I realized two years ago that not a single national cannabis legalization organization was reaching out to educate the voting public. A few do valuable lobbying, others provide news and information to those folks who are already supporters, and when invited, organizations like NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) present our case in public debate.
All of these functions are important, but leave a tremendous void in ending marijuana prohibition.
For the past year, most of my income from Black Tuna Diaries, Square Grouper DVDs, and related memorabilia has gone to build and support The Silver Tour to teach senior voters the facts about medical marijuana.
After spending 30 years in federal prison for smuggling pot, the last thing I wanted to do was become an activist and risk the ire of the federal government at this late stage of my life.
Sure, I wanted to see the law changed so that others wouldn't lose their freedom. But as I traveled the country speaking, doing book signings and appearing at theater premieres of Square Grouper, what pushed me to take action was the plight of cannabis patients whose lives and quality of life depended on the availability of marijuana.
I met people with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, cancer, epilepsy, Crohn's disease, chronic pain and a host of common ailments that could be alleviated safely with a simple herb. Clearly, these people are patients, not criminals.
Why me? Here comes the ego part.
I have a unique skill and talent. The Village Voice website, Toke of the Town, called me "The Secret Weapon that can get marijuana legalized nationally."
For 20 years I was one of America's most successful pitchmen. According to the late Billy Mays, "Bobby Platshorn is a legendary pitchman and one of the all-time greats."
In other words, I not only know what has to be done to reach mainstream voters, I can actually do the job.
If you saw the CNN coverage or the live stream of our last Silver Show tour, you know that people enter as skeptics and leave demanding "safe legal access" to the "kind herb." If you haven't seen this yourself, it is available at www.thesilvertour.org.
Ask yourself: If the legalization movement had a spokesperson like Ron Popiel or Billy Mays, could this War on Marijuana be over by now?
Believe me, legalizing cannabis is a lot easier to sell than Ginzu knives or VitaMix blenders. Been there, done both!
Although The Silver Tour is aimed at seniors (they vote!), the story we tell appeals to a much wider audience. If you Google my name or The Silver Tour, you will see that we've gotten more positive national press attention in the last six months, than all the national organizations put together.
Our billboards drew dozens of national stories, including CBS, NBC, Newsweek, The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post. I've managed this much on a total of less than $20,000 in contributions. No national organization or major donor like George Soros or Peter Lewis has put in a penny.
We've gotten this far on individual contributions and help from small businesses like Aqua Lab Tech in California and the producers of Square Grouper.
Now it's time to finish the job. More billboards and saturation TV campaigns!
This is one of two different billboards that went up in Florida as part of The Silver Tour's push for the passage of medical marijuana in the state.
We are editing The Silver Tour into a half-hour format for TV. I'm an old hand at infomercials. I know how to buy half-hour slots on local and national TV for a small fraction of what an agency would pay for the same time slots.
What will it cost? We can saturate Florida TV markets and make medical marijuana a reality for about $25,000. Nationally? Under a million dollars will pay for a saturation national education campaign on TV that will create an unstoppable demand for the repeal of marijuana prohibition.
That's what I can do. The proof of our success is already out there.
Now it's up to you and the people you know who would like to see the end of the War on Cannabis.
Donations can be sent to:
The Silver Tour
254 Lake Constance Dr.
West Palm Beach, FL 33411
or go to www.thesilvertour.org and donate via debit, credit or PayPal.
Thanks again for your support!
- Posted using my jailbroken iPod
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