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Medical Marijuana

2011: Fighting Hard for Our Rights!

 

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) started the new year strong. We are working  in statehouses, city halls, courtrooms, and communities nationwide with one common goal – to protect and expand safe access for medical cannabis patients. ASA needs your support right now to keep the momentum and keep making a difference.

Can you take a minute to make a special contribution to help ASA keep fighting?

January was a busy month for ASA. In Washington, DC, our staff welcomed each of the new members of the Congressional delegation. This is an important step in building needed capacity in Congress. We also worked with the Mayor’s office in the ongoing effort to implement the District’s medical cannabis law.

Your support in January helped ASA do all this and more:

 

  • In California, Senator Mark Leno (D-san Francisco) introduced ASA-sponsored legislation that will protect patients from employment discrimination.
  • We also filed an appeal on behalf of Jovan Jackson, a medical cannabis provider facing prosecution in San Diego. This strategic appeal will help stop the ongoing prosecutions in the state!
  • And as part of our 2011 effort to re-energize and retrain our grassroots base, ASA kicked off the first of many “Putting Patients First” trainings for medical cannabis professionals in Oakland.
  • In Michigan and Nevada, ASA Chapters organized high-profile rallies to oppose federal interference and intimidation, including new DEA raids and threats to patients’ privacy – a top priority for ASA nationwide.
  • ASA filed an amicus brief in Michigan to stop the federal government from confiscating patient records.
  • ASA provided suggested improvements to correct troubling provisions in Colorado’s law.
  • I published an op-ed on patient privacy in the Huffington Post and elsewhere, reaching millions of readers.

These are all important steps in fulfilling our goal of ensuring safe access to medical cannabis for everyone who needs it. That is exactly what the nation’s largest medical cannabis advocacy organization should be doing – and you can help make it happen! ASA needs your help today to make sure we can take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges every month in 2011.

Thank you in advance for helping us help medical cannabis patients nationwide. Your support has brought us this far, and I know you can help us win this fight once and for all.

Sincerely,

Steph Sherer

Executive Director

PS – Don't forget to register for our "National Call to Action: Activist Boot Camp" February 19-20 in cities nationwide!

Americans for Safe Access

Please support ASA!

On The Web:

ASA's Mission

ASA Forums

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"Gear up" for medical cannabis activism with ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more! All proceeds go to ASA advocacy

 

Bill to Restrict Medical Marijuana in Montana Draws Fire

A proposal to make it harder for people to get medical marijuana cards for severe and chronic pain drew plenty of opposition and little support at a hearing. Senate Bill 170, by Senate Majority Leader Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, would require a panel of three physicians experienced in pain management to review and ultimately decide whether to approve or reject another doctor's recommendation that a patient be authorized to use medical marijuana for severe and chronic pain. The lone supporter of SB170 was Mark Long, representing the Montana Narcotics Officers Association.

Czech Police Want to Use Seized Marijuana for Treatment

Czech policemen have proposed that the seized marijuana be used for medical purposes -- for instance, for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The Justice Ministry does not oppose the idea. "It is certainly logical," Justice Minister Jiri Pospisil (senior government Civic Democrats, ODS)) said.

Berkeley Exports Its Cannabis Expertise

In a sign of the growing professionalization of the medical cannabis industry, Mark Rhoades and Ali Kashani, the owners of the Berkeley development company Citycentric Investments, have teamed up with Debby Goldsberry, a founder of the Berkeley Patients Group, to open a number of medical marijuana facilities around the East Bay. Goldsberry, Rhoades, and Kashani represent a new breed of medical marijuana entrepreneurs: people expert in land use policy, non-profit work, and running cannabis collectives. It’s a set of services that is growing in demand as more states adopt medical marijuana laws and as more people try to navigate the byzantine laws permitting medical marijuana in California.

Arizona Releases New Draft Rules for Medical Marijuana Program

A new set of draft rules for Arizona's medical marijuana program were published on the state Department of Health Services' website. The rules cover everything from applying for a patient or caregiver registered identification card, to revocation of identification cards, to dispensary information, including the application process.

Bill Would Limit Firings of Medical Marijuana Users

Californians who use medical marijuana outside of work would be protected from job dismissal due to medical marijuana use under a bill that has been introduced by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. The bill, SB129, would make it illegal for an employer to consider either a worker's status as a registered patient or a positive drug test when making hiring and firing decisions. The bill would not change existing laws that bar employees from using medical marijuana at the workplace or during work hours.

NJ: Medical Marijuana Patients Move Issue Forward

Jennifer Lande, Stephen Cuspilich and Charles Kwiatkowski are fighting for legal access to medical marijuana. They traveled to Trenton on a bitterly cold day to participate in a rare process of the state Constitution. They all live with serious medical conditions and offered honest and, at times, painful testimony. Their pleas for a working medical marijuana program in New Jersey created an important record for how to proceed next.

Marijuana Activists Fight DEA Efforts to Eviscerate Medical Privacy

If the State of Michigan won't protect the people, activists will. So went the cry of medical marijuana groups in Michigan, concerned that the privacy of medical marijuana patients there is at grave risk. The Michigan Association of Compassion Clubs filed an emergency motion this week to halt efforts by the federal government to gain access to the records of several Michigan medical marijuana patients.

Submit Your Video to ASA and Join Us for Our National Organizers' Call in February

 

Dear Friends,

In advance of our upcoming Activist Boot Camp on February 19th & 20th, Americans for Safe Access is putting together a video to showcase who we are and why we do what we do.

And we want to hear from you!

We are asking our chapters and individual supporters for videos and photos from all parts of the country that share the importance of medical cannabis activism. All you need is a digital video camera - your computer's webcam would work fine.

First, we would like to hear from chapters and affiliates everywhere. If you can't get together a video of your group, we would still love a photo! But if you can get a video, we would love a big "Hello from XXX City ASA!"

For individuals, we are looking for a 30-second clip with the following:
- Your name
- Your city
- Your chapter affiliation
- A hello message to other ASA chapters and members around the country

And another 15-second clip, telling the world why YOU are a member of Americans for Safe Access.

We plan to showcase some of the best videos to the Activist Boot Campon February 19th & 20th, and then later put them all up on ASA National's website.

It takes less than a minute - but we need that minute before Friday, February 4th. Practice a few times, frame the video so that we can see your face from the chest up, and then email video footage in digital format in Quicktime (mp4 or mov file - hi def if possible!) to Sam Sabzehzar at[email protected].

Also, sponsorships are still available for the Boot Camp until Monday, January 31st. If you are able to help sponsor, or have any questions about the Boot Camp, please contact[email protected].  

Or, if you have questions about the video, please contact[email protected].

Additionally we would like to invite each of you to be a part of our National Organizers' Call on Wednesday, February 9th at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. You can join us by calling 832-431-3335 and entering access-code 1618568. Please RSVP to the call by emailing ASA Field Director Kristen Ford -[email protected].

Thanks for being part of this movement!

~Amber

Amber Langston
Americans for Safe Access
Conference Director


Disclaimer:  Permission to use video footage is deemed granted by submission. Footage may be used in any and all future media, including, but not limited to, conferences and trainings hosted by Americans for Safe Access and affiliates. Footage may also be found on ASA’s website and/or Youtube, unless otherwise noted on submission.   

Americans for Safe Access

Please support ASA!

On The Web:

ASA's Mission

ASA Forums

ASA Blog

Take Action

ASA's Online Store

"Gear up" for medical cannabis activism with ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more! All proceeds go to ASA advocacy

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