In the fight to free cannabis from the shackles of repression, few organizations have been as pivotal as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). But now that its flagpole issue boasts record-high approval ratings, legal status across most of the U.S., and daily use by over 18 million Americans, is the crusade over?
For Deputy Director Paul Armentano, the answer is a resolute “no.” Far from basking in the glow of victory, the organization is preparing for what could be its toughest challenge yet.
“One of the things I’ve really come to fear in recent years is people becoming apathetic on this issue,” Armentano said. “When people look at public support and say, ‘Well, 70% of people think marijuana ought to be legal,’ they feel it’s a fait accompli—that it’s going to happen. But political change doesn’t happen on its own. It only happens when people passionately advocate for that change to take place. We need to remember that just because we’ve been successful in recent years doesn’t mean we’re going to continue to be successful going forward.”
As traditional advocates turn their energy toward new causes, like psychedelic reform, newly energized conservative state governments may seize the moment to roll back cannabis legalization. Efforts to impose new restrictions are already gaining ground in several states.
In Ohio, which legalized recreational cannabis only last year, the Speaker of the House recently proposed lowering allowable potency and limiting home cultivation. Meanwhile, governors of Florida, Texas, and Arkansas—each a 2028 White House hopeful—have doubled down on their opposition to recreational cannabis.
“I’ve done this long enough to see the pendulum swing one way and then swing backwards,” Armentano said. “This is an issue where advocacy still remains of the utmost importance. People need to continue advocating to maintain the gains that we’ve won thus far and to continue to move the ball forward. If there are fewer advocates, then there’s going to be less pressure on lawmakers to continue taking this issue seriously—that includes people who read your magazine.”
I’ve done this long enough to see the pendulum swing one way and then swing backwards. This is an issue where advocacy still remains of the utmost importance.
Smoke Shops and Alt-Cannabinoids
Since the beginning, smoke shops have been on the frontlines of a proxy war for legalization. But the last 15 years have splintered the cannabis community. As recreational markets matured and new alt cannabinoids like Delta-8 THC emerged, traditional allies have succumbed to infighting.
When Congress inadvertently paved the way for alternative hemp products with the 2018Farm Bill, it also opened this new theater of war. Smoke shops, barred from selling cannabis, found a near-perfect substitute in cannabinoids. But as those products rose in popularity, some cannabis companies saw them as unfair competition.
Cannabinoids aren’t subject to the same taxes or regulations as cannabis. Some dispensaries believe the lower price could lure consumers away just as the recreational is trying to find its footing.
Looking from the outside, NORML has concerns about both cannabis and cannabinoids. Many of the problems that plagued black market cannabis are present in legal hemp products, which NORML believes is bad for the end user.
As Armentano explained, consumers assume cannabinoid products are safe because they are sold commercially, but that’s not always the case.
“I think the key difference with these hemp-derived products is that many of them result from chemical synthesis, which makes them more like bathtub gin during alcohol prohibition than traditional cannabis products,” Armentano said. “We would like to see those products regulated. We’d like to see the adoption of best practices regarding their manufacturing.”
NORML advocates for stricter labeling and purity standards for these products, as well as greater consumer awareness.
“If we want consumers to make safe and informed choices, they need access to the right information,” Armentano explained. “I’ve seen third-party testing analyses that found heavy metals and other adulterants in these products, which could pose significant health risks.”
The Federal-Local Divide
In NORML’s vision for the future, cannabis is regulated like alcohol—something that’s federally legal but handled differently in every state.
“Following the repeal of alcohol prohibition, some states moved quickly to adopt their own alcohol regulations, while others maintained prohibition for decades, ”Armentano said. “That’s why, even now, we have a patch work of alcohol laws across the country. Some states have different restrictions—like where alcohol can be sold, on which days, and even the types of alcohol allowed in certain stores.”
While federal cannabis reform remains a minefield of tribal politics, it’s not a “both sides” issue.
“At the federal level, it largely breaks down along partisan lines, with Republicans tending to be reluctant to embrace reform, if not outright hostile to the idea, and Democrats largely leaning to be more favorable toward various elements of marijuana policy reform, ”Armentano said. “That’s really not a whole lot different on the state level as well. When you look at the states that have legalized adult-use marijuana markets legislatively as opposed to at the ballot, those laws were enacted almost entirely along party lines, with Democrats instate government supporting those policies and virtually every single Republican in those state governments rejecting those policies.”
The best way to see positive change is for everyone—including smoke shop owners—to become politically active, Armentano added.
“Deciding to go into the marijuana business is inherently political,” he said. “I hear this all the time from people who say, ‘Hey, I’m just a business owner.’ Well, if you want to sell widgets, you’re a business owner. If you want to sell marijuana products, you need to be a political advocate because this isn’t an ordinary business.”
Deciding to go into the marijuana business is inherently political.
Despite the strange alliances that our current moment has made, there is room for NORML and smoke shops to work together to show politicians what needs to be done.
“There needs to be an understanding among lawmakers, both at the state and federal level, that this is an issue that enjoys bipartisan support among their constituents, ”Armentano said. “It shouldn’t be treated by law makers as some sort of partisan issue. And that understanding simply hasn’t happened yet.”
