Join AL DÍA Talks for a conversation with marijuana advocate and writer, Chris Goldstein.
For years, Goldstein has been one of the most vocal proponents of marijuana legalization in the Philadelphia region, assisting in efforts that led to the city decriminalizing possession of a small amount of cannabis in 2014.
Goldstein is a former member of the Board of Directors at several chapters of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). As a writer, he is a frequent contributor to Philly.com focusing on cannabis-related issues. Goldstein is also a media instructor at Temple University, teaching the course “Marijuana in the News.”
In 2012, Goldstein and other activists began organizing a series of peaceful protests near Independence Hall against marijuana prohibition. During one such protest in August 2013, Goldstein was arrested for possessing less than half a gram of marijuana (a half-smoked joint), resulting in a $3,000 fine, two years of supervised probation, and a lasting federal criminal record.
In our conversation with Goldstein, we will discuss his experiences as an activist, the status of efforts to end marijuana prohibition in Pennsylvania and his native New Jersey, the high cost of recently legalized medical cannabis in the Keystone State, the persisting number of weed-related arrests, and more.