All Politics Is Local

Posted by 21pc on June 09, 2014

Contents:

Message from the CA Director - All Politics Is Local

(Picture: Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Tip O'Neil)

  

  
California & National News

  • Activists Target House Members Who Oppose Medical Marijuana (National)
  • 'Historic' shift in D.C. over medical pot crackdown (National)
  • Medical marijuana scores big House win, but still faces hurdles (National)
  • League of California Cities Finds Sen. Correa’s Medical Marijuana Bill Offers Best Regulatory Framework (California)
  • City hall Gives the Go Ahead on Pot Initiative (Santa Monica)
  • California County Bans Outdoor Medical Marijuana Grows (Lake County)
  • Medical Marijuana Users in San Jose Get Free Pot in Exchange for "I Voted" Sticker (San Jose)
  • Fight the marijuana ban in Fresno County (Fresno County)
  • Santa Ana ponders benefits of legal pot shops (Santa Ana)
  • Medical marijuana users worry about county changes (Tulare County)
  • Cannabis: Views about marijuana (Willits)

Events

  • Tuesday, June 10, 2014 – Medical Cannabis Permitting and Land Use Workshop (San Diego)
  • Saturday, July 26, 2014 – The State of Marijuana (Los Angeles)
  • Monday, August 4, 2014 – CA Citizen Lobby Day (Sacramento)

Court Support

  • Tuesday, June 10, 2014 – Court Support for James Romo (Santa Ana)

Take Action

  • Urge your Senator to pass CJS Medical Marijuana Amendment
  • Join Americans for Safe Access (ASA)

ASA Website Spotlight

  • Vote Medical Marijuana

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

  • Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - Nevada County ASA (Grass Valley)
  • Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - San Diego ASA (San Diego)
  • Thursday, June 12, 2014 - San Diego ASA (Imperial Beach)
  • Thursday, June 12, 2014 - Yuba County ASA (Foothills)

Message from the CA Director

Former Speaker of the US House Tip O’Neil famously said, “All politics is local.” Some current US Representatives are leaning that lesson after voting no on the Rohrabacher/Farr Amendment to prohibit federal interference in medical cannabis states last week. Americans for Safe Access ran advertisements on cable TV last week in Florida and Maryland critical of Representatives from those states that opposed the amendment. The ads put Members of Congress on notice: there is a price to pay at home if you do not support medical cannabis in your state.

So what about California? Not all of our Representatives voted yes on the Rohrabacher/Farr Amendment, despite the fact that medical cannabis has been legal here for seventeen years. Do you know how your US Representative voted? You can find out using ASA’s new Vote Medical Marijuana website. Use the site to find your Representative, check his or her voting record, and let them know what you think. You can even help ASA create and place ads in the House District where you live.

The US Senate will vote on a measure like the Rohrabacher/Farr Amendment soon. We do not expect support from Senator Diane Feinstein, and it is unclear whether or not Senator Barbara Boxer will stand with us. Both need to hear from you before the vote. Use ASA’s Online Action Center to contact our California Senators today. Let them know that they may also find themselves on TV if they do not stand up for medical cannabis patients in California!
 

California & National News

Activists Target House Members Who Oppose Medical Marijuana (National)
Emma Dumain, Roll Call

Advocates for expanding access to medical marijuana plan to turn up the pressure on members of Congress who aren’t supporting their cause. They’re starting with two House members who voted last week against an amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill that would bar federal government interference on state-approved pot and hemp laws... Over the next few days, the “Vote Medical Marijuana” campaign, housed within the medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, will run 30-second TV spots on MSNBC in Maryland and South Florida, the homes of two of the members who voted “no” — Republican Andy Harris and Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Read more here.

---
'Historic' shift in D.C. over medical pot crackdown (National)
Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle

Members of Congress whose states allow the medical use of marijuana have been trying since 2003 to stop federal prosecutors from going after state-approved pot suppliers. In one vote after another, they've been beaten back in the House - until now.
Read more here.

---
Medical marijuana scores big House win, but still faces hurdles (National)
S.A. Miller and Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times

They won a historic vote in the House last week on relaxing federal marijuana policy, but backers said it’s too early to declare victory, acknowledging that it will be a tough fight to get something through the Senate and on to President Obama this year. Still, the vote, which approved language blocking the federal government from interfering with state medical marijuana laws, was stunning. It marked the first time either chamber of Congress has approved a stand-down measure on the marijuana issue, and the 219-189 tally wasn’t even close.
Read more here.

---
League of California Cities Finds Sen. Correa’s Medical Marijuana Bill Offers Best Regulatory Framework (California)
Sierra Sun-Times

Since voters passed the Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215) in 1996 to give patients access to medical marijuana, confusion has ensued, leaving patients dissatisfied, public safety at risk, and local authority to regulate dispensaries subject to frequent challenge. This measure, co-sponsored by the League of California Cities and the California Police Chiefs Association, and supported by Americans for Safe Access, passed out of the Senate last week by a vote of 31-0. This measure now stands as the sole remaining bill addressing medical marijuana, after AB 1894 (Ammiano), opposed by the League and the California Police Chiefs, failed passage  on the  Assembly Floor last Thursday.
Read more here.

---
City hall Gives the Go Ahead on Pot Initiative (Santa Monica)
David Mark Simpson, Santa Monica Daily Press

What do a local medical marijuana advocate and the most vocal opponent of medical marijuana on City Council have in common? They both dislike a ballot initiative that would allow and regulate two pot shops in the city. On Wednesday David Welch, an attorney who represents caregivers and patients in the medical marijuana industry, filed the initiative on behalf of two residents. The City Attorney’s Office released the title and summary on Friday, paving the way for proponents to begin collecting signatures. The language must first be published in local newspapers.
Read more here.

