Blog

Contents:

• Message from the CA Director: Wherever you are in California
• State & Local News: News From Communities All Over California
• Public Meetings & Events: Sacramento, Costa Mesa, Santa Rosa, & More
• Court Support: Westminster
• Take Action Now: Support SB 1193, Support the Med MJ Organ transplant Act, & More
• ASA Website Spotlight: The Medical Cannabis Advocate's Training Center
• Chapter & Affiliate Meetings: San Francisco, Yuba County, Sonoma County

The CA Citizen Lobby Day is today! I hope to see many of you with the patients and advocates at the Citizen Hotel this morning and at the Capitol Building this afternoon. I understand others cannot make it to Sacramento today. That is OK. You can help out wherever you are in California. Will you take a minute to send an email to your California Assembly Member in support of SB 1193 (Evans) and sign a petition supporting ASA’s proposed Medical Marijuana Organ Transplant Act of 2015? Do it today, so lawmakers see your email on the same day they see us in the hallways and in their offices.

People all over the state are talking about SB 1262 (Correa/Ammiano), the bill that seeks to regulate doctors who recommend medical cannabis and those who commercially cultivate, process, or distribute it. Read my blog entitled “So, what’s the deal with SB 1262” to learn more about ASA’s position and strategy on this controversial bill. We expect that bill to be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee next week, so it is crunch time for final amendments. Keep an eye open for news.

Thanks for helping today! Look for news about the CA Citizen Lobby Day on my Facebook page, Twitter feed, and the ASA Blog. 

California & National News

Do Or Die for Mystery Pot Law (California)
David Downs, East Bay Express

Grab your medicated popcorn. August is going to be an action-packed month in California pot politics. A bill to regulate the state's vast, $1.8 billion medical cannabis industry is speeding through Sacramento on a tight, end-of-August deadline.
Read more here.

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Editorial: In California, a way out of the medical marijuana morass (California)
Editorial Saff, LA Times

Nearly two decades after California voters legalized medical marijuana, legislators are as close as they've ever been to passing the first comprehensive statewide regulations for the cultivation, transportation and distribution of the drug. This is long past due. State leaders should not let another year go by without fixing the medical marijuana mess.
Read more here.

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Waiting for the Man: Jerry Brown Is the Decider on California's Medical Marijuana Industry (California)
Chris Roberts, SF Weekly

Jerry Brown is dominating. In the third act of his life, what the right-wingers dismissed just a few years ago as feeble effort for a curtain call is turning out to be more like a victory lap. He's cruising, barely contested, toward a second term in his second coming as California governor. He has taken advantage of an economic upswing to do what was once deemed impossible: get the state's finances in order while allowing business to grow without cutting services, an achievement feted by The New York Times as the "California comeback."
Read more here.

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Bankrupt California City Of San Bernardino Looks To Medical Marijuana To Generate New Taxes (San Bernardino)
Phillip Ross, International Business News

The second-largest city in the U.S. to declare bankruptcy has a new solution for how to grow its struggling economy: legal marijuana. San Bernardino, California, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, is looking to raise new taxes by allowing medical marijuana sellers to open dispensaries.
Read more here.

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42 arrests in 2 days: Santa Ana beefs up illegal pot shop enforcement (Santa Ana)
Alejandra Molina, OC Register

Police, in a span of two days, have made 42 arrests associated with illegal medical marijuana dispensaries as part of a task force aimed to shut down pot shops near schools and residences. The beefed-up enforcement went into effect immediately after the City Council last week agreed to earmark $500,000 in overtime pay toward the task force, which includes the Santa Ana Police Department, the city attorney’s office and code enforcement.
Read more here.

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A medical pot pioneer's story (San Francisco)
Michael Pollick, The Herald Tribune

On a recent Saturday morning, Dennis Peron eased into a photo session by lighting up a joint. More than any other person in California, it was an act he helped make legal. Now 68, Peron walks and talks slowly, the result of a 2010 stroke. He and his spouse, John Entwistle, lead a quiet life — much quieter than when they were both fiery activists looking for a fight with the federal government over the need for medical marijuana.
Read more here.

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Costa Mesa City Council will look into medical marijuana law (Costa Mesa)
Bradley Zint, Daily Pilot

The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday will consider placing a medical marijuana initiative on November's ballot, a proposal that supporters say will give proper city regulation over dispensaries. Crafted by the city attorney's office, the law aims to treat medical marijuana providers like any other business in town, said Councilman Gary Monahan, the proposal's chief proponent.
Read more here.

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September hearing for ordinance banning marijuana cultivation in unincorporated areas (Riverside County)
Jeff Horseman, Press Enterprise

An ordinance imposing fines and possible jail time for growing marijuana in unincorporated parts of Riverside County will get a Sept. 23 public hearing before county supervisors decide whether to enact the new law.
Read more here.

