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Parents 4 Pot Blog

It's hard to believe It has been just over a year since we lost our beloved friend, leader and founder of Parents 4 Pot. We've worked hard this past year to continue the mission Mickey Martin began to end prohibition, one family at a time.Shortly before Mickey's passing we discussed a project to help those most affected by the war on drugs. Mickey carried with him a vision we all share of a better world - a world without cannabis stigma and prohibition.

In honor and memory of Mickey Martin we will offer scholarships for continued education. Part of our mission is rooted in education. Education is imperative to the success of our collective future and for the future of our children's children.

The Parents 4 Pot Board of Directors will choose a Prisoner-of-War Family to help as well as others who wish to apply for the Parents 4 Pot Scholarship.

With the greatly appreciated financial support of our followers, we are prepared to offer two scholarships this year. We hope to offer more in the future.

If you'd like to apply, please send the following information to Parents4Pot@gmail.com- Your name and address with a photo of yourself/with family.- Your academic plans.- How you and your family have been impacted by prohibition.- How you will use your degree to help others.- Why you are a good candidate for this scholarship.

Those chosen for this year’s scholarship will be announced after the application deadline of September 1, 2018.

Mickey's ambitions changed a lot of lives and in many ways, Mickey helped change the world. At Parents 4 Pot, we continue to take action to end prohibition every way we can. We work to uplift our community and bring good people together. All of us have been inspired by our beloved friend and leader, Mickey Martin. With our new scholarship program, we hope to help create our future leaders.

Parent by parent, one family at a time the Vision expands as we continue the Mission with, "one foot in front of the other" to end prohibition.

While Mickey may be gone from his earthly form, he will always be remembered. The light Mickey brought into this world can never be extinguished; his torch lit countless others. Mickey truly helped change the world on so many levels; we will always be thankful. The journey continues onward with a constant reflection of our much loved and respected leader in the works we'll do together for many years to come.

We have expanded our organization in ways that we know Mickey would expect and accept. We've developed a Fundraising Team and a Prisoner of War (POW) Outreach Team to broaden our outreach and help uplift more families that have been harmed by prohibition.

It is an honor to introduce you to our expanded Board of Directors (BOD).

We are incredibly grateful for Elinor Clark to join us as The Overseer.No one knew Mickey better than Elinor. It is an honor for Elinor to join us and keep watch over how we continue to grow, sharing her insights and helping us stay on course.

Anna Diaz - Treasurer

Anna has been with Parents 4 Pot (P4P) since the very beginning. One of the founding members she has taken on several roles as our organization has evolved through the years.We are honored for Anna to take on the tasks as Treasurer. With this change, we've relocated our headquarters to Oregon and have been able to establish a bank account. It's a huge step forward in the movement. Her personal journey in over a decade of activism has taught her how to wear many hats. Her leadership skills, insights and heart to help others are precious.

R.L. Marcy - Public Policy Director

Marcy has been with P4P for the last 3 years as Team Leader of Alaska and coming into our BOD as our Public Policy Director in 2015. Marcy helped us develop our Organization into a 501c3 and keeps us in line with over 30 years experience in the legal field. Marcy is our super-booster, voice of reason and an incredibly valuable asset to our team.

Susan Meehan - Secretary

Susan joined Parents 4 Pot as a Team Leader for Maine in 2015. Susan has walked a million miles spiritually and has gathered unique gifts along the way. Her unwavering compassion, insight, direction and willingness to stand in the way to make a better way make Susan a gift in so many ways. It is such an honor to have Susan on the BOD as our Secretary.

Jill Hitchman - Family Outreach Director

If you've seen the video of Jill speech at the courthouse in Massachusetts, then you already know her intensity moved so many. Jill shows people how to turn their pain into purpose and encourages others to find their voice. As our Family Outreach Director, Jill networks with many families to bring people together. Jill is the Team Leader of Massachusetts and Mother of 2 amazing young ladies. Don't be fooled by her gentle smile; she's a powerhouse.

Melissa has been a Team Leader with Rhode Island since the beginning of 2014. Her Rolodex of skills is amazing and inspiring. Protection for those who need it is her forte. This wonder woman not only talks the talk, Melissa takes action and teaches others along the way. We are so thankful for Melissa to join our BOD as our Membership Director as we continue to grow.

Tori LaChapelle - Executive DirectorTori is also a founding member with P4P. As one of two Executive Directors, Tori shares her many skills. As a medical professional, she assists families that seek help with her amazing gifts of compassion and understanding and gets them pointed in the right direction. Tori is now a refugee from Wisconsin living in Colorado. Tori maintains an active role and helps others across the nation.

