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Are you one of the Californians getting ready for ASA’s National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference and Citizen Lobby Day in Washington, DC? I would like to see hundreds of patients, doctors, industry workers, and grassroots advocates at the conference and in the halls of Congress this year. Register today so you can meet the most important people in medical cannabis, get the latest information about science and politics, and help make a difference. ASA will make an appointment for you to meet your US Representative and Senator when you sign up. Do it now… Only twelve days left!

Meanwhile in California, the local debate about regulating medical cannabis goes on. Advocates in Costa Mesa are planning to sue after the city backed off on plans to regulate local access. We have two very different perspectives on medical cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles from last week – a pictorial essay on the city’s diverse facilities and the latest academic research on the implementation of Measure D from UCLA. The City of San Diego beat a legal challenge to its medical cannabis ordinance and approved two more dispensaries last week.

Get all the medical cannabis news, events, and court support requests in ASA’s CA Weekly Roundup for Monday, March 16, 2015.

ASA California Weekly Roundup: March 16, 2015

Contents:

News

• Senate Bill Would Effectively End The Federal War On Medical Marijuana (National)
• Editorial: A Sensible Bill on Medical Marijuana (National)
• California Lawmakers Give Up On Marijuana DUIs — For Now (California)
• Political support for medical marijuana begins to waft away (Costa Mesa)
• Medical marijuana backers sue city (Costa Mesa)
• UCLA Medical Marijuana Research Team Releases Brief On Dispensaries (Los Angeles)
• Through the purple haze: Marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
• Two arrested in break-in at medical marijuana dispensary in Mid-City (Los Angeles)
• SD OKs two more med pot shops (San Diego)
• S.D.’s Medical Marijuana Ordinance Denied by Court (San Diego)
• Southern California Regional VA Policy Revised to Allow for Medical Marijuana Use with Upland to place medical marijuana on ballot in 2016 election (Upland)
• Yuba County officials scurry to carry out outdoor pot ban (Yuba County)

Events

• March 16, 2015 - Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense (Online)
• March 17, 2015 – Fresno County Board of Supervisors Hearing (Fresno)
• March 17, 2015 - Richmond City Council Meeting (Richmond)
• March 25, 2015 – Senate Health Committee Hearing on SB 140 (Sacramento)
• March 27-31, 2015 – ASA’s National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference 2015 (Washington, DC)
• March 31, 2015 - Santa Rosa City Council Meeting (Santa Rosa)
• April 7, 2015 - Assembly Health Committee Hearing on AB 258 (Sacramento)

Court Support

• March 20, 2015 – Court Support for Fred Delmer (Placerville)
• And more

Take Action Now

• Support the Medical Marijuana Organ Transplant Act

ASA Website Spotlight

• National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference

Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

• March 17, 2015 - San Francisco ASA (San Francisco)
• March 18, 2015 - East Bay ASA (Oakland)
• March 18, 2015 - Lake County ASA (Clearlake Oaks)
• March 20, 2015 – OC NORML Meeting (Santa Ana)

News

Senate Bill Would Effectively End The Federal War On Medical Marijuana (National)
Matt Ferner, Huffington Post

A sweeping Senate bill introduced Tuesday seeks to significantly roll back the federal government's war on medical marijuana.
Read more here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/10/end-federal-war-on-medical-marijuana_n_6836482.html

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Editorial: A Sensible Bill on Medical Marijuana (National)
New York Times

Three senators, two Democrats and a Republican, introduced a bill on Tuesday that would allow patients to use marijuana for medical purposes in states where it is legal, without fear of federal prosecution for violating narcotics laws.
Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/opinion/a-sensible-bill-on-medical-marijuana.html?smid=nytcore-iphone-share&smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=1

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California Lawmakers Give Up On Marijuana DUIs — For Now (California)
Chris Roberts, SF Weekly

Legalization is still in California's future, but marijuana is occupying state lawmakers' minds in the present.
Read more here:
http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2015/03/12/california-lawmakers-give-up-on-marijuana-duis-for-now

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Political support for medical marijuana begins to waft away (Costa Mesa)
Bradley Zint, Daily Pilot

