Meet with Your Elected Official

In this new time of political change, we all have an obligation to know our elected officials and to speak our minds to them.  Take this day to schedule a meeting with your federal lawmakers (hint: you have 3 of them!).  It’s quick, easy, and an opportunity to introduce yourself, explain why you support medical cannabis, and to drop off ASA’s policy recommendations to their local offices.

President Obama has made it clear throughout his campaign that he wants to hear from you.  On February 5th, he responded to DEA raids in California on collectives that were operating within CA's medical cannabis law.   His response was a direct result of our pressure on the White House.  It was the most important statement from the White House on this issue in 30 years, and you made it happen with your phone calls.

The President wants to hear from you, and this is the culture he brings to Washington, D.C.   Start building a relationship with your elected officials.  Like any relationship, it starts with an introduction. 

Step 1 - Find Your Official: Visit www.yourelectedofficial.gov to find out which three federal lawmakers represent you (two Senators, and one Representative).

Step 2 – Make the Appointment:  Call their offices to set up appointments to speak with someone about medical cannabis.  Tell the scheduler that you’re a concerned citizen – and want to talk about this very important issue.  They may ask you to submit a written request for the meeting.  Get help for that here.    And send an email to feedback@safeaccessnow.org to tell us when you’ve scheduled your meeting.

Step 3 - Prepare: Print a copy of our policy recommendations to Congress and the President.  

Step 4 - How the meeting will go:  Very simple.  Introduce yourself.  Talk about why you support medical cannabis.  Drop off ASA’s policy recommendations.  You don’t need to be an expert on the topic.  Just be yourself. Have a conversation. Tell them why it works, or how you’ve seen it impact the lives of those you love.  Elected officials want to know how everyday people feel about issues, not always just the experts.  

Step 5 - Let Us Know:  Send an email to feedback@SafeAccessNow.org to let us know how the meeting went.  Then our Director of Government Affairs will meet with the same offices in Washington DC and fill in the blanks!

In this age of change we have a responsibility to take control over the decisions made by our Congressional representatives.  It will get easier every time, you’ll be empowered to take part in your democracy, and it will be effective.