Rich Budzi - Executive DirectorRich Budzi, as he's lovingly called and known in the pot community, has a special soul. Rich has been with P4P since the beginning as a Team Leader for Rhode Island. He's the go to man for who's who on the East Coast. Bringing Rich and his skills into the BOD has long been part of the plan. Rich has a heart made of pure gold. He's an educator, activist, advocate and so much more. His skills are plentiful,and his insights are incredibly valuable as we move forward.

Josh Mohawk Pisco - Fundraising Team Director _ East Coast

Josh is the father of 3 beautiful children and an amazing Glass Artist. He has been a Team Leader with New Hampshire for the last 3 years. He supports P4P in as many ways as he can. Trustworthy and well respected in the pot community, Josh joined our BOD to help us meet our financial goals.

Michael (Bike) Hawley - Fundraising Team Director - The Mids

No one really knows who this guy is unless you're in his circle. His gentle heart is as big as his fists. We are so thankful Bike has joined our BOD as part of our Fundraising Team for the Middle State, or the Mids. Not to be confused with "mids," Bike's mission to help us gather support spans the East and the West.

Addison DeMoura - Fundraising Team Director - West Coast

Addison has been a long time supporter of P4P. Bringing in his skills and diverse connections, we are grateful he's joining our Team as the West Coast Fundraising Director. Addison is very well respected, incredibly educated and a trail blazer within the pot community.

Weldon Angelos - POW Outreach Director

Weldon spent 13 years of what was supposed to be a 55 year mandatory sentence in prison. Receiving clemency through the Obama Administration, Weldon continues his work as a Music Artist and an Activist. He continues to advocate for fellow POWs of the drug war. His documentary, "Unlikely Allies," is almost ready to hit the screens. P4P has always considered the plight of cannabis POWs as a main focus. We are incredibly thankful to work with Weldon on direct action, education and outreach in the POW community.

As a co-founder of P4P, DJ is the glue that keeps P4P together. She manages our social media and has brought together over 30 chapters of Parents 4 Pot and several in other countries. Her boundless energy and fierce dedication to ending prohibition make her a true warrior. Her ability to remain kind while being honest combined with her unique life experiences make her a perfect fit for the P4P BOD.

Wehave grown a lot over the last 4 years. P4P now has teams developing in 38 states and 6 countries. Every day P4P continues to grow. Loved ones have leveled up. Babies have been born. Laws have changed, while people in all walks of life have opened their hearts and minds to the truth about pot as they realize the harms of prohibition.

Parents 4 Pot is more than an organization; we are an ever expanding family that works towards a better future for our children and future generations.

We hope you make the decision to get involved. Your voice and your story truly matter.

“There are moments that the words don’t reach, there is suffering too terrible to name; you hold your child as tight as you can, and try to push away the unimaginable.” Hamilton (Original Broadway score)

There are no words available to describe the utter anguish the Parents 4 Pot family feels in sharing the unimaginable news of the passing of our Founder, and current Treasurer, Mickey Martin. Mickey Martin was known as the author of Medical Marijuana 101, and Mickey Martin Consulting Director. He was the Founder of Compassion Medicinal Edibles/Tainted Inc. and the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis, as well as the Founder and Treasurer of Parents 4 Pot. He dedicated his life to cannabis freedom for decades. His work to provide food-based medicines for many years revolutionized the industry in the areas of quality assurance, packaging and labeling of cannabis products. His infamous designs made the term “tainted” a household name among medical cannabis patients and edible connoisseurs. The evolution of Tainted to Compassion Medicinal Edibles epitomized everything that is right about the medical cannabis movement. His consulting firm was successful in helping several clients navigate the competitive application process and secure permits for operating medical cannabis dispensaries. His regulatory program helped several municipalities and state governments develop and implement good medical cannabis laws and guidelines. His development of several voter initiatives, and countless hours at city council meetings, made him a regulatory expert for the cannabis industry. He graduated with honors from St. Mary’s College of California in Business and spent over 13 years developing cannabis-based businesses in the community. His call for self-regulation and responsibility in the cannabis industry led to several victories for medical cannabis organizations across the country. He was a freelance writer for several well-known cannabis publications and maintained a canna-blog at www.WeedActivist.com, which chronicled his experiences in dealing with major issues facing the cannabis movement. He was instrumental in collaboration between Parents 4 Pot and SKUNK Magazine to help bring the international cannabis community together for a higher purpose to help more families devastated by the War on Drugs. Through his work with Parents 4 Pot, Mickey made sure that the children of parents who are incarcerated for cannabis crimes had a Christmas, as well as children whose parents use medical marijuana. Last Christmas, this organization provided gifts for approximately 50 families to celebrate the holidays! We made sure children had back to school supplies last fall, with gift cards to make their own school item purchases. This was all accomplished in large part, because of Mickey Martin!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mickey’s wife, children, family and friends at this sad time. Mickey was a powerful force whose momentum will not be stopped by death. We will continue to advance his dreams and the mission of the organization he created.