A proposed law to return medical marijuana dispensaries to Costa Mesa lost traction Tuesday, as City Council members took turns expressing their reservations about trying to regulate the drug and its distribution.
Read more here:
http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0312-marijuana-ordinance-20150311,0,1066966.story

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Medical marijuana backers sue city (Costa Mesa)
Bradley Zint, Daily Pilot

Attorneys representing petitioners who want to bring back medical marijuana dispensaries in Costa Mesa have filed lawsuits against the city that could force a special election this spring.
Read more here:
http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0313-marijuana-lawsuits-20150312,0,4536955.story

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UCLA Medical Marijuana Research Team Releases Brief On Dispensaries (Los Angeles)
Angel Ibanez, UCLA Luskin

The UCLA Medical Marijuana Research team led by Social Welfare professor Bridget Freisthler recently released a brief that examines the changes in the number and location of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city of Los Angeles over a seven year time period.
Read more here:
http://luskin.ucla.edu/news/school-public-affairs/ucla-medical-marijuana-research-team-releases-brief-dispensaries

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Through the purple haze: Marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
Nicole Crowder, Washington Post

… Three years ago, Rick Bolton, a self described “long-suffering Los Angelino,” came across what was then a new business in Los Angeles — a medical marijuana dispensary — opening near his office in Hollywood.
See the pictures and read more here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2015/03/11/through-the-purple-haze-marijunana-dispensaries-in-los-angeles/

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Two arrested in break-in at medical marijuana dispensary in Mid-City (Los Angeles)
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles police said two people were arrested early Saturday after breaking into a medical marijuana dispensary in Mid-City.
Read more here:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-arrests-marijuana-dispensary-midcity-20150307-story.html

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SD OKs two more med pot shops (San Diego)
David Garrick, U-T San Diego

San Diego gave final approval on Thursday to what will become the city’s second and third legal medical marijuana dispensaries — one in Kearny Mesa and one in San Ysidro.
Read more here:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar/12/marijuana-dispensary-legal-approve-kearny-ysidro/

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S.D.’s Medical Marijuana Ordinance Denied by Court (San Diego)
Debbie L. Sklar, Times of San Diego

A legal challenge to San Diego’s medical marijuana ordinance on environmental grounds was denied by a Superior Court judge, the City Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Read more here:
http://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2015/03/12/s-d-s-medical-marijuana-ordinance-denied-by-court/

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Southern California Regional VA Policy Revised to Allow for Medical Marijuana Use with Opioids (Southern California)
California NORML

In response to months of effort from California NORML, Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access, affiliated groups and Congressional offices, Cal NORML has been informed that VISN-22 policy has been revised to allow the use of medical marijuana with opioid prescriptions at all VA facilities in the Southern California region.
Read more here:
http://www.canorml.org/news/Southern_California_VA_Policy_Allows_Medical_Marijuana_Use_with_Opioids

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Upland to place medical marijuana on ballot in 2016 election (Upland)
Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

A decision to allow three medical marijuana dispensaries in the northwest part of the city will not go to the voters until the general election in 2016, despite protests from supporters, who threatened to recall officials who waited on the measure.
Read more here:
http://www.dailybulletin.com/government-and-politics/20150310/upland-to-place-medical-marijuana-on-ballot-in-2016-election

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Yuba County officials scurry to carry out outdoor pot ban (Yuba County)
Eric Vodden, Appeal-Democrat

With Yuba County's ban on outdoor marijuana cultivation now in effect, anyone growing pot outside suddenly finds themselves in violation of the county's new urgency ordinance.
Read more here:
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/yuba-county-officials-scurry-to-carry-out-outdoor-pot-ban/article_3089b042-c949-11e4-aea1-3fc4bc878c17.html

 Public Meetings & Events

March 16, 2015 - Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense (Online)

6:00 PM at www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews Tune in for this weekly live Internet broadcast about cannabis and medical cannabis issues. You can call in to participate. 

