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Medical Marijuana

Two Lawsuits Challenge Los Angeles' Lottery Plan for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Los Angeles' latest plan — to hold a lottery to allow 100 medical marijuana dispensaries to operate — is facing resistance from shop owners who say they've followed all the rules yet still face closure. Lawsuits filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court follow scores of other suits that stymied the city's fitful attempts to crack down on an unknown number of renegade dispensaries. The new ones could launch another series of judicial hearings and thwart the city's bid to enforce its ordinance.

N.J. Medical Marijuana Supporters Suspect Legal Review Is a Stall Tactic

As state Attorney General Paula Dow awaited guidance from top federal law enforcement officials on whether New Jersey's planned medical marijuana program is legal, supporters questioned whether the state was looking for a reason to delay the program's launch this summer. Roseanne Scotti, New Jersey State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said there is "nothing new" about the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's position on properly run state medical marijuana programs. "The legislature worked on this bill for almost five years and it was thoroughly vetted legally."

President Obama, We Are Sick and Tired (Action Alert)

 

Patients, Friends and Activists –

Obama’s administration has taken its gloves off. After giving the medical cannabis community a false sense of security, Obama’s administration continues to ignore state laws, intimidate state officials, and raid medical cannabis patients and facilities.

This month, ASA launched our new national campaign, and we are sending a clear message to President Obama from the medical cannabis community: We are sick and tired. We are suffering from chronic and debilitating conditions, and we are weary of false promises that do nothing to protect our rights as patients.

ASA’s Sick and Tired Campaign involves approaching the federal government from several angles, and we need your help to reach every corner of Obama’s administration.

Today, ASA released the Obama Report Card. This details federal interference in medical cannabis laws under the Obama administration, and Obama fails. Even though he promised to not use federal resources to interfere with states’ medical cannabis laws, Obama’s administration has continued raiding legal patients and facilities. Additionally, the administration has launched new tactics and constructed new roadblocks for patients, including issues related to patient privacy, access, banking, taxation, and threats of filing suite against state employees who participate in upholding state law.

Join us in calling on Obama to keep his promise. Sign ASA's petition urging Obama to end federal interference in existing medical cannabis programs, and legitimize medical cannabis for the sick and dying across the country.

But we’re not stopping there. ASA is hosting a National Day of Action on May 2, centered on Dale Schafer and Mollie Fry’s surrender date in Sacramento, CA. Mollie and Dale are legal patients and were arrested and convicted without a defense under President Bush. They appealed their sentence, which was vigorously fought by the Obama administration in the Ninth Circuit. Mollie and Dale's sentences were upheld in November. Additionally, a clemency petition was filed this week in an effort to shorten Mollie's sentence. Please mark your calendar to join ASA on May 2 and keep an eye out for Information about a rally near you.

ASA’s Sick and Tired Campaign will bring new accountability to Obama’s administration. Please help ASA hold Obama to his word and protect patients across the nation.

We are sick and tired, but we won’t give up until there’s safe access.

Sincerely,
Steph Sherer

Americans for Safe Access

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Big Brother or Little Brat? Washington's Governor Gins Up a Federal Controversy Over Medical Marijuana

It appears Washington's Governor Chris Gregoire is being intellectually dishonest regarding a letter the US Department of Justice sent to her saying that federal prosecutors could slap any state employee who administers medical marijuana licenses with a criminal prosecution. Not only is Gregoire mischaracterizing the letter (which never says the Feds "would" prosecute), she also ginned up this whole controversy herself by specifically asking the Obama administration if state employees would be "immune from arrest or liability" knowing full well that prosecutors would never provide blanket immunity. Now Gregoire is leveraging the letter to bully the legislature into watering down the medical marijuana bill this week — asking them to gut key protections for sick and dying patients and complicating access for their caretakers. The fact is that no state employee has ever been prosecuted for activities related to medical marijuana so long as he or she was in compliance with state laws governing its licensing and regulation.

Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act Petition Approved by Attorney General

Arkansans for Compassionate Care have launched a ballot initiative to allow sick and dying patients to have legal access -- with a doctor's recommendation -- to medical marijuana in Arkansas. Arkansas Atty. Gen. Dustin McDaniel approved "The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act" as an appropriate November 2012 ballot title. If the act makes the ballot, it needs a simple majority to become law.

Over 7% of Patients Cite Medical Marijuana as Preferred Treatment Option

According to a new study released today by ListenLogic, a social media intelligence firm, 7.3% of patients across 12 therapeutic areas publicly cite marijuana as an alternative treatment option. The study was based upon an analysis of over 30,000 online, patient-level conversations across different medical conditions within which alternative treatments were mentioned.

Caregivers Under Attack -- Again (Action Alert)

Protect Patient Choice: 

Take Action Today!

Once again, the Colorado Health Department (CDPHE) has launched an attack on medical marijuana caregivers.

Hiding behind the Attorney General’s questionable legal interpretation, the CDPHE has rejected the proposed definition of "caregiver" as put forward by the CDPHE Medical Marijuana Advisory Board. After studying the issue, the Advisory Board concluded that providing education about medical marijuana was sufficient to meet the definition of "caregiver".  The CDPHE rejected that idea (and disbanded the Advisory Board!) and is now attempting to require caregivers to regularly assist patients with “activities of daily living” including transportation, housekeeping, meal preparation, and more. This ruling will limit patient choice and force patients to find caregivers who will not just provide quality medicine, but also provide additional, and often unnecessary,  services.

The CDPHE is taking public comment on the proposed rules until April 20th, 2011 at 5:00p. Please tell the CDPHE to amend their proposal to allow patients to choose what services their caregiver should provide! Send them an email here: [email protected]

DRAFT E-mail:

Dear CDPHE,

Hi my name is  _______________ and I am a medical marijuana patient advocate.  Please consider adopting the below amendment to the definition of "caregiver".  These changes will protect patient choice of provider.

“Significant responsibility for managing the well-being of a patient” means, IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING MEDICAL MARIJUANA, AND UPON REQUEST FROM THE PATIENT, REGULARLY assisting a patient with ACTIVITIES OF daily LIVING, including but not limited to transportation or housekeeping or meal preparation or shopping or making any necessary arrangement for access to medical care or NON-MEDICAL MARIJUANA services.”

Thank you,

­­­­___________________

**To support Sensible's work on behalf of caregivers click HERE.

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