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Registration for the California Citizen Lobby Day, June 14-15, in Sacramento will begin this week. This two-day event will be the biggest and most important lobby day yet. We will have workshops on local regulations and voter initiatives, special legislative briefings, citizen lobbyist training, and much more. Be sure to respond to the registration announcement when it arrives via email. ASA will make an appointment for you with your state representatives or staff on Monday, June 15. 

There is a time-sensitive action alert for California patients and advocates this week. Please send an email to your state Assembly Member to support AB 258, the Medical Cannabis Organ Transplant Act. The Assembly could vote on that bill to end discrimination against medical cannabis patients in the organ transplant process at any minute.

Thanks for helping! Read all the medical cannabis news from around the state, learn about upcoming events, and more in the California Weekly Roundup for Monday, April 27, 2015.

ASA California Weekly Roundup: April 27, 2015

Contents (Scroll down for details and links):

News

• Judge who upheld pot ban unconvinced drug has benefits (National)
• Sen. Mike McGuire introduces sweeping marijuana bill (California)
• Cities, police take another hit at legitimizing medical marijuana (California)
• Will California Legislature Tame the Wild West? (California)
• Nip it in the Bud: Cannabis Farming Is Not Causing California’s Drought (California)
• Is that joint damaging our environment? (California)
• Marin supervisors moving closer to authorizing medical marijuana dispensaries (Marin County)
• First Legal Medical Marijuana Dispensary In San Diego Prepares For More Patients (San Diego)
• EDITORIAL: Time for Riverside to bring marijuana out of the shadows (Riverside County)
• New Santa Cruz Co. Sheriff's Team To Go After Large Pot Grows (Santa Cruz County)
• Pass the Pork Belly, and the Joint (San Francisco)

Events

• April 28, 2015 – Assembly Business and Professions Committee Hearing on AB 34 (Sacramento)
• April 28, 2015 – Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Hearing on AB 243 (Sacramento)
• April 28, 2015 – Assembly Business and Professions Committee Hearing on AB 266 (Sacramento)
• April 29, 2015 – Senate Governance and Finance Committee Hearing on SB 643 (Sacramento)
• May 5, 2015 – Placer County Board of Supervisors Meeting (Auburn)
• May 7, 2015 – Live Google Hangout: CA Lawmakers… Medical Cannabis Is Medicine for Real (Online)
• June 14-15, 2015 – California Citizen Lobby Day 2015 (Sacramento)

Court Support

• No requests this week

Take Action Now

• CA Assembly: Support AB 258 and save lives! (California)
• Sign the Petition to Ask Your Representatives to Sign on to the Senate CARERS Act! (National)
• Tell President Obama his next DEA Administrator should match your position on medical cannabis (National)

ASA Website Spotlight

• Take Action Online Now

Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

• April 28, 2015 – San Diego ASA (San Diego)

News

Follow @ASAdonduncan on Twitter for medical cannabis news and more.

Judge who upheld pot ban unconvinced drug has benefits (National)
Bob Egelko, SF Gate

The federal judge who allowed Northern California pot growers to challenge the government’s ban on marijuana says she decided to uphold the law in the end because, although nearly half the states allow for medical marijuana, there are “disagreements among well-informed experts” about whether the plant has any medicinal value.
Read more here:
http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Judge-gives-her-reasons-for-deciding-that-pot-is-6207859.php

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Sen. Mike McGuire introduces sweeping marijuana bill (California)
Julie Johnson, Press Democrat

A North Coast state senator has introduced sweeping legislation aimed at establishing a comprehensive way for California to regulate nearly all aspects of medical marijuana, from licensing dispensaries to creating quality assurance testing for cannabis products.
Read more here:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/3832017-181/mcguire-introduces-sweeping-marijuana-bill

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Cities, police take another hit at legitimizing medical marijuana (California)
Allen Young, Sacramento Business Journal

To be clear: California’s police and city officials are not fans of 4/20 or anything that supports recreational marijuana use.
Read more here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/04/20/cities-police-another-hit-legitimizing-marijuana.html

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Will California Legislature Tame the Wild West? (California)
Jeremy Daw, The Leaf Online

