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ASA’s Medical Marijuana in the News: 10/12/07

Submitted by dguard on

ASA ACTION: Patients Ask California Governor for Protection

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has expressed his support for California's medical marijuana program, but activists want him to do what he can to stop federal interference. More than 300 patients and advocates attended ASA's rally at the governor's office in LA to help educate him on the importance of this issue. Letters of support came from Republican elected officials as well as Los Angeles City Council Member Dennis Zine and Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby. Local media, which reaches more than 10 million people, covered the protest extensively.

Marijuana activists rally in downtown LA, want end to raids
Associated Press
About 200 people on Thursday protested federal raids on cannabis clinics and urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to compel the Bush administration to back off. Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a pro-medical marijuana group, said Schwarzenegger should coordinate with the 12 other governors whose states have legalized medical marijuana to send a message to Washington.

Marijuana activists assemble downtown
Daily Breeze (CA)
About 200 demonstrated outside of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office in Los Angeles, demanding he do more to end federal raids on cannabis clinics.

CA Marijuana Protest
KSBY - NBC TV 6 (San Luis Obispo)
Marijuana activists rallied today in downtown Los Angeles, calling for an end to federal raids on cannabis clinics and urging Governor Schwarzenegger to compel the Bush administration to back off.

ASA ACTION: Protests of DEA Raids Drawing Attention

Last week’s protest in support of a maker of edible cannabis products for patients got more attention this week. ASA and other advocates are denouncing the rash of recent raids on medical marijuana patients and dispensaries in California.

Advocates decry medical marijuana raids
by Michael Manekin, Contra Costa Times (CA)
The raid of a large Oakland-based manufacturer of cannabis-laced candy last month was deemed by the federal government as a timely victory in the war on drugs. But medical marijuana advocates pointed to the raid as further evidence that the DEA has escalated its attack on California's marijuana laws by targeting the most vulnerable medical cannabis patients.

FEDERAL: Another Dispensary Raided in LA

DEA agents staged another paramilitary-style raid on a California medical marijuana dispensary, seizing records, cash and marijuana, but making no arrests. Alerted to the raid by a network of emails and text messages, more than 75 ASA activists, patients and other advocates protested in front of the dispensary while it happened.

DEA Agents Raid L.A. Medical Marijuana Clinic
KABC TV Los Angeles
A loud protest broke out Thursday night when agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration raided a medical marijuana clinic in downtown Los Angeles.

ELECTION: Presidential Candidates Confronted on Medical Marijuana

The Republican candidates for President have faced tough questioning from medical marijuana patients in town hall meetings throughout Vermont. Mitt Romney was the latest, confronted by a young man who asked if Romney would jail him for using the medicine five doctors had recommended. The published reactions in two student newspapers indicate more politicians may consider whether their stance on medical marijuana can reveal things about their character that matter in the voting booth. All the Democrats running for President have said they would end the federal raids on medical marijuana patients, if elected.

Romney turns back on patient who asks about medical marijuana
by David Edwards and Muriel Kane, The Raw Story
At a campaign stop in Dover, NH, Mitt Romney was asked about medical marijuana by Clayton Holton, who has muscular dystrophy. "I have the support of five of my doctors saying I am living proof that medical marijuana works," Holton told Romney.

Dear Mr. Romney, will you arrest me?
by Mike Overson, Editor, The Eagle (College of Eastern Utah)
Over the weekend I was watching Fox News Network when a story caught my eye. Various people were interviewing Mitt Romney, republican presidential hopeful, when one man’s question caught my attention. The man asked whether or not Romney would arrest him as well as his doctors because of medical marijuana usage.

Hazy stances
by Amanda Lowry, Indiana Daily student
I personally believe that there should be a requirement that every politician who runs for public office must have smoked pot at some point. Even if that experience doesn’t make the politician want to legalize it, he or she will at least realize how dangerous it isn’t. My position on this issue was only strengthened this week after watching a CNN video of Mitt Romney, in typical 2008 Republican front-runner style, dismiss a multiple sclerosis sufferer advocating that medical marijuana arrests be stopped.

COLORADO: Caregiver Case in the News Again

A Colorado couple who helped better define the state standards for qualifying as a medical marijuana caregiver was back in the news, this time because state officials have failed to return their property. The couple was defended in court by Brian Vicente, director of the Colorado Campaign for Safe Access, a join project of Sensible Colorado and ASA.

Judge in medical marijuana case scolds state agency
by Sara Reed, The Coloradoan
A District Court judge in Fort Collins issued a strongly-worded rebuke today to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for not complying with a court order related to a medical marijuana case.

