Programs & Projects

ASA’S PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, & CAMPAIGNS 

As medical cannabis policy evolves, so do Americans for Safe Access projects and programs. When ASA was founded in 2002, much of our organizing was focused on supporting individuals being raided by the DEA and facing issues with law enforcement. Thanks to 20 years of successful campaigning, legal battles, and legislative victories, our programs, projects, and campaigns focus primarily on addressing knowledge, policy, and regulatory gaps to improve access to medical cannabis, including educating medical cannabis stakeholders, improving safe access programs, and advocating for a national medical cannabis program. 

ASA PROGRAMS:

Patient Focused Certification

Patient Focused Certification (PFC) is a groundbreaking initiative that provides individuals, companies, and governments with the tools needed to ensure safe, high-quality cannabis and hemp products. PFC includes regulatory guidance on GMP/GAP cannabis standards, third- party certification, and workforce training for any business or government agency, regardless of its stage of development or role in the supply chain.

Medical Cannabis Stakeholder Support Program

Successful medical cannabis policies and programs require participation from all stakeholders. ASA provides educational information, support, and resources for patients, caregivers, cannabis providers, advocates, and medical professionals.

ASA Publications

Americans for Safe Access has created a series of publications to help medical cannabis stakeholders navigate the medical, legal, and political aspects of cannabis.

Cannabis Care Certification

Cannabis Care Certification (CCC) is an online education program designed to help doctors provide the best care for legal medical cannabis patients and help patients get the most from their medical cannabis use. Recognized world experts have created CCC, which includes educational tools for medical professionals, patients, and their caregivers to better understand the role of cannabis therapeutics through a structured learning environment. CCC was designed to help companies meet state requirements for patient medical cannabis education

ASA PROJECTS:

The Cannabis and Cannabinoid Medicine Initiative (CCMI)

The  Cannabis and  Cannabinoid  Medicine  Initiative  (CCMI)  is spearheading a transformative effort to integrate cannabis-based therapies into the  U.S.  healthcare system to create a more inclusive, compassionate, and effective healthcare framework for all Americans. Led by a diverse advisory group of healthcare, medical cannabis stakeholders, and cannabis policy experts, CCMI engages healthcare industry stakeholders to identify and address the gaps between state-level compassionate use programs and the requirements of the national healthcare infrastructure to include medical cannabis.

Federal Advocacy Project 

Since ASA opened our DC office in 2006, patients have had representation on Capitol Hill. Through direct engagement with members of Congress and administrative agencies and countless public comments, white papers, policy memos, and reports, ASA has also been able to educate lawmakers on the issues of patient access to medical cannabis, roadblocks to research, and the role each federal agency can play in protecting patients. Each year, during ASA's Unity Conference, ASA flies in hundreds of medical cannabis patients from around the country to lobby together on Capitol Hill and supply their elected officials with ASA's Medical Cannabis Briefing Book, which provides a comprehensive overview of medical cannabis myths and facts on the federal level.

State Access Watchdog Project

While the longstanding federal prohibition on medical cannabis can frustrate state efforts, ASA has made tremendous progress on the state level in shaping medical cannabis policy. Thanks to ASA's efforts, 38 states have comprehensive medical cannabis programs. ASA regularly contributes comments to pending language for state legislation and regulations to ensure that state programs are patient-focused rather than profit-focused. Each year, ASA releases a State of the States Report that grades every state’s medical cannabis program to show state lawmakers where improvement is needed and works with advocates in the states to improve medical cannabis laws.

Patient Advocacy Empowerment Project 

Medical cannabis policy is better designed and implemented when patients are at the table. The reality is that if you are not a medical cannabis patient or stakeholder, you probably don’t understand the nuisances of cannabis policy.  For over 20  years,  the  Patient Advocacy Empowerment Project has been arming patients with the knowledge,  tools,  and skills to advocate for themselves through strategic planning, public speaking, bill drafting, media outreach, and citizen lobbying.

Annual National Unity Conference 

Every year the National Medical Cannabis Unity conference brings together hundreds of patients, caregivers, scientists, medical and legal professionals, and industry experts from all over the country to learn about the latest in cannabis research and policy. As part of every conference, ASA staff set meetings for attendees to meet with their federal representatives during ASA’s Lobby Day, the largest medical cannabis citizen lobby event of the year.