After 12 years of operating under little more legal guidance than an affirmative defense and a limited cooperative law with an iconic bill number, the workers of California’s booming medical marijuana industry appear poised to get their first set of comprehensive state regulations.
Read more here:
http://theleafonline.com/c/politics/2015/04/california-legislature-tame-wild-west/

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Nip it in the Bud: Cannabis Farming Is Not Causing California’s Drought (California)
Mitchell Colbert, The Leaf Online

California has been in a drought for the past four years. Most of the state has received under 10 inches of rain, meeting the criteria to be labeled a desert. This conundrum has made California a testing ground for a battle over water rights, where cannabis growers are being unjustly scapegoated as the culprits behind the worst drought the state has seen in over a millennium.
Read more here:
http://theleafonline.com/c/activism/2015/04/nip-bud-cannabis-farming-not-causing-californias-drought/

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Is that joint damaging our environment? (California)
Kathryn R. Phillips, U-T San Diego

There’s a harvest taking place in the nooks and crannies of public and private lands all over California. It threatens the survival of everything from the imperiled spotted owl and steelhead trout to the fisher, a small mammal in the weasel family that is struggling for survival.
Read more here:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/apr/23/is-that-joint-damaging-our-environment/

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Marin supervisors moving closer to authorizing medical marijuana dispensaries (Marin County)
Richard Halstead, Marin Independent Journal

County officials are moving closer to allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in Marin’s unincorporated areas — while the Fairfax woman who opened the first medical marijuana dispensary in the state continues her battle with federal authorities.
Read more here:
http://www.marinij.com/business/20150420/marin-supervisors-moving-closer-to-authorizing-medical-marijuana-dispensaries

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First Legal Medical Marijuana Dispensary In San Diego Prepares For More Patients (San Diego)
Megan Burke, Maureen Cavanaugh, Peggy Pico; KPBS

Business is booming for the first legal medical marijuana dispensary in San Diego as owners expect to see their customer base expand before the end of the year.
Watch a video and read more here:
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/apr/20/san-diegos-first-legally-permitted-medical-marijua/

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EDITORIAL: Time for Riverside to bring marijuana out of the shadows (Riverside County)
Press Enterprise

In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, which permitted the use and dispensation of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Over time, cities and counties throughout California have approved or prohibited medical marijuana dispensaries for a variety of reasons.
Read more here:
http://www.pe.com/articles/marijuana-765543-dispensaries-medical.html

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New Santa Cruz Co. Sheriff's Team To Go After Large Pot Grows (Santa Cruz County)
Susan C. Schena, Patch.com

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has announced the formation of a marijuana compliance team to address concerns about large-scale marijuana grows and related environmental degradation. Investigating butane oil hash-labs will be a priority for the new team.
Read more here:
http://patch.com/california/watsonville/new-santa-cruz-co-sheriffs-team-go-after-large-pot-grows-0

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Pass the Pork Belly, and the Joint (San Francisco)
Rachel Levin, New York Times

On a dark corner here in the Mission District on March 31, the doors opened at 7 p.m. for an under-the-radar pop-up dinner.
Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/fashion/trends/san-francisco-pot-pass-the-pork-belly-and-the-joint.html?_r=2

 Public Meetings & Events

April 28, 2015 – Assembly Business and Professions Committee Hearing on AB 34 (Sacramento)
9:00 AM in Room 447 in the State Capitol Building on 10th Street between L & N Streets, Sacramento, CA 95814. The committee will hear testimony on AB 34 (Bonta), which will license and regulate commercial medical cannabis activity and more. ASA’s position on this bill is Support If Amended. See http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation for more information.

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April 28, 2015 – Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Hearing on AB 243 (Sacramento)
1:30 PM in Room 444 in the Capitol Building on 10th Street between L & N Streets, Sacramento, CA 95814. The committee will hear testimony on AB 243 (Wood), which will set environmental standards for cultivation. ASA opposed this bill due to provision that would have required permits from individual patients and caregivers. However, proposed amendments would correct this problem. Look for details after the hearing. See http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation for more information.

