement of March of 1972 from the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse that “the actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior…”(NORML LEAFLET, pg. 10).  Nixon opposed this report and added, “We need, and I use the world ‘all out war,” on marijuana (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 10).  Furthermore, President Richard Nixon was the first President to actively address the marijuana issue in 34 years (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 40).  These comments commenced the War on Weed in America.  Seven years later, President Ronald Reagan continued the anti-marijuana attack in the “Just Say No” to drugs campaign, including marijuana in the mix of demonized drugs (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 40).  This would push NORML to continue its reform efforts in support of legalizing the rational use marijuana.  

NORML also exists in the context of the social aspect of marijuana use.  In 1969, an art and music festival called Woodstock took place in New York.  Half a million people attended this three-day festival of music, peace, anti-war sentiment, and marijuana use (“Woodstock 1969”, 2015).  Societal marijuana had become a popular part of the American culture of the 60s and 70s and was displayed in the early NORML publications.  Today, NORML continues to sponsor cultural and educational festivals about the benefits of hemp and marijuana use.  These include festivals such as the Portland HempStalk Festival, the Seattle HempFest, and the Gainesville HempFest (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 39). 

The NORML organization is comprised of many different sections, such as the Legal Committee, the Board of Directors, the Advisory Board, the different NORML chapters, the NORML PAC, the NORML Foundation, as well as the various NORML memberships.  The NORML Board of Directors governs the organization and oversees the organization's policies.  According to the website, the Board of Directors contains 19 members, including 6 attorneys and 3 doctors.  The Legal Committee is composed of more than 350 attorneys who monitor the legal concerns of NORML.  The Advisory Board is comprised of various celebrities, including famous actors, actresses, singers, presidents, comedians, authors, athletes, and the like.  This provides NORML with the advantages of celebrity endorsement, adding credibility to the organization.  There are numerous NORML chapters in all fifty states, tackling local legal concerns such as marijuana/hemp legalization and decriminalization, and tax stamps.  The NORML PAC is the political “arm” of the organization, allowing NORML to lobby political candidates, legislators and regulators in the furtherance of its agenda.  Last, NORML is comprised of its various members and outside followers (www.norml.org).

NORML provides various levels of involvement to its audience as a strategy to cement loyalty to its organization.  It uses the action words "Donate. Volunteer. Act! Shop." to encourage a response from the audience (www.norml.org).  One can buy an item from the gift shop, join the Legal Committee, or become a member of eight different memberships categories.  

Target audiences are selected by NORML in an effort to gain and influence potential new members.  “NORML has a broad duty to serve the general public,” states Norm Kent (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 6).  As stated by Kent, I believe NORML’s target audience is the general public, but I also believe in focusing on different subsets of that public audience.  Other target audiences for NORML are female activists, recreational and medical marijuana users, lawyers, hemp and marijuana industry members, growers, politicians, and health professionals.

As one example, women are targeted in the NORML leaflet in the section “Women’s Alliance”.  NORML conducts a program specifically for female activists called Sister to Sister, which focuses on the female audience and encourages them to become reformers for pro-marijuana legislation by providing them with articles they can relate to (NORML LEAFLET, pgs. 14-15).  Likewise, attorneys are targeted in the advertisement of the Key West Legal Seminar.  This seminar is advertised as a relaxing conference for attorneys who want to find a place where others share the same perspective on marijuana use (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 2).  Last, medical users are targeted in the leaflet through the articles referencing the medical use of medical marijuana, the lawsuits regarding failed pro-medical marijuana legislation, and the benefits of marijuana on HIV patients (NORML LEAFLET, pgs. 16-19).  Almost every article of the leaflet targets an audience group for the NORML message.

NORML uses many different outlets to reach all their constituents.  In the beginning years, NORML used word-of-mouth to get their message out to their audience.  A year after NORML was founded, they held their first conference in Washington, D.C., gaining pro-reform followers.  Later in 1993, NORML launched their first website to digitally disseminate information and news to their audience (www.norml.org).  NORML is now using leaflets as an additional channel to visually represent their organization and to provide members with a physical record of their NORML message.  In addition to their website, NORML also uses various forms of social media, such as Twitter and Instagram, to disseminate their message to their target audience.  Their Twitter account has 208,000 followers and their Instagram account has almost 6,000 followers, showing the effectiveness its social media platform.  These venues give NORML a large social media platform in which to update the NORML message to their audience with daily informational tweets and pictures.  Multiple platforms maximize the benefit to the organization.  NORML places its message across all media channels, allowing the audience to pick the one that is most comfortable for them.  Using this array of communication channels, the propagandist (NORML) is more likely to elicit a positive impression and an emotional response from their audience.

