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The California Campaign for Safe Access (CCSA) is Americans for Safe Access’ oldest and largest state campaign. This California Weekly Roundup is your way to stay on top of medical cannabis news, events, action alerts, court support, and more.

Last week ASA…

• Scheduled meetings with Congressional offices for hundreds of conference participants
• Prepared a report for the United Nations’ historic meeting on global on drug policy
• Worked with legislative staff and other stakeholders in California on more than a dozen bills related to medical cannabis

This week…

• ASA will take hundreds of patients, researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders to meet with Members of Congress and their staff to support federal medical cannabis reform

Get all the news, events, action alerts, & more...

• News 
• Events 
• Take Action Now  
  
• Court Support 
• ASA Website Spotlight  
• Chapter & Affiliate Meetings 

NEWS      

National

Grass for Everyone – ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer

Momentum Builds for the CARERS Act as Patients Prepare to Come to D.C.

Marijuana drug treats childhood epilepsy, pivotal trial reveals

How GW Pharma Could Use U.S. Patents to Shape the Future of Medical Cannabis

California

Marijuana real estate bubble inflates in California

Local

Struggling California desert towns seek tax bonanza with pot farms (Desert Hot Springs)

Coalinga’s new oil boom: Proposal would transform empty prison into cannabis oil production (Coalinga)

Santa Ana police officers charged with stealing snacks during marijuana dispensary raid (Santa Ana)

Court Ruling Could Doom L.A. Cannabis Deliveries (Los Angeles)

Divided Simi Valley council bans personal cultivation of medical marijuana (Simi Valley)

County holds final public meeting on medical pot (Monterey County)

San Diego County Supes Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (San Diego County)

Ramona Residents Urge County to Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (San Diego County)

Emeryville to Legalize Medical Marijuana Deliveries, Dispensary, Labs (Emeryville)

Planners near pot consensus (Trinity County)

PUBLIC MEETINGS & EVENTS 

March 22, 2016 – National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference Lobby Day (Washington, DC)

9:00 AM briefing and training at the Loews Madison Hotel, 1177 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005. 11:00 AM press conference and photo at the Capitol, followed by visits with members of Congress until 5:00 PM. ASA will bring hundreds of patients and advocates form our National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference to Capitol Hill for a day of citizen lobbying for the CARERS Act and other federal reform. Advance registration is closed. Arrive early on Tuesday morning to participate. Visit the event web page for more information.

March 30, 2016 – Senate Governance and Finance Committee Hearing on SB 987 (Sacramento)

9:30 AM in room 112 in the State Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento, CA. The committee will vote on SB 987 (McGuire), which will impose a 15% excise tax on medical cannabis, unless voters approve the AUMA in November. ASA opposes this bill because we do not want to see excessive taxation on legal medicine.

April 1, 2016 - Taking the High Road: Comic Confessions from Behind the Cannabis Curtain (Santa Rosa)

Doors at 7:30 OM, show at 8:00 PM at Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401. This is a one-woman show written and performed by Sherry Glaser.  The show is a multi character, dramatic comedy based on her intrepid adventures in the world of Cannabis that led her to both write and perform in this timely topic.  This is a benefit for Sonoma Americans for Safe Access. Tickets are $25. Email [email protected] or call 707-684-0177 for more information.

April 4, 2016 – Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee Hearing on AB 2243 (Sacramento)

2:30 PM in room 126 in the State Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento, CA. The committee will vote on AB 2243 (Wood), which would impose a tax on medical cannabis cultivation. ASA opposes this bill because we do not want to see excessive taxation on legal medicine.

April 8-9, 2016 – Mendocino Medical Cannabis Resource Conference (Willits)

9:00AM – 6:00 PM on both days at the Little Lake Grange, 291 School Street, Willits, CA 95490. Billed as “the essential two day conference on medical cannabis compliance and cannabusiness development.” ASA CA Director Don Duncan is one of the speakers. Information and tickets online at http://www.MendocinoCannabisResource.com

May 3, 2016 – Marin County Board of Supervisors Meeting (San Rafael)

10:00 AM at 3501 Civic Center Drive Room 330, San Rafael, CA 94901. The Board will discuss a new licensing ordinance to allow some medical cannabis businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county.  Check the Board’s website for and agenda and draft ordinance shortly before the meeting. 

TAKE ACTION NOW 

Sign the Petition to Ask Your Representative and Senators to Sign on to the CARERS Act! (National)

The CARERS Act is the most comprehensive piece of federal medical marijuana legislation that has ever been introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate. The bipartisan legislation would remedy the state-federal conflict over medical marijuana laws. The bill would allow state programs to continue without federal inference, move marijuana out of Schedule I, remove CBD from the scheduling, create access to banking services for legal marijuana businesses, end the Public Health service review process and NIDA monopoly that blocks research, and allow VA doctors to write recommendations in states that have a medical marijuana program.

Ask the United Nations to Reschedule Cannabis (National)

As preparations begin for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on drug policy (UNGASS 2016) we at Americans For Safe Access and the International Medical Cannabis Patients Coalition are calling on medical cannabis patients around the world to contact their UN Ambassador and encourage them to reconsider international drug policy and the outdated 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The UN must take action to address the clear disparity between their policy and the medical, scientific and legal realities. We've developed an example letter for folks to work from and made it simple to contact our UN Ambassador via email. So please lend your name to support access for medical cannabis patients not only in the US, but across the world.

COURT SUPPORT 

What is Court Support and how do I get involved? 

Please note: Court support for Kevin Saunders in Salinas has been postponed until May 9, 2016. Details to follow. 

Find more information and additional listings on The Human Solution Calendar: http://www.thsintl.org/calendar

ASA WEBSITE SPOTLIGHT 

The Medical Cannabis Advocate's Training Center

ASA believes that good policy is created when those who are most affected are at the table. Just because you are medical cannabis patient, it doesn't mean that you automatically have a degree in public policy. ASA has always been committed to demystifying political systems and providing advocates the tools they need to participate in the processes in a meaningful way. Learn all about grassroots organizing, citizen lobbying, media spokesperson training, and much more.

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The “California Weekly Roundup” is a once-a-week email for ASA Members and Friends that focuses on relevant news and important updates, action alerts, meetings and special events. Send items for the California Weekly Roundup to [email protected] before 12:00 PM on Friday to be included in Monday's distribution.