THE P4P MISSIONParents-4-Pot is a dedicated voice for all families who support the end of hemp and cannabis prohibition. We strive to defeat the social stigma surrounding adults who use cannabis responsibly. We support a parent’s choice to use medical cannabis to treat their children's illnesses. Our work helps families with cannabis related issues through education, direct action and organizational support.

Discriminatory Judge with Bias Against Marijuana Orders the Owner of a Marijuana Social Media Mobile App to Have His Children Removed from Their Home and Turned Over to Mother with Documented Substance Abuse Issues and a Questionable Living Environment.

Salem, MA- Probate and Family Court Justice Peter Digangi has ruled that the two young children of Scott Bettano, the CEO of Social High- A mobile app for cannabis enthusiasts, be abruptly removed from their stable home due to his position operating a cutting edge social media tech experience for consumers of marijuana. His popular application allows individuals to communicate and share their experiences with like-minded individuals in a safe space for expression and the exercising of their first amendment rights to freedom of speech. Because of the subject matter in which Mr. Betanno’s clients communicate on his app is primarily marijuana related, the judge has decided that he should lose custody of his children.

In an unexplainable turn of events Justice Digiani has ruled instead that custody be returned to their mother against the better judgement of Laura Craig-Bray, Ph.D., a specialist appointed to facilitate the reunification of Lauren Belanger with her minor children, Manii and Dasanii. Dr. Craig-Bray made a recommendation that due to concerns with Ms. Belanger’s behavior throughout the reunification process that only supervised visits with their mother should be granted. A letter documenting her irresponsible behaviors, poor judgement, and angry and emotional responses to issues signed by Dr. Craig-Bray is included as an exhibit to this release.

In September of 2014, Judge Peter Digangi granted temporary sole physical custody of the children to their father Scott Bettano. Amidst concerns of substance abuse and questions of mental stability surrounding their mother, the judge ordered Ms. Belanger be granted supervised visitation only. After a full year and a half without executing visitation, the court appointed specialist Dr. Craig-Braya The specialist was court ordered to observe and report to the courts.

Despite the report given by the specialist, Justce Peter Digangi has decided the appropriate course of action is to uproot the children from their schools and home, allowing their mother to move them two (2) hours away from their family. They will reside in a house that is owned by Marcus Hytonen who is Ms. Belanger’s fiancé (an unrelated man that the children have no current relationship with). Scott Bettano is worried about the welfare of his children due to Mr. Hytonen being recently released from prison in the summer of 2015 after serving four (4) years for trafficking in cocaine.

Throughout the trial, Justice Digangi expressed his concerns over Mr. Bettano’s activism in the cannabis reform community and his work to normalize cannabis in our society. Due to his role as founder and CEO of a mobile app focused on cannabis, and his advocacy for both medical and adult use legalization of marijuana, Scott is being discriminated against, and his children are being used as pawns to express the political and social beliefs of the Justice. It is no coincidence that this abrupt change in the Justice’s ruling comes just days after the incredibly successful Boston Freedom Rally, of which Social High was a major sponsor advocating for the passage of Question 4 this November that would legalize cannabis for adults over 21 in the Commonwealth. It is of great concern when families are torn apart because of an individual’s intolerance with the growing acceptance of cannabis in our society. This case cuts to the core of major issues faced by parents who choose to support cannabis reform and an end to the disastrous policies of cannabis prohibition that have decimated families for decades.

“It is unacceptable to think that we are still dealing with these archaic decisions by Justices who choose to use their power to separate children from their loving father because of his choice to operate a small tech startup focused on social media for cannabis consumers,” said Mickey Martin, Director of Parents 4 Pot, a 501c3 supporting parents who are discriminated against for cannabis.” We are hopeful that Justice Digangi will do the right thing and allow Scott to continue to provide Manii and Dasanii with an amazing home and caring environment to grow and thrive.”