OPED: Patient-Advocate Confronts Naysayers

Many medical marijuana patients find themselves having to educate their friends, families and communities about their condition and why medical marijuana helps. Some become activists, like Lanny Swerdlow, and try to educate even those who are insisting that patients should be imprisoned.

Med marijuana opponent lacks facts
by Lanny Swerdlow, OpEd, Daily Bulletin (Inland Valley, CA)
Marijuana has been used as medicine for over 5,000 years by every civilization in human history. None has ever crumbled due to its use. Over the last 70 years, however, it has morphed into a plant so dangerous that America spends up to $20 billion a year arresting over 825,000 Americans.

EDIBLES: Another Medical Edible Maker Charged

The recent raid on a maker of edible medical marijuana in Oakland, following the recent federal conviction of another, has highlighted the issue of alternatives to smoking the drug. Many patients prefer the alternative of oral ingestion, either by way of baked goods or tinctures. California state law says its legal in all its forms.

Baker's pot bust bares legal clash
by Stan Oklobdzija, Sacramento Bee (CA)
Paula Brown used to be the Betty Crocker of medical marijuana in Sacramento. But about a month ago, Brown came home to find a cavalcade of police cars hauling away her marijuana plants and carting off her cooking supplies, down to the blenders and mixing bowls.

CALIFORNIA: Dispensary Implementation

While many communities have discovered that a regulatory approach to medical marijuana dispensaries can meet both the needs of patients and the concerns of law enforcement, some officials continue to be opposed. ASA’s report on why regulations work, and how dispensaries provide a crucial service to the most seriously ill and injured, can be downloaded at AmericansForSafeAccess.org/DispensaryReport.

Sheriff calls for halt of revision to medical pot ordinance
by Karen Holzmeister, Alameda Times-Star (CA)
Sheriff Greg Ahern on Tuesday questioned the proposed update of Alameda County's medical marijuana dispensaries ordinance and what the regulation is trying to accomplish.

D.A. recommendation: Ban Medical Marijuana
Fox News 58 Bakersfield
Proponents of medical marijuana were dealt a major blow Tuesday when District Attorney Ed Jagels recommended banning it across the county.

Oxnard expected to ban medical marijuana center
by Charles Levin , Ventura County Star
The Oxnard City Council will likely vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries tonight, citing an unresolved legal conflict between state and federal laws.

ASA BLOG: Comments from ASA Staff and Guests

New blog entries from ASA staff and invited guests are helping keep activists informed on the issues and events affecting medical marijuana patients and providers

California Weekly Round Up
by Sonnet Seeborg Gabbard
Hundreds Gather at the Governor’s Office Calling on Him to Stand Up for Patients’ Rights; DEA Raids Downtown Dispensary Following the Rally

Some Examples of Local Cooperation with the DEA in Arresting Medical Marijuana Patients
by Noah Mamber
So, think about this. Medical marijuana use and cultivation has been legal in California since 1996, but more than ten years later, there are still local law enforcement agents who refuse to follow state law.

ASA Files Amicus Brief in California Supreme Court
by Joe Elford
Since the passage of the Compassionate Use Act over a decade ago, California courts have struggled to determine what a person must do to establish himself as the primary caregiver for a qualified patient. In People v. Mentch, which is pending before the California Supreme Court, the Court will provide further guidance.

Obfuscation by Kern County Officials Means No Access for Hundreds of Area Medical Marijuana Patients
by Kris Hermes
In the latest saga of obfuscation by Kern County officials, District Attorney Ed Jagels has recommended the banning of dispensaries in the county.

Medical Marijuana Enters into Electoral Politics
by Rebecca Saltzman
Steve Filson, Democratic California Assembly Candidate for the 15th District, posted his candidate statement on Calitics yesterday.

Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Pres.) Ice Cold to wheelchair-bound medical marijuana patient
by Noah Mamber
Wow, take a look at Gov. Romney’s cold dismissal of wheelchair-bound medical marijuana patient and muscular dystrophy sufferer Clayton Holton.

New Documentary Illustrates the Need for and Benefit of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries
by Kris Hermes
In a time of increased federal raids and DEA attacks on patients and providers across California, it is important to have educational tools like the new documentary, “Dispensing Cannabis: The California Story,” to illustrate the importance of understanding and protecting dispensaries as an integral part of safe access and the successful implementation of state law.

MORE ABOUT AMERICANS FOR SAFE ACCESS

Find out more about ASA at AmericansForSafeAccess.org. More medical marijuana news summaries can be seen at AmericansForSafeAccess.org/News.

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