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April 28, 2015 – Assembly Business and Professions Committee Hearing on AB 266 (Sacramento)
9:00 AM in Room 447 in the State Capitol Building on 10th Street between L & N Streets, Sacramento, CA 95814. The committee will hear testimony on AB 266 (Cooley), which will license and regulate commercial medical cannabis activity and more. ASA’s position on this bill is Support If Amended. See http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation for more information.

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April 29, 2015 – Senate Governance and Finance Committee Hearing on SB 643 (Sacramento)
9:30 AM in Room 112 in the State Capitol Building on 10th Street between L & N Streets, Sacramento, CA 95814. The committee will hear testimony on SB 643 (McGuire), which will regulate commercial medical cannabis activity, especially cultivation, in the state. ASA’s position on this bill is Support If Amended. See http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation for more information.

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May 5, 2015 – Placer County Board of Supervisors Meeting (Auburn)
9:45 AM at 175 Fulweiler Ave., Auburn, CA 95603. The board will be voting on a ban on outdoor cultivation. Email Supervisors in advance at [email protected] and speak against the proposal at public comments.

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May 7, 2015 – Live Google Hangout: CA Lawmakers… Medical Cannabis Is Medicine for Real (Online)
7:00 PM PT online at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/asa_live Join ASA CA Director Don Duncan to talk about regulating medical cannabis as an herbal medicine in California, how we need to talk to our lawmakers about that, and more. You can join this live interactive event from your computer or mobile device. Log on early to download free software if this is your first Google Hangout.

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June 14-15, 2015 – California Citizen Lobby Day 2015 (Sacramento)
1:00 – 5:00 PM Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday. Venues TBA. ASA will bring hundreds of medical cannabis patients and advocates to Sacramento for workshops on changing local law, special briefings on state bills, training, and face-to-face meetings with lawmakers and staff. Register now for the biggest and most important medical cannabis citizen lobby day yet. Workshops $30 (including materials), Lobby Day $25 requested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds). Registration begins soon.

Court Support

What is Court Support and how do I get involved?

No court support requests this week. Please email [email protected] before 12:00 PM on Friday to be included in Monday's email blast and blog.

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Find more information and additional listings on The Human Solution Calendar: http://www.thsintl.org/calendar

Take Action Now

CA Assembly: Support AB 258 and save lives! (California)
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/ca_assembly_support_ab_258_and_save_lives

The State Assembly will vote soon on a bill that will reduce suffering and preventable deaths among legal medical cannabis patients in California. Email your State Assembly Representative today to support AB 258. The vote may happen any day now, so please do not wait.

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Sign the Petition to Ask Your Representatives to Sign on to the Senate CARERS Act! (National)
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/senate_carers_act_petition

For the first time ever, we now have comprehensive medical marijuana legislation in the U.S. Senate.  Sign the Petition below to urge your senators to protect safe access and patients right by signing onto the CARERS Act.

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Tell President Obama his next DEA Administrator should match your position on medical cannabis (National)
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/tell_president_obama_his_next_dea_administrator_should_match_your_position_on_medical_cannabis

With the impending resignation of DEA Administration Michele Leonhart, President Obama will need to select a new official to head up the Drug Enforcement Agency. Under Leonhart, the DEA raids against state-legal medical cannabis dispensaries and cultivators skyrocketed. Leonhart also proved to be a roadblock to marijuana rescheduling, and was a vocal supporter of escalating drug war violence. Please take a moment and send this sample email below to President Obama urging him to select a new DEA Administration who will share his views that physicians should be able to offer medical cannabis therapy to their patients. 

ASA Website Spotlight

Take Action Online Now
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/action_alerts

ASA’s online Action Center makes it easy for you to speak up to lawmakers and other elected officials on timely matters. Check this page to find out how you can make a difference right away from home. The software will identify your lawmaker and get your message to him of her immediately. Share links to ASA action alerts with friends and loved ones to be even more effective!

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

April 28, 2015 – San Diego ASA (San Diego)
6:30 – 7:30 networking, 7:30 meeting starts at Giovanni's Restaurant at 9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92123. Email [email protected] for more information.

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See all California ASA Chapter Meetings here:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/california_advocacy 

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.