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March 17, 2015 – Fresno County Board of Supervisors Hearing (Fresno)
9:00 AM at the Hall of Records, 2281 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA 93721. The Board will hear appeals of the excessive fines imposed of medical cannabis growers. Public comment in advance and at the hearing is helpful. Contact information for the Board can be found here: http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/Departments.aspx?id=122

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March 17, 2015 - Richmond City Council Meeting (Richmond)
6:00 PM in the Community Services Building, 440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804. Sign up for public comments on agenda item J-1 to tell the City Council not to reduce the number of patients’ associations in the city. See the agenda - http://sireweb.ci.richmond.ca.us/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=581&doctype=AGENDA Email [email protected] for talking points. 

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March 25, 2015 – Senate Health Committee Hearing on SB 140 (Sacramento)
1:30 PM in Room 4203 in the State Capitol Building on 10th Street between L & N Streets, Sacramento, CA 95814. The committee will hear testimony on SB 140 (Leno), which will regulate e-cigarettes and vaporizer pens. See http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation for more information.

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March 27-31, 2015 – ASA’s National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference 2015 (Washington, DC)
Join us March 27th – 31stfor the biggest and most important medical cannabis conference yet. Early bird and ASA member discounts are now available. Save money on registration, travel, and lodging by registering now. For more information: http://www.nationalmedicalcannabisunityconference.org 

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March 31, 2015 - Santa Rosa City Council Meeting (Santa Rosa)
4:00 PM in Council Chambers at 100 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95404. The City Council will consider a measure banning indoor smoking in multiple unit housing. This could adversely affect legal patients who smoke cannabis at home. Details to follow. 

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April 7, 2015 - Assembly Health Committee Hearing on AB 258 (Sacramento)
1:30 PM in Room 4202 in the State Capitol Building on 10th Street between L & N Streets, Sacramento, CA 95814. The committee will hear testimony on AB 258 (Levine), which will prevent discrimination against legal medical cannabis patients in the organ transplant process. See http://www.safeaccessnow.org/2015_legislation for more information.

Court Support

What is Court Support and how do I get involved?

March 20, 2015 – Court Support for Fred Delmer (Placerville)
9:00 AM at 495 Main St, Placerville , CA 95667. Dress in an appropriate manner and obey all courtroom rules to best help the defendant.

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

Take Action Now

Support the Medical Marijuana Organ Transplant Act (California)
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/support_the_ca_medical_marijuana_organ_transplant_act

A patient in California can be denied a life-saving organ transplant solely based on the fact that he or she uses medical cannabis! Legal patients have died after being removed from the organ transplant list, and others are in jeopardy right now. Americans for Safe Access, the nation's leading medical cannabis patients' advocacy organization, proposes legislation to prevent anyone from being denied a transplant because of medical cannabis. Sign this petition to let lawmakers know you support AB 258, the Medical Marijuana Organ Transplant Act, to provide equal access to health care for legal patients.

ASA Website Spotlight

National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference
http://www.nationalmedicalcannabisunityconference.org

The National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference is the largest conference for medical marijuana patients, activists, lawyers and medical professionals promoting safe and legal access to marijuana for therapeutic uses and research.  The Unity conference is your place to learn best practices, exchange ideas and learn how to navigate medical marijuana in this new political landscape. This conference will also provide professional development and leadership training to patients and concerned citizens in all areas of advocacy including federal, state and local government relations, public affairs, community relations, public policy, legislation, Congressional relations, community activism, political engagement and campaigns. Attendees will hear from successful lobbyists and communicators, elected officials, professional staff, industry experts, and public policy specialists on a wide variety of how-to topics relevant to legislative and regulatory advocacy.

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

March 17, 2015 - 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.

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March 18, 2015 - East Bay ASA (Oakland)
6:30 at 7 Stars Holistic Healing Center, 3288 Pierce Street #108, Richmond, CA 94804. Email [email protected] for more information.

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March 18, 2015 - Lake County ASA (Clearlake Oaks)
The meeting starts at 6:30 PM at the Moose Lodge, 15900 East Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423. Email [email protected] for more information.

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March 20, 2015 – OC NORML Meeting (Santa Ana)
8:00 PM at 117 W 4th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701. 

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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.