According to statistics provided by the popular Internet search engine Google, Canadians and Americans are more likely than citizens of other countries to perform Internet searches using the keyword "marijuana."

"Both Canadians and Americans report higher rates of cannabis use compared to almost all other nations on the planet," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "These millions of cannabis consumers desire fact-based, educational information about marijuana and marijuana law reform, and they are increasingly turning to the Internet and away from the federal government and the mass media to obtain it."

NORML has greatly expanded its online presence to take advantage of this growing trend, St. Pierre explained – noting that NORML’s podcast is one of the most downloaded political audiocasts on the Internet, averaging over 140,000 downloads per week.

St. Pierre also said that more than 277,000 subscribers to the social networking website Facebook.com have recently joined NORML’s online ‘Cause’ group – which allows users to donate directly to the organization.

In addition, this past September, NORML launched an ‘in world’ office on the popular 3-D virtual world Second Life.

The organization also maintains a popular MySpace page, available online at: http://www.myspace.com/natlnorml.

"We are extremely pleased that NORML is leading the way in online activism – not only among drug policy reform groups, but among all non-profit organizations," St. Pierre said. "Building effective and influential coalitions within online communities is an integral part of NORML’s educational and outreach activities."

For more information, please contact NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre or NORML Outreach Coordinator Ron Fisher at (202) 483-5500. To inquire about advertising on NORML’s podcast, the Daily Audio Stash, please contact Chris Goldstein at: chrisg@normlaudiostash.com.