Medical Marijuana Week - Day 2: Congress can Protect Patients and Safe Access with HR 1983 Paul Marini | February 13, 2012 On May 25, 2011, Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced HR 1983, a bill that in many respects would end the federal government's assault on safe access for patients. Known as the States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, the legislation would... Read more
ASA Launches Medical Marijuana Week in Response to 3 Years of Obama's Broken Promises Paul Marini | February 12, 2012 UPDATE: Click here for today's detailed action alert.When President Obama was elected in 2008, the medical marijuana community was optimistic that the worst days of federal harassment were finally in the past. After all, he had once said, "I would... Read more
CA voters must take the lead in employment rights Paul Marini | January 31, 2012 [caption id="attachment_2240" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="CA Senator Mark Leno"][/caption]A bill by California Senator Mark Leno (D-SF) that would have prevented employment discrimination against legal medical cannabis patients will not be adopted by the California legislature this year. Senator Leno decided not... Read more
A cancer cure in waiting Paul Marini | January 30, 2012 When people ask why I’m certain the federal laws preventing medical use of cannabis must change, my answer is simple: cancer. Curing it is the holy grail of modern medicine, and cannabinoids hold the most promise.The latest study showing the... Read more
ASA Files Opening Brief in Rescheduling Case Paul Marini | January 26, 2012 Today, ASA filed the opening brief in its effort to have marijuana rescheduled at the federal level. The brief outlines some of the most egregious analytical errors made by the DEA, which led it to the the outlandish conclusion that that... Read more
President Obama Makes Case Against His Own Medical Marijuana Policy During SOTU Address Paul Marini | January 25, 2012 Over the years, President Obama has said some encouraging things about medical marijuana, but his policy has never matched up. To many, Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address will likely be remembered as the moment when he framed his... Read more
CA Supreme Court Grants Review to Pack and Riverside, Local Lawmakers Should Take Note Paul Marini | January 18, 2012 The California Supreme Court has made a move that should improve safe access by granting review for two controversial medical marijuana cases decided by lower appellate courts in 2011. As a result of this move, both Pack v. City of... Read more
Gov. Brewer Orders Arizona to Start Processing Dispensary Applications Paul Marini | January 13, 2012 The good news that came out last week for Arizona medical cannabis patients got even better today. Having a week to digest the impact of having her lawsuit thrown out of federal court on Jan. 4th, AZ Gov. Jan Brewer... Read more
Federal Judge Tosses AZ Governor Brewer's Attempt at Blocking Voter Initiative Paul Marini | January 05, 2012 In a major victory for safe access in the Grand Canyon state, a federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who must now implement the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA).Brewer’s lawsuit was technically filed... Read more
California Attorney General Calls Federal Government “Ill-Equipped” to Enforce State’s Medical Marijuana Laws Paul Marini | December 22, 2011 In a series of letters sent by California Attorney General Kamala Harris yesterday, the state’s top law enforcement official railed against the recent federal crackdown on medical marijuana and called on the state legislature to clarify the law.Harris sent a... Read more