ASA in the News
Geoffrey Marshall
How Does Your State Rate for Medical Marijuana in 2019? - Americans for Safe Access
By David Downs for Leafly
Sorry, Texas.
The world’s leading medical cannabis patient advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), reports that residents of the Pacific island territory of Guam have better options to treat chronic pain and other ailments than their fellow Americans in Texas and the Southeast. That’s according to ASA’s 2019 State of the States Report, an annual evaluation published recently.
ASA aims the report at lawmakers each year, prodding them to make progress relative to their neighbors. Each US state and territory gets a grade, yielding an annual map of unequal protection for 126 million Americans with chronic pain, which is cannabis’ number one qualifying condition.
On the positive side, we’re seeing medical cannabis deployed against the opioid epidemic in Illinois (A-), New York (B-), and California (B+). Oklahoma, Ohio, and Florida all made heartening progress—two Bs and a C (up from Fs in 2015).
That contrasts with the frustrating stasis happening in Texas and throughout the Southeast—all of which got Fs. Guam got a C, by the way.
Geoffrey Marshall
Do People Move to Access Legal Marijuana? Yes — Meet 'Medical Refugees.' - Americans for Safe Access
By Juliet Bennet Rylah for Weedmaps News
According to American Medical Refugees board member Sebastien Cotte, the organization helped about 400 families in some way midway through 2018, up from about 150 two years earlier, according to media reports. These families had moved to Colorado from more than 35 states and three countries.
Cotte and his wife Annett know well what these families face. Their son, Jagger, has Leigh syndrome, a neurometabolic disorder that manifests in seizures, muscle pain, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms. Cotte became interested in cannabis as a possible treatment for his son in 2013, after seeing “Weed,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary about medical cannabis, on CNN. He connected with other parents in Georgia through medical cannabis advocacy organization Americans for Safe Access, but their initial attempts to pass a bill legalizing medical marijuana in Georgia failed. In 2014, Cotte's family decided to move to Colorado. They were one of 17 families to leave Georgia at that time, many of them receiving financial aid from Republican state Rep. Allen Peake.
Geoffrey Marshall
Arizona Gets C- Grade on ASA’s 2019 National Cannabis Report Card - Americans for Safe Access
By Dan Kingston for Arizona Marijuana News
Every year, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a national nonprofit promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research, produces a report that grades the legislative and regulatory aspects of state-legalized medical marijuana programs across the country.
The comprehensive report illustrates a detailed analysis of state medical marijuana programs in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and four territories on an ‘A’ to ‘F’ scale.
The ASA’s 2019 report graded Arizona’s medical marijuana program as a C-. Arizona was previously graded as a C- in 2018, a C+ in 2017, a B- in 2016 and a C+ in 2015.
Geoffrey Marshall
Lack of Patient Protection Gets Colorado a "B" Grade in Medical Marijuana - Americans for Safe Access
By Thomas Mitchell for Westword
Despite new laws allowing easier access to medical marijuana, Colorado couldn't improve its B grade in an annual report card from a national cannabis advocacy organization.
Each year since 2015, Americans for Safe Access has issued a lengthy report card for every U.S. state and territory's medical marijuana programs, or lack thereof. While the seventeen states that haven't legalized medical marijuana or severely limit its access got automatic Fs in this year's edition; As were hard to attain, with just Illinois and Oregon making the grade.
Colorado found itself in the middle with the Cs and Bs, trailing states such as Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts and Oklahoma, among others. The state's 82.8/100 score was just two points higher than 2018's report card, despite passing new laws adding conditions eligible for medical marijuana (autism and any condition for which opioids are prescribed), and permitting dentists, psychiatrists, registered nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals to recommend medical marijuana. Another law passed allowing parents of child patients to purchase medication more easily on their child's behalf, as well.
Geoffrey Marshall
Michigan’s Cannabis Program Receives B+ In National Ranking - Americans for Safe Access
By Rick Thompson for Weed News
Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has issued its 2018-2019 State of the States report card for cannabis programs in the United States and Michigan’s ranking remains steady with a B+ grade.
The group issues the reports most years. In 2015 Michigan received a C+ and has been awarded the B+ in each report since, in 2016, 2017 and the current issue.
Geoffrey Marshall
This pro-cannabis group issued its latest report card. Here’s N.J.'s grade. - Americans for Safe Access
By Jonathan D. Salant for NJ.com
New Jersey, about to embark on an expansion of medical marijuana, received higher marks this year than in the past from a group that supports access to cannabis for medical use.
Americans for Safe Access gave the Garden State a B, up from C the past three years, in its annual report card. The report was released Tuesday as the National Conference of State Legislatures gathered in Nashville for its annual meeting.
Geoffrey Marshall
ASA Unveils 2019 Report Cards For U.S. Medical Cannabis Programs - Americans for Safe Access
By Johnny Green for Weed News
Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has released its 2019 report card titled, “2019 State of the States Report: An Analysis of Medical Cannabis Access in the United States” in conjunction with the start of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit in Nashville, Tennessee.
The nearly 200-page report provides a detailed analysis of the state of medical cannabis programs in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and four territories on a ‘A’ to ‘F’ scale. States were assessed in six categories: 1) Patient rights and civil protections; 2) Access to medicine; 3) Ease of navigation; 4) Functionality; 5) Consumer safety and provider requirements; and 6) Medical cannabis as a tool in combating the opioid epidemic.
Geoffrey Marshall
Cannabis Legalization Leaders Weigh 2019’s Wins and Losses - Americans for Safe Access
By Max Savage Levenson for Leafly
“What surprises me the most is when people only care about what’s happening in their own state. We’re a national organization. But what we’ve noticed is that about a year after a law has been passed, suddenly these advocates come out again, and say they don’t have what they need. They start to advocate again.” - Debbie Churgai
Geoffrey Marshall
How to Buy CBD - Americans for Safe Access
By Lisa Esposito for US News & World Report
Scrutinize the label. You need to know precisely what's within the container. Having this information speaks to the product's purity, quality, consistency and safe use. All this should all appear on product labels, according to "Patient's Guide to CBD: 2019," a downloadable report from Americans for Safe Access, a nonprofit group with the goal of promoting legal, safe use of medical cannabis.
Geoffrey Marshall
Guam gets a ‘C’ grade in medical cannabis access - Americans for Safe Access
By Louella Losinio for Pacific News Center
Guam received a “C” grade in the recent medical cannabis access state report released by the Americans for Safe Access (ASA). This is an upgrade to the “C-minus” grade Guam received during the previous year.
State Advocacy Resources
