ASA California Roundup: March 3, 2014

Posted by 21pc on March 03, 2014

Contents:

Message from the CA Director - 34 Days Until the Conference!

California News

  • State Senator Lou Correa Authors First Marijuana Bill Backed by Cops (California)
  • Editorial: California needs to solve medical marijuana mess first (California)
  • Robert Duncan Begins Prison Sentence For Working In Legal Medical Pot Shop (California)
  • Between the lines: Bee writers tackle pot culture, counter culture (California)
  • In the club (California)
  • City Council passes medical marijuana regulations (San Diego)
  • Medical marijuana dispensary takes on IRS over what it calls ‘punitive’ taxes (Sacramento)
  • Medical marijuana usage causes problems for tenants (San Francisco)
  • Berkeley medical marijuana dispensary certified by nonprofit advocacy group (Berkeley)
  • Weed proposes ban of outdoor marijuana cultivation (Weed)
  • California man sentenced In marijuana distribution conspiracy (Sioux Falls, SD)

Events

  • Monday, March 3, 2014 – Trial of Deborah and Dennis Little (Vista)
  • Monday, March 3, 2014 – Appeals Hearing for Aaron Sandusky (Pasadena)
  • Tuesday, March 4, 2014 – Preliminary Hearing for Laura Sharp (Chula Vista)
  • Thursday, March 13, 2014 – Weed City Council Meeting (Weed)
  • April 5-7, 2014 - The 2nd Annual National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference (Washington, DC)

Take Action

  • Help send a patient to Washington, DC, for the conference!
  • Join Americans for Safe Access (ASA)

ASA Website Spotlight

  • Return of Property
  • Free Online Services

ASA Merchandise

  • ASA Cloud Vaporizer Pen
  • ASA Condition-Specific Booklets for Kindle

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

  • Tuesday, March 4, 2014 – San Francisco ASA (San Francisco)
  • Wednesday, March 5, 2014 – Yuba County ASA (Valley)
  • Thursday, March 6, 2014 – Sonoma ASA (Santa Rosa)

Message from the CA Director

Will I see you in Washington, DC, in thirty four days? It is my personal mission to get as many California patients as possible to our National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference April 5-7. The conference is the premier medical cannabis event of the year. You will hear from leaders in science, politics, and the industry about the future of medical cannabis in the United States. Plus you will learn skills and tips to be a more effective citizen lobbyist on our Congressional lobby day.

More than 300 participants visited thirty four Congressional offices last year. We need to make an even bigger showing this time. Medical cannabis is in the news and on the minds of lawmakers. It will send a powerful message to California lawmakers if we filled their offices this year. It does make a difference. Research conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation shows that citizen lobbyists like you are six times more persuasive than paid lobbyists! You can help break the federal impasse on medical cannabis by proving to our representatives in Congress that voters at home want them to stand up for Californians and change federal law.

Don’t miss this chance to make a real difference in California and nationwide. You can still take advantage of early bird discounts on hotel rooms and airfare. See you in DC!

California News

State Senator Lou Correa Authors First Marijuana Bill Backed by Cops (California)
By Nick Schou in the OC Weekly

State Senator Lou Correa (D-Anaheim) has pulled off the impossible: he's authored medical marijuana legislation that is actually supported by both the California League of Cities (which has both lobbied against pot dispensaries and helped cities actively ban them) as well as law enforcement, which has never supported a single pro-pot bill.
Read more here.

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Editorial: California needs to solve medical marijuana mess first
By Staff at the Sacramento Bee

 Given how long California has been stuck in its medical marijuana morass, the wisest move is to fix that first. With real-life laboratories in Colorado and Washington state on legal recreational marijuana, it makes sense to wait and watch closely before making pot any more available. If state legislators do their job, that can be California’s course.
Read the full editorial here.

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Robert Duncan Begins Prison Sentence For Working In Legal Medical Pot Shop
By Ryan Grim  and Dave Jamieson in the Huffington Post

Monday afternoon, Robert Duncan will report to Mendota Federal Prison in Fresno, Calif., to begin a two-year prison sentence. His crime? Working for a medical marijuana business that was legal under California state law. Not owning it; not profiting from illegal sales. Merely for being employed by the business. The collective of dispensaries Duncan worked for, known as MediZen, was raided by federal authorities in 2011 during a crackdown on medical marijuana providers by the Obama administration.
Read more here.

