Medical cannabis news and events form around California
Voters legalized medical cannabis in California when they approved the Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215) in 1996. That was a milestone for patients, but only the beginning of a long campaign to fully implement medical cannabis laws at he local and state level. ASA is bringing hundreds of patients and advocates to Sacramento June 14-15 for our annual California Citizen Lobby Day to keep pushing that campaign forward.
So what dies implementation look like at the local and state level? What do more than a dozen pending bills touching medical cannabis really do? How does an anticipated vote on legalization affect medical cannabis law? And how can you best participate in implementation?
I am hosting a live Google Hangout from the Sacramento ASA chapter meeting this Thursday, May 28. The broadcast is entitled “Legislating Compassion: Passing and Implementing Good Medical Cannabis Laws.” Join us in person in Sacramento at 6:00 PM or online from anywhere at 7:00 PM to be part of the conversation. Scroll down to the events section for all the details.
ASA California Weekly Roundup: May 25, 2015
Contents (Scroll down for details and links):
News
- National
- California
- Local
Events
- May 26, 2015 – Vallejo City Council Meeting (Vallejo)
- May 28, 2015 – Legislating Compassion: Passing and Implementing Good Medical Cannabis Laws (Sacramento and Online)
- May 28, 2015 - Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense Hearing (Sacramento)
- May 28, 2015 - Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense Hearing (Sacramento)
- May 29, 2015 – ASA Day at Patients Care Collective (Berkeley)
- June 14-15, 2015 – California Citizen Lobby Day 2015 (Sacramento)
Court Support
- May 29, 2015 – Hearing for Laprill O'Brien and Rick Gromell (Pamona)
- More
Take Action Now
- Sign the Petition to Ask Your Representatives to Sign on to the Senate CARERS Act! (National)
- Support the CA Medical Cannabis Organ Transplant Act (California)
- Stop Incarcerating Parents for Victimless Marijuana Crimes (Sonoma)
ASA Website Spotlight
- California Citizen Lobby Day
Chapter & Affiliate Meetings
- May 26, 2015 - San Diego ASA (San Diego)
- May 28, 2015 - Sacramento ASA (Sacramento)
News
Follow @ASAdonduncan on Twitter for medical cannabis news and more.
Senator Feinstein Discovers Cannabis Science, Supports CBD (National)
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Senate Appropriation Committee Votes To Lift Veterans Administration Gag Order On Medical Cannabis (National)
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National Geographic's New Cover Will Make You See Weed In A Whole New Way (National)
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Kamala Harris: war on drugs failed, legalize medical marijuana (California)
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Ohio family who moved to California finds relief for daughter’s seizures with medical marijuana (California)
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Roll and stroll (Sacramento)
https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/roll-stroll/content?oid=17159295
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A Mother of Modern Medical Marijuana Calls in a Favor (Santa Cruz)
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Referendum Suspends Santa Cruz County Ban on Medical Cannabis Cultivation (Santa Cruz County)
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Fontana man arrested for allegedly operating marijuana dispensary (Fontana)
http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/article_77d94a8c-fb37-11e4-866b-fb83aaa11305.html
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San Jose Council Considers New Medical Marijuana Department (San Jose)
http://www.sanjoseinside.com/2015/05/18/san-jose-council-considers-new-medical-marijuana-department/
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New rules for marijuana crops greeted with applause (Riverside County)
http://www.pe.com/articles/marijuana-767627-county-rules.html
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Cannabis Coalition denied motion to hold special election in Upland (Upland)
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Arcata's Medical Marijuana Innovation Area Gets a Go-ahead (Arcata)
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Notes on the History of San Diego’s Medical Marijuana Regulations (San Diego)
http://obrag.org/?p=95118#.VV3y6ly-D8F
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Smoke and mirrors: Medical marijuana crackdowns in Livermore draw critics (Livermore)
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Pot, wine, porn mingle at Sonoma art opening Friday (Sonoma)
http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/05/20/pot-wine-porn-mingle-at-sonoma-art-opening-friday/
Public Meetings & Events
May 26, 2015 – Vallejo City Council Meeting (Vallejo)
7:00 PM at City Hall, 555 Santa Clara St., Vallejo, CA 94590. The City Council will vote on an ordinance to allow four medical cannabis dispensaries. Arrive early to compete a public speaker’s card for agenda item 7B.
