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Do you know that YOU can change federal medical cannabis laws?
It’s not just political science—it’s the laws of nature: force, mass, and momentum.

In physics, there can only be an immovable object OR an unstoppable force. Both can’t be true. Fifty years of prohibition may seem immovable—but it’s not. Ending federal prohibition and redefining medicine in the United States won’t happen spontaneously. It requires a continuous application of force—from millions of advocates. That’s us.

For decades, the medical cannabis movement has been powered by small but constant pushes—patients, caregivers, and allies adding their energy to the system. The six million patients who rely on medical cannabis today, and the 500,000 people working to make it accessible, are the product of those unseen forces acting together over time—the output of countless advocates who came before us. Most of their names you’ll never know.

Movements, like matter, obey the laws of physics: nothing changes until a force acts upon it.

REALITIES BEYOND RELATIVITY

Outside of press releases from publicly traded cannabis companies, I find myself encountering, more often than not, a kind of defeatist drag in my colleagues—a loss of momentum that feels heavier than opposition itself.

After twenty-three years in this fight, it’s frustrating to watch advocates turn away when we’ve come so far. Like a black hole, the absence of hope and action pulls everything around it inward.

This blog is my attempt to push back— one of an advocate’s essential jobs: to be a source of energy, A.K.A. a cheerleader in the system.

I’m always searching for metaphors that don’t rely on war or sports, so let’s see if physics does the trick—because I know that if we can recharge, truth and compassion can fuel us to victory.

OVERCOMING INERTIA

Right now, the greatest threat to progress isn’t opposition—it’s inertia.

Every time a patient stays silent or an advocate burns out, the system slows. It's true that our opposition has some funding and inertia is on their side, but they also have momentum—they show up, speak out, and invest.

If we want safe access to accelerate, we must overcome inertia with collective energy.

Dropping out because you don’t like the current state of affairs? That’s not being principled—it’s causing friction. It dissipates energy and turns progress into heat instead of motion.

The laws of physics are clear: if you’re not adding force, you’re part of the resistance.

ADVOCACY REQUIRES CONSTANT ENERGY INPUT

Movements decay when energy isn’t replenished. Advocacy isn’t a one-time burst—it’s a sustained current. The task isn’t hard; it just demands persistence.

Advocacy can’t be what you do when you have time—it must be part of how you live and how you show up. Every small act matters.

Here’s how to keep the current flowing:

• Generate power: Share your story with elected officials and local media. Real experiences are kinetic—they move people.
• Counter drag: Speak up when policy is shaped without patient voices.
• Increase surface area: Put up flyers in dispensaries, community spaces, and clinics—expand the field of influence.
• Maintain charge: Spend ten minutes a week amplifying truth or correcting misinformation on social media.
• Expand knowledge: Keep learning, keep teaching, keep the current alive.
• Charging Stations:  Lift up advocates who are losing steam and share some energy with them
• Fuel the source: Donate $10, $25, or $100 a month to keep the power supply steady.

If you’re not generating energy, you’re not neutral—you’re adding drag.

THE SCIENCE OF MEDICAL CANNABIS ADVOCACY 

FIVE PRINCIPLES FOR CHANGE FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS ADVOCATES

1. ENERGY × FREQUENCY = AMPLIFICATION

Every post, comment, and share adds kinetic energy to our movement. Social media isn’t background noise—it’s the field where ideas collide and momentum spreads. When you engage regularly, you raise the frequency of our message and multiply its That’s how patient voices break through the static.
Follow ASA, like, comment, share, and repeat.

2. APPLIED FORCE = ACTION

In physics, nothing moves without force—and in advocacy, that force is Every email to Congress, every call to an elected official, every petition signature shifts the balance of power. Laws don’t change through observation; they change through pressure.
SafeAccessNow.org/Take_Action

3. REFLECTED LIGHT = VISIBILITY

In dark systems, light reveals truth. Visibility gives hope to patients who feel isolated and educates policymakers who’ve never seen what’s really at stake. Use ASA’s advocacy resources to project that light—through letters, op-eds, flyers, and community conversations. When we reflect light together, the shadows of stigma and misinformation shrink. SafeAccessNow.org/Advocacy-Resource

4. BUILDING MASS = COMMUNITY

Mass determines momentum. The more of us connected, the harder we are to stop. Joining SafeAccess4All.org is how you add your weight to the movement—linking patients, professionals, and advocates into one cohesive body. When we organize, we gain gravitational pull, drawing policymakers, press, and partners into orbit around our shared purpose.

5. SUSTAINING POWER = SUPPORT

Even the strongest system needs an energy source. Advocacy runs on resources—time, effort, and financial support. Your monthly donation keeps the current flowing so ASA can power national campaigns, educate policymakers, and protect patients. Don’t let the circuit go dark; be part of the current that keeps safe access alive. SafeAccessNow.org/Donate

THE LAW OF MOTION FOR CHANGE

When every advocate exerts even a small, consistent force in the same direction, the momentum becomes unstoppable.

Not everyone can be a reactor—but everyone can be a spark.

There is no Movement without Motion.