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Between the lines: Bee writers tackle pot culture, counter culture
By Allen Pierleoni in The Fresno Bee

In the right hands, nonfiction can be more compelling than fiction. Case in point are two new books by distinguished Sacramento Bee journalists, one who is working, the other who is retired. “Weed Land” by Peter Hecht (University of California Press, $24.95, 264 pages; on sale April 7): For years, Hecht has reported on the political, social and economic intricacies of California’s “cannabis culture.” Here, he presents a definitive, dramatic chronology of pot and the people who research it, grow it, sell it, use it and regulate it. Included are the proponents who run medical marijuana dispensaries and the law-enforcement agencies who have busted them. Hecht’s reporting for The Bee has won an Excellence in Journalism prize from the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and awards from the Best of the West program.
Read more here.

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In the club (California)
By Ngaio Bealum in the News and Review

Will California’s anti-smoking laws impede the opportunity for business growth after legalization? My question stems from the idea that there could be Dutch-style coffee shops and smoking lounges, or some such other California incarnation of a social establishment catering to patrons of the green. What are the known legal obstacles for would-be proprietors of a business where marijuana is (openly) consumed on-site?
Read more here.

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City Council passes medical marijuana regulations (San Diego)
On CBS8.com

The City Council Tuesday passed regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego that will limit the establishments to no more than four per council district. The 8-1 vote, with Councilman Mark Kersey dissenting, sets zoning and operating restrictions for collectives. The panel has addressed the issue numerous times since California's Compassionate Use Act was approved by voters more than 17 years ago.
Watch the video and read more here.

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Medical marijuana dispensary takes on IRS over what it calls ‘punitive’ taxes (Sacramento)
By Peter Hecht in the Washington Post

The Canna Care dispensary, an evangelical medical marijuana provider renowned for doling out buds with Bibles, is waging a public fight with the Internal Revenue Service over an $873,167 tax penalty sought under a tax code aimed at drug traffickers. On Tuesday, the U.S. Tax Court in San Francisco is due to hear Canna Care’s challenge over whether the IRS can impose the hefty tax demand under a 1982 law intended to close a loophole that allowed a Minneapolis cocaine and methamphetamine dealer to claim tax deductions for a scale, his apartment rent and telephone expenses.
Read more here.

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Medical marijuana usage causes problems for tenants (San Francisco)
In SF Gate

Q: I manage an apartment complex, and I have a tenant, "James," who smokes marijuana inside his apartment and out on the balcony. Many of the other tenants in the complex complain about the marijuana smoke, including the mother of a boy with asthma. James says he has a medical marijuana card for chronic pain, and I believe him. Under the Fair Housing laws, do I have to let him smoke on the balcony or inside his apartment?
Read more here.

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Berkeley medical marijuana dispensary certified by nonprofit advocacy group (Berkeley)
By Chris Trill in the Daily Californian

Americans for Safe Access, a nonprofit cannabis-advocacy group, certified two Bay Area medical marijuana dispensaries Feb. 20 in an effort to encourage standardized cannabis quality. The two dispensaries — Berkeley Patients Group, the largest and oldest medical marijuana dispensary in the city, and San Francisco Patient and Resource Center, a nonprofit cannabis collective — are the first in the country to be certified by ASA on standards that focus on the quality of the product as outlined by American Herbal Products Association and American Herbal Pharmacopoeia.
Read more here.

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Weed proposes ban of outdoor marijuana cultivation (Weed)
By Skye Kinkade in the Mount Shasta Hearld

The Weed Planning Commission voted 3-1 Wednesday of last week to recommend an ordinance banning all outdoor marijuana cultivation. Commissioners Virgil Tuman, Paul Zwetsloot and Richard Acquistapace agreed that  indoor cultivation is adequate and asked all references to outdoor growing be struck from the drafted ordinance, which will now be presented to the city council for possible adoption. Casting a no vote was Wes Dutt, who suggested at the Commission’s last meeting that two plants should be allowed outdoors with specific safety measures in place.
Read more here.

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California man sentenced In marijuana distribution conspiracy (Sioux Falls, SD)
By Jon Michaels on KELO.com

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Korbel, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on February 24, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier. Brett Aaron McFarland, age 29, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release.McFarland agreed to forfeit to the United States all his interest in the proceeds of the sale of real property located in Petrolia, California, which he acquired as a result of his illegal activities. 
Read more here.

Events

Monday, March 3, 2014 – Trial of Deborah and Dennis Little (Vista)
The Littles are law abiding citizens in their sixties who chose to grow and use medical cannabis to help ease the suffering of arthritis, HIV/AIDS and eating disorders associated with the debilitating virus. Show your support while the Littles fight for their freedom! The trial starts at 8:40 AM in Department 5 of the Vista Courthouse located at 325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081. Dress in a professional manner and obey all courtroom rules.