Patients’ Know Your Rights Project

While medical cannabis is legal in many states, these laws vary dramatically from state to state, and cannabis remains illegal federally. For over 20 years, Americans for Safe Access has been arming patients and medical cannabis stakeholders with tools to know and express their rights.

Ryan’s Law Implementation Project

In September 2021, “Ryan’s Law” became California law requiring healthcare facilities to allow the use of medical cannabis on their premises for terminally ill patients with a valid medical cannabis card or/ recommendation from their physician. ASA’s Ryan’s Law Implementation Project includes an implementation guide for healthcare facilities, which includes a summary of the law, sample policies and documents, and draft SOPs to aid in their compliance with the new laws and resources for physicians and their patients to help navigate the utilization of these new rights afforded under the new law.

ASA Campaigns:

SAFE ACCESS 4 ALL

Cannabis therapeutics are helping millions of Americans, often where all traditional options have failed or as a safer treatment option, and have changed how many patients and their medical professionals approach treatment for a variety of chronic illnesses. While state-level initiatives have demonstrated the potential of medical cannabis, the lack of federal laws and regulations poses challenges for patients, researchers, and medical practitioners, keeping cannabis treatments from reaching their full potential.

A national medical cannabis program would fill this void, ensuring uniformity in regulations, restoring rights for medical cannabis patients, creating nationwide access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research, and forging a new, purpose-built pathway for cannabis therapeutics.

Americans for Safe Access has developed a legislative framework for a national medical cannabis program that builds on the knowledge from the state-level experiment and includes input from patients, regulators, researchers, medical professionals, medical cannabis providers, and patient originations, and incorporates the experience of the 65 countries with federal medical cannabis programs.

COMPASSIONATE CANDIDATE

Over the last 25 years, patient advocates have been working at all levels of government to create policies that recognize cannabis as a legitimate medicine. However, in the 118th Congress, patients and medical cannabis policy were not on the front burner, even when policymakers were debating cannabis policy. The over 6 million medical cannabis patients, their families, and their healthcare providers want to know that their federal representatives will be looking out for them in the next session of Congress.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) created the Compassionate Candidate Campaign to provide candidates running for federal office an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to policies that improve the lives of medical cannabis patients and a platform for voters to learn about where candidates stand on medical cannabis issues. These resources will help candidates better understand the issues described in the Compassionate Pledge, how to participate in the Compassionate Candidate Campaign, and how to communicate and promote their support for comprehensive federal medical cannabis legislation.

WHAT'S IN YOUR CANNABIS?

Cannabis is generally regarded as a safe product with low toxicity, but this assessment is based on whole-plant products that are free from contaminants and adulterants. However, many ingredients found in cannabis products, such as additives used for flavoring and consistency, synthesized compounds, and highly concentrated cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc) and terpenes, might be safe, but scientific proof, especially for long-term use is lacking. Also, cannabis is especially prone to contamination during cultivation, manufacturing, handling, and storage.

Unfortunately, it is not always clear how or if cannabis products are regulated or where to find credible sources about their legal status, safety, and efficacy: this is especially concerning if you are one of the millions of Americans who rely on cannabis as an invaluable medicine. Navigating cannabis safety involves recognizing when cannabis is not a suitable treatment option (or intoxicant), the risks associated with products in various markets, the potential impacts of label inaccuracies, and distinguishing common cannabis side effects from symptoms of contamination.

What's in Your Cannabis? Campaign is designed to empower patients and consumers with the knowledge to make informed decisions about cannabis and provides the tools they need to advocate for themselves and a safer cannabis future.

MEDICAL CANNABIS EQUITY

As recreational adult-use cannabis programs have emerged across the country, it was believed they would improve patient access. Sadly, this hasn't been the case. In fact, we can see after over a decade of dual market experiments, patients are being overlooked as states shift their focus to the recreational adult-use market, neglecting the needs of medical cannabis programs.

We can turn this trend around, but it will take the power of collective action. Together, we can create a more equitable future for medical cannabis patients by educating the public, media, businesses, and policymakers about the importance of medical cannabis equity.

Americans for Safe Access has created a series of tools for advocates to utilize to address these issues in their communities, including sample legislative language, reports, fact sheets, and more. By joining the Medical Cannabis Equity Campaign, you are empowering yourself and other impacted stakeholders by standing up, speaking out, and making a lasting impact on the legislation and regulations that shape our communities.