ASA in the News
Elli Esher
Why You Can’t Smoke Cannabis in Public (Even in States Where Marijuana is Legal) - Americans for Safe Access
By Elissa Esher for GreenState
“Currently, in states where medical or recreational marijuana is legal, many apartment complexes make residents sign agreements saying they will not consume it. That means medical cannabis patients do not have access to areas where they can consume their medication.” - Heather Desperes, PFC Program Director
Geoffrey Marshall
“Archaic” Cannabis Scheduling Dumped By U.N. - Americans for Safe Access
By Terry Lassitenaz for Hemp Gazette
“The UN decision today gives us strength and hope,” said ASA last week. “ASA will continue our fight for access until all patients in the US and across the globe have access to this incredible medicine.”
Andrew Ward
Flush With Money and Ballot Victories, Cannabis Lobbyists Call For Unified Effort - Americans for Safe Access
By Andrew Ward for Benzinga
Drug policy advocacy groups face more of a challenge, according to MPP's Lindsey. MPP receives its funding from individual donors and cannabis brands.
The director said that reform efforts are victims of their success, where funding can dry up as the public assumes the fight is mostly over. A state ballot initiative costs millions of dollars and is a standard part of the process.
Contributions largely support ballot efforts, as well as lobbying and staff payroll.
Lindsey said the work continues after a law passes.
"If we 'legalize' but still put more or less the same people in jail for cannabis-related activity, we haven't really achieved our goal of ending prohibition," Lindsey said.
Geoffrey Marshall
Ways ForwardGro Builds Strength From Adversity in Cannabis Market - Americans for Safe Access
By Janeen Wright for Greenhouse Grower
It is also certified for cultivation under the Americans for Safe Access’ (ASA) Patient Focused Certification (PFC) program. PFC is a non-profit, third-party certification program for the medical cannabis industry that helps patients and healthcare providers identify reliable, high-quality medical cannabis, businesses, products, and services.
A.J. Herrington
Joe Biden Elected President of The United States - Americans for Safe Access
By A.J. Herrington for High Times
"Medical cannabis advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) released a statement on Saturday expressing support for the president-elect’s evolving view on reforming the nation’s marijuana laws."
Geoffrey Marshall
Disabled Army vet in Madera needs medical marijuana for pain, but cannot easily get it - Americans for Safe Access
By John Camarena for The Fresno Bee
As a fully disabled Army veteran, managing my pain is always a challenge. After being medically discharged in 2013 due to a spinal and traumatic brain injury, I’ve experienced three spinal surgeries, three knee surgeries, and countless physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions. Yet my hometown of Madera, where I live with my wife and three young children, has chosen to stop access to the medicine that helps me most: cannabis.
On Nov. 16, Fresno Superior Court will be hearing the case, County of Santa Cruz et al. v. Bureau of Cannabis Control et al. Everyone with medical conditions should follow it, because today it’s me, but tomorrow it could be you.
Geoffrey Marshall
Cannabis stock news and notes: With a little help from my friends - Americans for Safe Access
By B.A. Dorfman for PotNetwork
In the pricey new world of craft and corporate cannabis, one organization is working to ensure that every American has access to medicinal marijuana. Americans for Safe Access announced on Friday a new partnership with Leaf411. The latter is a nonprofit group who works to provide education and “directional support” to the public regarding legal cannabis and how to use it safely. Together, both organizations are now working on what is being dubbed Leaf411’s Affordability program. Low-income medical cannabis patients needing financial support or other help obtaining their medicine will now be able to do so without issue.
Geoffrey Marshall
Oregon’s Rep. Blumenauer Calls For Supreme Court To Review Historic Cannabis Lawsuit - Americans for Safe Access
By Lindsey Bartlett for Forbes
The federal illegality of cannabis is unconstitutional, according to this historic lawsuit.
Washington v. Barr is the first court case of its kind against the federal government on behalf of cannabis medical patients. The case, which was first argued in a Second Circuit court in August of 2018, challenges the inclusion of marijuana as a Schedule I substance on the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Geoffrey Marshall
Lacking Patient Protection, Colorado Earns "B" Average in Medical Marijuana - Americans for Safe Access
By Clara Geoghegan for Westword
Colorado's medical marijuana system still has room to improve, according to a report from a national cannabis advocacy group.
Americans for Safe Access annually grades every state's medical marijuana program on an "A" to "F" scale. Although Colorado continues to score low on patient rights and protections, the state still earned a "B-" thanks to high marks for patient access and functionality.
The ASA report cards, which began in 2015, assign scores to state policies on patient rights and civil protections, access to medicine, ease of navigation for application and renewal processes, medical marijuana functionality and consumer safety requirements, while a new section graded both medical marijuana accessibility and telemedicine options during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the ASA is a tough grader.
Debbie Churgai
Justices Urged To Weigh Ex-NFL Player's Pot Legalization Bid - Americans for Safe Access
By Jack Queen for Law360
Law360 (September 8, 2020, 9:08 PM EDT) -- A trio of drug reform groups have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a former NFL player's bid to decriminalize marijuana, saying a federal appeals court wrongly swept the lawsuit to a doomed administrative process within the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In an amicus brief Friday, Americans for Safe Access said the Second Circuit upended the principle that only courts can interpret constitutional claims by ruling that a group of patients challenging cannabis' status as a Schedule I controlled substance must first petition the DEA for rescheduling.
The group argued this "radical new approach" would relegate the patients, led by Super Bowl champion Marvin Washington, to a "long, frustrating, ill-fated and futile process."
"One rescheduling petition for cannabis took 22 years to resolve, with the petitioners bouncing back and forth between agency and judicial fora," it said. "Petitioners here risk the same fate of agency dilatoriness."
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