Monday, March 3, 2014 – Appeals Hearing for Aaron Sandusky (Pasadena)
Mr. Sandusky has an appeal hearing at 9:00 AM in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Courtroom #3, 125 S. Grand Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105. Dress in a professional manner and obey all courtroom rules. Thanks to the Human Solution for tracking this case.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 – Preliminary Hearing for Laura Sharp (Chula Vista)
Support medical cannabis defendant Laura Sharp in her preliminary hearing at 8:45 AM in San Diego Superior Court, North County Division, Vista Regional Center in Department 5, located at 500 3rd Ave., Chula Vista, CA 91910. Email [email protected] for more information. Dress in a professional manner and obey all courtroom rules.

Thursday, March 13, 2014 – Weed City Council Meeting
The City Council will debate an ordinance to ban outdoor cultivation of medical cannabis. ASA urges local advocates to speak in opposition to the proposal. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 550 Main Street, Weed, CA 96094.

April 5-7, 2014- The 2nd Annual National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference (Washington, DC)
We are pleased to announce the 2nd Annual National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference, Navigating Medical Cannabis in the Mainstream, taking place April 5 – 7th at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. Americans for Safe Access and our allies will fight even harder for safe access in 2014. This is our chance to show the Obama Administration and Congress our strength in unity – and to make our voice heard like never before in the nation’s capitol! The conference is your chance to network with other activists from around the country, attend panels and workshops to improve your skills and increase your knowledge, and to engage in direct citizen-lobbying efforts in the halls of Congress. Last year we had over 300 patients, providers, activist, medical and legal professional march on Washington on our lobby day. This was the largest march on Washington for safe access. Dont miss your chance to be apart of history.
Read more, register for the conference, and book your room at the Mayflower Inn today.

Do you have a medical cannabis event to share? Send items for the California Weekly Roundup to [email protected] before 12:00 PM on Friday to be included in Monday's distribution.

Take Action

Help send a patient to Washington, DC, for the conference!

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) knows that the best outcomes happen when medical cannabis patients have a voice in the conversation about policies that affect their lives. We need to have patients from all over the country – especially California – at our National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference and lobby day in Washington, DC, April 5-7. Unfortunately, many patients with a lot to contribute to the national dialog cannot afford the trip. That is where we need your help. It takes approximately $1,000 to get a patient to the conference. Donors sponsored 125 patients from thirty four states last year. Those patients learned about medical cannabis and advocacy skills at the conference, before participating in the largest medical cannabis lobby day in US history. We visited more than 300 Congressional offices that day. Can you help this year?

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Join Americans for Safe Access (ASA)

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 provides legal training for and medical information to patients, attorneys, health and medical professionals and policymakers throughout the United States. We also organize media support for court cases, rapid response to law enforcement raids, and capacity-building for advocates. Your support makes it all possible. Join ASA or renew your membership today.

ASA Website Spotlight

ASA Reports

ASA routinely publishes informative and authoritative reports on medical cannabis issues, including the human and financial cost of federal medical cannabis policy, the significance evolving federal policy, why patient cultivation is important, and much more. You may be especially interested in “Medical Cannabis Dispensing Collectives and Local Regulation,” which explores the outcomes of local regulations on patients’ cooperatives and collectives in California. These free reports can be a valuable tool for outreach to elected officials, community members, and others.

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Free Online Services:

  • Legal Support - Legal information for patients, lawyers, and other about medical cannabis laws the legal system.
  • Publications - Education literature and training for patients, activists, and others.
  • Raid Center - Be prepared for a law enforcement encounter, let ASA help you in case of a federal raid, and get text alerts regarding local law enforcement activity.
  • Medical Cannabis Advocate's Training Center - Learn how to be a more effective advocate for medical cannabis and how to build the movement in your community.

ASA Merchandise

ASA Cloud Vaporizer Pen

Medicate and advocate! The ASA Cloud Vaporizer Pen is perfect for patients who want to show their support for the medical cannabis movement. The pen has an ASA logo, comes in our signature color, and has a lifetime guarantee. 30% of every sale goes to support ASA.

ASA Condition-Specific Booklets for Kindle
 
ASA’s condition-specific booklets are the go-to reference for doctors and researchers when it comes to medical cannabis and cancer, HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, and other common conditions. These science-based booklets are also a great tool for patients who want to talk to their health care provider, family members, or others about medical cannabis. Download your now.

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

Tuesday, March 4, 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.

Wednesday, March 5, 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.

Thursday, March 6, 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.