ASA in the News

By Ross Gardiner for mg Magazine

Cannabis was prohibitively expensive for many consumers even before the pandemic upended the market. “I would say affordability is the number-one barrier to access,” Debbie Churgai, executive director at Americans for Safe Access, told NBC. In 2018, the Washington D.C.-based organization that advocates for safe, legal access to weed conducted a patient survey that revealed 25 percent of the 525 respondents said they often go without plant medicine because they cannot afford it in their state.

By Merritt Enright, Nigel Chiwaya and Robin Muccari for NBC News

In a 2018 survey by Americans for Safe Access, more than 25 percent of the 525 respondents said they often go without treatment because they cannot afford medical marijuana in their states. The respondents’ average cost per month ranged from $50 to $1,500.

By Emma Spears for the Regina Leader-Post

Under the supervision of her physician, the Arizona woman used cannabis to treat symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum, a first-trimester illness that can cause severe nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weight loss and dehydration in pregnant women.

An Arizona woman who was found guilty of child neglect for consuming cannabis while pregnant is gaining national support after launching an appeal to fight the charges, according to Phoenix New Times.

By Elissa Esher for GreenState

“If medical cannabis were to be sold in grocery stores, the ideal place would be the pharmacy. We are concerned with patient access as well as safety. So, if a grocery store pharmacy was legally permitted to sell medical cannabis to patients, then we would support that.” - Heather Despres

By Nick Vadala for the Philadelphia Inquirer

For patients who need to treat their condition with marijuana coming in from out of state, that creates something of a catch-22, [Dustin] McDonald says. Do you break federal law and put yourself at risk by bring cannabis with you, or buy illegally where there are no quality control requirements? It’s not an easy answer right now — but at least in New Jersey, the latter likely won’t result in charges against you.

“You’re choosing the lowest punishment,” he says. “And hopefully, it is monetary and doesn’t leave something on your record.”

By Elissa Esher for GreenState

“When a product is not manufactured in a sanitary facility, the product runs the risk of containing potentially harmful amounts of contaminants or being able to support the rapid growth of microbiological contaminants once packaged. Foods that are meant to be refrigerated but aren’t are an example of products like these.” - Heather Despres, Director, PFC

By Larry Gabriel for the Detroit Metro Times

"Unfortunately, your doctor can fire you and deny your medicine. Unfortunately, it's a policy that's prevalent, and it affects a lot of people." - Brandy Zink, chairperson of the Michigan Chapter of Americans for Safe Access

By Cannabis Industry Journal Staff for Cannabis Industry Journal

Late last week, the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) granted ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation to Americans for Safe Access (ASA). This is the first accreditation ever issued to a product certification body in the cannabis market.

ASA is a member-based organization founded in 2002 that seeks to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis for medical purposes and research. Back in 2016, A2LA and ASA partnered on a collaboration to develop the Patient Focused Certification (PFC) program.

By Kevin Knodell for the Honolulu Civil Beat

The bill has the backing of several veteran and drug policy organizations, including the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, VoteVets, Minority Veterans of America, U.S. Pain Foundation, Drug Policy Alliance, Americans for Safe Access, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Veteran’s Initiative 22.