Help us improve the new DC regulations to protect patients' rights.
The District Council approved a landmark ordinance regulating medical cannabis dispensaries this week, but there is still important work to be done to ensure the new regulations work for patients in Washington, DC. There is only a short time to influence Mayor Fenty and the Department of Health to improve this ordinance. Can you make a contribution today, so that ASA can keep fighting for safe access in Washington, DC?
Voters approved Initiative 59 legalizing medical cannabis in 1998, but Congress blocked its implementation until December of last year. Since then, ASA has been talking with District Council members about regulations to protect safe access and patients' rights. We succeeded in improving early drafts of the ordinance. However, we must still persuade the Mayor to increase the amount of cannabis patients can acquire from the five authorized dispensaries. We must also keep working to authorize personal cultivation by individual patients and protect them from discrimination in employment, housing, and other areas.
ASA has the only office in Washington, DC, dedicated exclusively to medical cannabis patients, and our staff in DC has been hard at work making sure that there is real access in our Nation's Capitol. The final regulations must be approved by the US Congress, and we will use this ordinance as a chance to talk to federal lawmakers about a national strategy to provide medical cannabis to every American who needs it.
ASA is committed to championing regulations that serve the interests of patients first. That is why we are determined to keep pushing for improvements in the new ordinance in Washington, DC - just like we are doing in cities nationwide. We need your help to bring the patients' voices to the table in these debates⦠and we need it now!
