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NEWS

NEWS      

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National

Senators OK Banking Access for Marijuana Businesses

Worry about bad marijuana—not Big Marijuana

The First Big Company to Say It’s Serving the Legal Marijuana Trade? Microsoft.

California

Leading California Medical Marijuana Oil Maker Busted

Patient Advocates Denounce Sonoma Sheriffs for Raids on Medical Cannabis Manufacturers

The Latest: California lawmakers OK water for pot growers

New Distributor Role Could Destroy Legal Cannabis Industry in California

The Women Making California's Weed Industry Less White

Local

San Diego may levy local marijuana tax (San Diego)

Arroyo Grande will allow mobile medical marijuana deliveries (Arroyo Grande)

Hunters, conservationists sue California county over marijuana grow limits (Mendocino County)

Medical Marijuana Measures Voted Onto Ballot In Costa Mesa (Costa Mesa)

Cannabis in the CV: A Large-Scale Coachella-Branded Cannabis Production Facility Is Coming to the East Valley (Coachella Valley)

Pot-Smoking Nuns Protest Legislation Banning Marijuana Cultivation (Merced)

Fillmore council votes to put medical marijuana tax on November ballot (Fillmore)

City council approves marijuana ballot measures (Perris)


Meetings

PUBLIC MEETINGS & EVENTS 

June 20, 2016 – Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Hearing on AB 26, AB 1575 and AB  2385 (Sacramento)

1:00 PM in room 3191 in the State Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento. The committee will vote on three medical cannabis bills. AB 26 (Jones-Sawyer) will create a training program for medical cannabis industry employees. ASA supports this bill. AB 1575 (Bonta) will make important improvements in the MMRSA. ASA supports this bill. AB 2385 (Jones-Sawyer) will exempt medical cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles from local licensing requirements under the MMRSA. ASA has no position on this bill, but supports efforts to adopt a local licensing ordinance in Los Angeles instead. Watch live at http://www.calchannel.com/live-webcast/

June 20, 2016 – Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee Hearing on SB 987 (Sacramento)

2:30 PM in room 126 in the State Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento. The committee will vote on SB 987 (McGuire), which will impose a 15% on medical cannabis consumption statewide. ASA opposes this bill. Watch live at http://www.calchannel.com/live-webcast/

June 21, 2016 – Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on AB 2300 (Sacramento)

1:30 PM in room 112 in the State Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento. The committee will vote on AB 2300 (Wood), which clarifies that state law does not authorize the smoking of medical cannabis where a landlord prohibits smoking. ASA has no position on this bill. You may testify at the hearing or submit written comments in advance. Get the contact information for committee members here: http://sjud.senate.ca.gov/

June 21, 2016 – Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing on AB 2516 (Sacramento)

9:30 AM in room 113 in the State Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento. The committee will vote on AB 2516 (Wood), which creates a “specialty cottage cultivator” license under the MMRSA from smaller cultivators. ASA supports this bill. You may testify at the hearing or submit written comments in advance. Get the contact information for committee members here: http://sagri.senate.ca.gov/

June 21, 2016 – Placer County Board of Supervisors Meeting (Auburn)

1:00 PM at the Community Development Resource Center, 3091 County Center Drive, Auburn, CA 95603. The Board will discuss a medical cannabis licensing and regulation ordinance. Arrive early to complete a public speaker’s card for agenda item number six.

June 29, 2016 – Senate Governance and Finance Hearing on AB 2149 (Sacramento)

9:30 AM in room 112 in the State Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento. The committee will vote on AB 2149 (Bonilla), which authorizes licensed medical cannabis dispensaries to pay sales tax in cash without penalties. ASA supports this bill. You may testify at the hearing or submit written comments in advance. Get the contact information for committee members here: http://sgf.senate.ca.gov/

Take Action

TAKE ACTION NOW 

Sign the Petition to Ask Your Representative and Senators to Sign on to the CARERS Act! (National)

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

The bill would allow state programs to continue without federal inference, move marijuana out of Schedule I, remove CBD from the scheduling, create access to banking services for legal marijuana businesses, end the Public Health service review process and NIDA monopoly that blocks research, and allow VA doctors to write recommendations in states that have a medical marijuana program.

Oppose SB 987 in California (California)

California Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) has introduced SB 987, a bill that will assess an additional 15% excise tax on medical cannabis in the state.  The new tax will be in addition to the ordinary state sales tax and any local tax patients already pay for their doctor-recommend medicine. SB 987 imposes an unnecessary and unfair burden on medical cannabis patients.

SB 987 is harmful for patients. Medical cannabis is already subject to ordinary sales and use tax of between 7.5 and 10%, depending on the jurisdiction. Additionally, some cities and counties already impose an additional local tax of up to 15% on medical cannabis.

Adding an additional 15% to the cost of medical cannabis, which is not covered by insurance, will be an economic hardship for legal patients – especially those who are already economically vulnerable…

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COURT SUPPORT 

What is Court Support and how do I get involved? 

June 21, 2016 – Court Support for Jeffery Sarbak (Hayward)

10:00 AM at the Hayward Hall of Justice at 24405 Amador St, Hayward, CA 94544. Pretrial hearing. Dress in an appropriate manner and obey all courtroom rules to best help the defendant. 

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

ASA WEBSITE SPOTLIGHT 

Patient Focused Certification

Patient Focused Certification, PFC is an innovative new program that is calibrating the medical cannabis industry for excellence.  Comprehensive and flexible, PFC is what patients, healthcare providers, companies, and regulators can depend on to identify reliable, high-quality medical cannabis products and services.

PFC addresses product and distribution safety in the medical cannabis industry. The program provides components for operators, legislators and regulators to promote the adoption of safe and reasonable industry standards and regulations from seed to consumption.

Our third-party certification program for the medical cannabis industry is based on quality standards for medical cannabis products and businesses issued by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) Cannabis monograph.  PFC Certification and professional training is available in all medical cannabis states including the District of Columbia.

ASA CHAPTER & AFFLIATE MEETINGS 

June 26, 2016 - Nevada County ASA (North San Juan)

The meeting starts at 2:00 PM at the North San Juan Senior Center, 29190 State Hwy 49, North San Juan, CA 95960. Email [email protected] for more information.

For a list of all CA Chapter Meetings visit:
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.