I. Getting started

A. Introduction to Americans for Safe Access

ASA's Beliefs & Values:

While many different issues bring people to the issue of medical cannabis, the following are the beliefs and values that guide our work at ASA.

• Cannabis is medicine and the truth is becoming more widely known and recognized.
• Government should guide policy on compassion, care and scientific research.
• The current federal policy on medical cannabis is hypocritical, immoral and a violation of basic human rights.
• Government must be accountable to the people.
• Everyone should have the right to produce, acquire and use their own medicine.

ASA's Goals:

There is a variety of work to be done on the issue of medical cannabis. ASA's campaigns and programs all work to meet the following goals:

• End federal raids and prosecutions of medical cannabis patients and their providers.
• Remove federal barriers for medical and scientific cannabis research.
• Create comprehensive access plan for seriously ill patients throughout the United States.

ASA's Campaign strategies:

In order to win safe and legal access for all, we must work at all levels of government to generate short-term victories while working towards accomplishing our long-term goals. The ASA campaign:

• Deepens the public’s understanding of cannabis therapeutics through public education, PR and outreach campaigns.
• Broadens support on Capitol Hill and in various states to support safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic uses and research.
• Mobilizes an emergency response network of activists nationwide to respond to federal law enforcement raids on cannabis patients and providers through public protest and non-violent direct action.
• Builds broad coalitions with other patient support organizations, medical associations, and public health institutions to support safe access to cannabis for therapeutic use and to appropriately frame cannabis as a public health issue.   
• Creates, protects and expands safe access to medical cannabis in states that have passed medical cannabis laws.

What you can do immediately:

• Become a ASA member.
  
• Sign up to get ASA alerts.
  
• Check ASA’s website to find out if there is an ASA chapter or affiliate near you.
• Go to ASA’s website and print out all relevant organizing materials you may need.
• Call a meeting of activists, patients, and all others concerned with medical cannabis access.
• Collect signatures on the “Pledge of Action”, keep a copy of the list you build for your group, and send another copy to George at ASA. (George@SafeAccessNow.org)

B. Working with ASA

ASA's campaigns are extremely inclusive and may be carried out by local ASA groups, local chapters of other like-minded organizations or by motivated individuals.

ASA Chapters - If there's not already a local group working specifically on medical cannabis, we encourage you to start an ASA chapter. Starting a new group can be a fun and challenging exercise. ASA chapters have a unique position of being connected to a national medical cannabis campaign, while also maintaining the ability to work on local medical cannabis issues.

ASA Affiliates - If you are already part of another like-minded group (SSDP, NORML, ACT-UP, etc.), you are welcome to work on ASA campaigns and serve as an ASA affiliate for your area. We will call on you to help with national actions and lobbying, and you can still do the other work your group does at regular meetings.

Groups Working on ASA Campaigns - If you are a part of a group that is not an ASA affiliate, your group can still work on national and local ASA campaigns. Some of our campaigns you can take part in include:

• Rescheduling cannabis
• Emergency response
• State campaigns for safe access

Click here to find out more about each of these campaigns and others.

Individual ASA Activists - If you are not part of a larger group, there are still several ways to plug into the ASA campaign. Some ways to get involved include:

• Planning an emergency response action after a federal medical cannabis raid
• Circulating ASA petitions and materials in your local community
• Joining a Medical Marijuana Patients' Union

Benefits of Working with ASA

• Start-up toolkits including an organizing handbook, media manual, citizen lobbying handbook, medical cannabis fact sheets, and a sampling of ASA literature.
• Monthly mailings from ASA including campaign updates, action ideas, and new literature.
• Consultation from ASA staff on local and national campaigns.
• Trainings lead by ASA staff on topics including lobbying, media, action planning, civil disobedience, and strategy.
• Ability to apply for monetary grants from the ASA office for local ASA work.
• Ability to order ASA literature, shirts and stickers at wholesale price for dissemination and/or fundraising.
• Networking opportunities with other ASA chapters and affiliates, including a monthly national organizers’ call and membership to ASA’s organizers’ email list.
• Space on the ASA national website to post local activities, meetings and information.

ASA Chapter Requirements

If you choose to use the ASA name, we ask you to affirm that you agree with the basic demands, analysis, and strategies of our campaign described in the handbook. We are committed to building a grassroots, nonviolent resistance to the war on patients, and in order to do that we need basic unity and a solid communication system. To become an ASA chapter or affiliate your group must:

1. Include at least ten annual paying ASA members. (Annual membership costs $35 or $15 for students or low-income.)


2. At minimum, having a name, number and email address up on our website and be willing to act as a networking hub with local activists working on medical cannabis.


3. Spearhead local organizing for national days of action.


4. Help identify constituents for meetings with elected officials.


5. Communicate back to the national ASA office about local issues, as well as send on our action alerts to appropriate local lists.


6. Obtain and send copies of signatories for the Pledge of Resistance and any current petitions.


7. Initiate an ongoing group that meets regularly and does the political action side of medical cannabis defense.


8. Share e-mail and mailing lists with ASA for alerts and updates

Besides these simple requirements, ASA chapters are independent in terms of campaign activities. If you live in a state that doesn't have medical cannabis rights, getting a referendum passed may be your organizing priority. If you live in a state that does, maybe getting local police chiefs and city councils to make a statement of non-compliance with the DEA would be your priority. In either case, we ask you to be involved in the emergency response plan to defend medical cannabis rights if and when DEA raids occur.

ASA chapters are NOT:

• One person (although it just takes one person to get it going!)
• Groups that dispense medication
• Groups that disperage diversity
• Completely atonomus from national

Affiliate Requirements

As an ASA Affiliate, we ask you to affirm that you agree with the basic demands, analysis, and strategies of our campaign described in the handbook. We are committed to building a grassroots, nonviolent resistance to the war on patients, and in order to do that we need basic unity and a solid communication system. To become an ASA affiliate your group must:

1. Pledge to sign up at least five annual paying ASA members. (Annual membership costs $35 or $15 for students or low-income.)


2. At minimum, having a name, number and email address up on our website and be willing to act as a networking hub with local activists working on medical cannabis.


3. Spearhead local organizing for national days of action.


4. Help identify constituents for meetings with elected officials.


5. Communicate back to the national ASA office about what's going on locally, as well as send on our action alerts to whatever local lists are appropriate.


6. Obtain and send copies of signatories for the Pledge of Resistance and any current petitions.


7. Cover the ASA agenda at least one meeting per month. This may be done in conjunction with your own organizational meetings

Besides these simple requirements, ASA affiliates are independent in terms of localized campaign activities. If you live in a state that doesn't have medical cannabis rights, getting a referendum passed may be your organizing priority. If you live in a state that does, maybe getting local police chiefs and city councils to make a statement of non-compliance with the DEA would be your priority. In either case, we ask you to be involved in the emergency response plan to defend medical cannabis rights if and when DEA raids occur.