Posted by on September 21, 2011

[caption id="attachment_1903" align="alignnone" width="283" caption="CA Gov. Jerry Brown"]
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I am happy to report that California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed SB 847, a bill by Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) that would have required medical cannabis cooperatives and collectives be located at least 600 feet from residential zones! The Governor’s veto comes after a groundswell of opposition from members of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and other medical cannabis advocates. I want to say a special thank you to everyone who visited legislative offices, made phone calls, wrote letters, and sent emails. Well done!



The veto of SB 847 shows that grassroots participation makes a difference. We have some big challenges to overcome at the state and local levels, and ASA is already working on next year’s California Campaign.  We have just finished a statewide tour to talk with organizers, and are launching a new effort to coordinate grassroots support for ASA’s draft state legislation. Our goals are to defend patients’ civil rights, authorize cooperatives and collectives, and finally protect medical cannabis cultivators.

I need your help right now, so that we can start preparing for the next steps. Can you make a special contribution to ASA to build on today’s momentum?

In addition to the statewide tour, ASA also launched a new Activist Training Center this summer with the goal of building skills in our grassroots base. And we have kicked off our innovative Think Tank and Policy Shop to offer unprecedented professional support to local organizers. If we can mobilize a well-trained and motivated base, the veto of SB 847 will be the first of many victories in California.

Please take a moment right now to make a one-time or recurring donation to ASA, so we can keep the momentum going in our direction!

Thanks again for your work to stop SB 847!