As stated before, NORML’s Advisory Board is comprised of many well-known celebrities.  This gives an advantage to the organization’s campaign efforts because these celebrities function as opinion leaders as they advance the NORML campaign message.  Famous celebrities such as Willie Nelson, who possesses a large fan base, can quickly spread the message of NORML.  Additionally, NORML uses source credibility gained by placing intelligent people on the NORML Board of Directors.  Doctors, attorneys, and scientists on the Board of Directors provide NORML with legitimacy.  This legitimacy helps persuade the audience of the NORML message.

I also believe the first page of the NORML leaflet displays a visual symbol of power (the flag) combined with language to catch the attention of the reader.  The American Flag is the backdrop for this advertisement and a picture of a marijuana plant is placed in the middle of the page with a "not prohibited" sign over it and the language “THE WAR ON WEED.  A plant…Really?” (NORML LEAFLET, cover pg.).  This suggests to the audience the power of America as it journeys along the war on marijuana and suggests that NORML is questioning why?  Marijuana is just a plant.  This visual downplays the fact that marijuana is a drug because it is first and foremost simply an organic plant. 

Audience emotions are also generated by the picture on page 33 of the leaflet.  The little girl has a poster that reads, “My dad is not a criminal”, signifying that her dad was caught with marijuana and was imprisoned.  This picture helps create an emotion in the viewer, as the daughter is pictured left alone to fend for herself and her dad is left confined in jail from his marijuana conviction (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 33).  

Organizations monitor the various audience responses in order to learn whether their campaign messages are effective.  There are many audience responses to the NORMLs various pro-marijuana message.  NORML's pro-marijuana message embedded in the Silver Tours movement informs and highlights the safe usage of medical marijuana (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 25).  “At least 90 percent of the audience leave the (Silver Tour) show with the intention of contacting their representatives to demand ‘safe legal access’ NOW”, says Robert Platshorn (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 25).  The target audience’s reaction to this Silver Tour Conference in West Palm Beach demonstrates that a substantial majority of the audience deems the NORML message as effective in changing their perspective on marijuana use and in promoting new behavior based on that message.  Likewise, there is noted governmental response to NORMLs message in the article “Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Are Coming to The Nation’s Capital”.  Local legislation was passed by Congress to allow the D.C. Health Department to oversee the establishment of eight dispensaries of medical marijuana in the Capitol City (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 22).  This represents a positive response from governmental officials as they are starting to pass laws allowing the safe use of marijuana.

Many of the opponents in NORML’s leaflet are former Presidents of the United States.  Although directly commenting on the President may be risky, the counter propaganda technique allows NORML to discuss the President’s negative marijuana views and comments in a less hostile way.  As an example, an article on pages eight and nine of the leaflet illustrates President Barack Obama's attack on medical marijuana providers, patients, and advocates.  NORML uses counterpropaganda by quoting, “President Obama’s role reversal from one time medicinal cannabis sympathizer to White House weed-whacker is remarkable” and by claiming that Obama was once a supporter of medical marijuana and is now drastically opposed to it (NORML LEAFLET, pgs. 8-9).  In addition to President Obama, NORML also opposes the viewpoint of President George Bush.  The title of the article on page thirty-seven is “When Hemp Saved George Bush’s Life”.  NORML discusses the use of hemp oil in Bush's aircraft engine, in the hemp webbing of the parachute that saved Bush’s life, in the hemp rope used to pull Bush to safety out of the ocean, and in the hemp shoes Bush walked in when he was finally rescued and safe in the rescue boat.  NORML claims that Bush knew about the hemp products used to save his life, but he still enforced laws against hemp and marijuana usage during his presidency (NORML LEAFLET, pg. 37).

In conclusion, I believe that NORML has implemented many propaganda strategies and techniques in an attempt to persuade and influence its audience.  Their leaflet is very effective in shaping perceptions, changing cognitions, and directing behaviors through its various deliveries.  The NORML leaflet uses visuals like various cartoons and diagrams, and language like testimonials to promote effective responses from their target audience.  The editor of NORML, Norman Kent, uses the language of “your body, your mind, your choice” as a motto for personal independence.  NORML is presenting society with facts and with choices to support.  I believe the purpose of the NORML's leaflet propaganda has been realized and the goal of the leaflet message has been accomplished because NORML has educated the reader regarding the benefits of the proper and rational use of marijuana and hemp.

References

Jowett, Garth, and Victoria O'Donnell. Propaganda & Persuasion. California: SAGE Publications, 2012. Print.

"Marijuana Timeline." Frontline. PBS/KET, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html>.

NORML. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. <http://norml.org>.

NORML. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. <http://norml.org/shop/item/marijuana-law-reform-timeline>.

NORML Leaflet. Washington: Norm Kent, 2012. Print.

"Woodstock 1969." Woodstock Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. <http://www.woodstockstory.com/woodstock1969.html>.