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May 28, 2015 – Legislating Compassion: Passing and Implementing Good Medical Cannabis Laws (Sacramento and Online)
7:00 PM online at https://plus.google.com/events/ce1bgftl5r1422ositu2e1a7tq0 or join us live at 2315 K St, Sacramento, CA 95816. ASA California Director Don Duncan hosts a live online broadcast from the Sacramento ASA meeting to discuss how to adopt and implement local and state laws that are beneficial to medical cannabis patients and other stakeholders. Topics include how to read and analyze legislation, crafting amendments, understand the political processes, using the tools you have, and more. You can watch live on YouTube without the interactive features at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2f43rCxGtM
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May 28, 2015 - Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense Hearing (Sacramento)
The hearing begins in Room 4202 in the State Capitol Building as soon as the Assembly Floor Session adjourns. Watch live on http://www.calchannel.com/live-webcast/ The committee will vote on three medical cannabis bills in the suspense file, which is where the committee keeps bills with a fiscal impact of more than $150,000 until after the budget is approved. If the committee approves AB 34 (Bonta/Jones-Sawyer), AB 243 (Wood), and AB 266 (Cooley); the bills will proceed to a vote by the full Assembly. There is no public testimony at this hearing. Read more about the bills at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation
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May 28, 2015 - Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense Hearing (Sacramento)
The hearing begins in Room 4203 in the State Capitol Building as soon as the Senate Floor Session adjourns. Watch live on http://www.calchannel.com/live-webcast/ The committee will vote on four medical cannabis bills in the suspense file, which is where the committee keeps bills with a fiscal impact of more than $150,000 until after the budget is approved. If the committee approves SB 643 (McGuire), SB 305 (Bates), SB 212 (Mendoza), and SB 140 (Leno); the bills will proceed to a vote by the full Senate. There is no public testimony at this hearing. Read more about the bills at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation
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May 29, 2015 – ASA Day at Patients Care Collective (Berkeley)
3:00 – 5:00 PM at Patients Care Collective (PCC), 2590 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704. ASA CA Director Don Duncan will be at PCC, one of the state’s oldest medical cannabis collectives, to talk about local and state legislation, the upcoming lobby day, patients’ rights, and more. You must be a registered member of PCC to participate. Visit http://berkeleypatientscare.com or call (510) 540-7878 for membership information.
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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 at the Library Galleria, 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. 5:30 PM VIP Reception in the Ballroom at the Citizen Hotel, 926 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. 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 $25 (including materials), Lobby Day $25 requested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds). Registration is open now at http://CaliforniaCitizenLobbyDay.org/registration
Court Support
What is Court Support and how do I get involved?
May 29, 2015 – Hearing for Laprill O'Brien and Rick Gromell (Pamona)
8:00 AM at 400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona, CA 91766. Dress in an appropriate manner and obey all courtroom rules to best help the defendants.
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Find more information and additional listings on The Human Solution Calendar: http://www.thsintl.org/calendar
Take Action Now
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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Support the CA Medical Cannabis Organ Transplant Act (California)
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/support_the_ca_medical_marijuana_organ_transplant_act
The California Medical Cannabis Organ Transplant Act (AB 258) is on its way to the Senate Health Committee. AB 258 will reduce unnecessary suffering and preventable death. It prohibits anyone in the decision-making process from blocking an organ transplant based on the potential recipient’s legal medical cannabis use, unless a doctor has determined that medical cannabis use is clinically significant to the transplant process. Sign this petition to let committee members and their colleagues in the Senate know that voters support equal access to health care for medical cannabis patients.
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Stop Incarcerating Parents for Victimless Marijuana Crimes (Sonoma)
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-incarcerating-parents.fb51?source=c.fb&r_by=12947975
Yarrow Kubrin, father of two small children, is facing four and a half years in prison for medical cannabis cultivation. Sign this petition asking Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch and Probation Director Robert Ochs to stop recommending prison sentences for victim-less crimes related to cannabis.
ASA Website Spotlight
California Citizen Lobby Day
http://californiacitizenlobbyday.org
Get all the details, tentative agenda, and registration information, and more on this new webpage for the California Citizen Lobby Day, June 14-15, in Sacramento, CA. This will be ASA’s biggest and most important lobby day yet in California. We will be discussing regulating cultivation, using local initiatives, and more than a dozen bills in the state legislature. ASA will make an appointment for you to see your state Assembly Member and Senator on Monday, June 15, when you sign up.
ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings
May 26, 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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May 28, 2015 - Sacramento ASA (Sacramento)
The meeting starts at 7:00 PM at 2315 K St, Sacramento, CA 95816. ASA CA Director Don Duncan will be hosting a live Google Hangout entitled “Legislating Compassion” from the meeting. 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.
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