Public Meetings & Events

Monday, August 4, 2014 – CA Citizen Lobby Day (Sacramento)
9:00 AM – 7:30 PM beginning in the Metropolitan Terrace, Citizen Hotel, 926 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.  The event starts this morning. In-person registration is at 9:00 AM.

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Tuesday, August 5, 2014 – Costa Mesa City Council (Costa Mesa)
6:00 PM in Council Chambers at 77 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. The City Council will vote to put an initiative authorizing medical cannabis cooperatives and collectives on the ballot in November.

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Wednesday, August 6, 2014 – CA Assembly Appropriations Committee (Sacramento)
9:00 AM in Room 4202 of the State Capitol Building. The committee will vote on SB 1193 (Evans). ASA supports this return of property bill. Watch live on Cal Channel.

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Saturday, August 30, 2014 – Sonoma Blossom Festival (Santa Rosa)
2:00 PM – 12:00 AM at the Arlene Francis Event Center, 99 W. 6th Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. http://tinyurl.com/l6ym3l2 Music, food, guest speakers, patient area, & more. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. www.FaceBook.com/SonomaBlossomFestival for information.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014 – Riverside County Board of Supervisors (Riverside)
Time TBA at 4080 Lemon St, Riverside, CA 92501. Join patients and advocates to tell Supervisors not to ban outdoor medical cannabis cultivation.  More details soon.

Court Support

What is Court Support and how do I get involved?

Monday, August 4, 2014 – Arraignment for Scott Alexander (Westminster)
8:30 AM in Courtroom 2 at 8141 13th St., Westminster, CA 92683. Dress in an appropriate manner and obey all courtroom rules.

Find additional listings on The Human Solution Calendar.

Take Action Now

Support SB 1193 in the California Assembly

SB 1193 is a bill by California Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) that would require that law enforcement return wrongfully-confiscated medical cannabis or plants or pay the owner reasonable compensation. The bill also simplifies the procedures for handling cannabis and plants seized as evidence. Americans for Safe Access (ASA) supports this bill because law-abiding patients have a right to get their property back.

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Support the Medical Marijuana Organ Transplant Act

A patient in California can be denied a life-saving organ transplant solely based on the fact that he or she uses medical cannabis! Legal patients have died after being removed from the organ transplant list, and others are in jeopardy right now. Americans for Safe Access, the nation's leading medical cannabis patients' advocacy organization, proposes legislation to prevent anyone from being denied a transplant because of medical cannabis. Sign this petition to let lawmakers know you support the Medical Marijuana Organ Transplant Act to provide equal access to health care for legal patients.

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Urge your Senator to pass CJS Medical Marijuana Amendment

The US House of Representatives voted late Thursday (May 30, 2014) night to cut off funding for federal medical cannabis raids, arrests, and prosecutions in states where it is legal. The same CJS amendment must still be introduced in the Senate and pass there as well. We're doing our part by lobbying on Capitol Hill, but we desperately need your help contact your Senators and asking for their support to this amendment. Contact California Senators Feinstein and Boxer today.

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Join Americans for Safe Access (ASA)

This is the final week of ASA’s Spring Membership Drive. Have you joined yet?  Be sure to take advantage of some great membership incentives right now. ASA is the nation’s leading medical cannabis patients’ advocacy organization. The patients, medical professionals, scientists, concerned citizens, and other who comprise ASA are committed to promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA works in partnership with state, local and national legislators to overcome barriers and create policies that improve access to cannabis for patients and researchers.

ASA Website Spotlight

The Medical Cannabis Advocate's Training Center

ASA believes that good policy is created when those who are most affected are at the table. Just because you are medical cannabis patient, it doesn't mean that you automatically have a degree in public policy. ASA has always been committed to demystifying political systems and providing advocates the tools they need to participate in the processes in a meaningful way. Learn all about grassroots organizing, citizen lobbying, media spokesperson training, and much more.

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

Tuesday, August 5, 2014 - San Francisco ASA (San Francisco)
The meeting starts at 7:30 PM at Lounge 847, 847 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103. Email [email protected] for more information.

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Wednesday, August 6, 2014 - Yuba County ASA (Valley)
The meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Rivers Edge Pub, 1 E. 12th Street, Marysville, CA 95901. Email [email protected] for more information.

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Thursday, August 7, 2014 - Sonoma ASA (Santa Rosa)
The meeting starts at 5:00 PM at Arlene Francis Center, 99 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Email [email protected] for more information.

Have something to share?

The “California Weekly Roundup” is a once-a-week email for ASA Members and Friends that focuses on relevant news and important updates, action alerts, meetings and special events. Send items for the California Weekly Roundup to [email protected] before 12:00 PM on Friday to be included in Monday's distribution.