---
California County Bans Outdoor Medical Marijuana Grows (Lake County)
Matt Ferner, Huffington Post

Medical marijuana growers in northern California's Lake County were banned from growing cannabis outdoors Tuesday when voters approved an outdoor-growing restriction proposed by county supervisors. Supervisors in Lake County, about a hundred miles north of the San Francisco Bay Area, had voted in December 2013 to enact a new ordinance that would ban outdoor grows in the area. But the Community Alliance to Ban Illegal Cannabis Cultivation (CABICC) collected over 4,000 signatures -- nearly twice the number of valid signatures needed -- to turn the issue into a public referendum on Tuesday's ballot.
Read more here.

---
Medical Marijuana Users in San Jose Get Free Pot in Exchange for "I Voted" Sticker (San Jose)
Scott Budman, NBC Bay Area

MTV rocked the vote. Now some Silicon Valley medical marijuana dispensaries are trying to “roll” the vote. A controversial campaign to encourage voting by giving free medical marijuana to San Jose voters is getting nationwide attention. San Jose voters who brought their “I Voted” sticker – along with their medical marijuana ID card -- to about a dozen participating dispensaries received free or discounted weed on Tuesday, primary Election Day.
Read more and watch a video here.

---
Fight the marijuana ban in Fresno County (Fresno County)
Ngaio Bealum, Sacramento News & Review

The medical-marijuana community in Fresno, led by the Fresno Cannabis Association ( www.fresnocannabis.org), are attacking the ban on two fronts. First, it is suing to overturn the ban because the city of Fresno did not file an environmental impact report before implementing the ban.
Read more here.

---
Santa Ana ponders benefits of legal pot shops (Santa Ana)
Alejandra Molina, OC Register

As cities across the the county spend thousands of dollars shuttering medical marijuana dispensaries, Santa Ana is considering ending the costly battles by legalizing, regulating and taxing sales. With some 50 illegal medical marijuana collectives still operating, Santa Ana leaders say they have been somewhat forced into this position after petitioners gathered enough signatures for a ballot measure that would repeal the city’s ban on medical marijuana collectives.
Read more here.

---
Medical marijuana users worry about county changes (Tulare County)
David Castellon, Visalia Times-Delta

Tuesday's decision by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors to take the first step to ban growing medicinal marijuana in unincorporated areas amounts to a life-and-death decision for Sandra Lambert. The 65-year-old former attorney from Ivanhoe uses medicinal marijuana to fight pain from seven shattered discs in her spine along with the effects of Cushing's disease and fibromyalgia, she said.
Read more here.

---
Cannabis: Views about marijuana (Willits)
Adrian Fernandez Baumann, The Willits News

Interviews on the street in Willits: Recently the four candidates for the third district board of supervisors' seat sat down at the Little Lake Grange to talk about pot. For two hours the candidates discussed and debate nothing but pot and how it affects our county. The Willits News asked several Willits residents what local governments are doing right and wrong, and what they would do if they were in charge.
Read more here.

Events

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 – Medical Cannabis Permitting and Land Use Workshop (San Diego)
Join the Alliance for Responsible Medicinal Access on Tuesday, JUNE 10 at 2:30PM for a 3-hour permitting and land-use seminar and Q&A session with San Diego's premier land-use and planning expert, Marcela Escobar-Eck. Registration is $295 for ARMA members and $395 for guests. ASA members receive a $50 discount. 2:30-5:30PM. RSVP to [email protected] for details.

Saturday, July 26, 2014 – The State of Marijuana (Los Angeles)
This one-day conference focuses on the future of the cannabis and medical cannabis movement and industry. ASA CA Director Don Duncan will be speaking. The conference is at 7080 Hollywood Blvd., 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Information, tickets, and registration is online at http://stateofmarijuana.eventtribe.com

Monday, August 4, 2014 – CA Citizen Lobby Day (Sacramento)
Save the date. Hundreds of ASA Members and allies will meet in Sacramento for a legislative briefing and citizen lobby day in support for sensible legislation to better regulate commercial medical cannabis activity and protect patients’ rights. Mark your calendar now and plan to be in Sacramento. Details to follow.

Court Support

What is Court Support and how do I get involved?

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 – Court Support for James Romo (Santa Ana)
Support medical cannabis defendant James Romo at his pretrial hearing at 8:45 AM in Orange County Superior Court at 700 W Civic Center Dr b120, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Dress in a professional manner and obey all courtroom rules to best support the defendant. Thanks to The Human Solution for tracking this case.

Take Action

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.

---
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

Vote Medical Marijuana

VoteMedicalMarijuana.org gives American voters a new criterion to evaluate candidates based on their legislative records on medical marijuana policy. It creates a new impetus to bring these voters to the polls for every election, as medical marijuana issues are at stake every time they vote. It is also a tool to let elected officials know that voters are tracking their positions every time they support or impede medical marijuana legislation.

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - Nevada County ASA (Grass Valley)
The meeting starts at 6:00 PM at The Banner Grange, 12629 McCourtney Road, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Email [email protected] for more information.

---
Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - San Diego ASA (San Diego)
The meeting starts at 7:30 PM at Giovanni's Restaurant - 9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92123. Email [email protected] for more information.

---
Thursday, June 12, 2014 - San Diego ASA (Imperial Beach)
The meeting starts at 6:00 PM at 1233 Palm Ave, Imperial Beach, CA 91932. Email [email protected] for more information.

---
Thursday, June 12, 2014 - Yuba County ASA (Foothills)
The meeting starts at 7:00 PM at the Willow Glen Restaurant. 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.