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Please join me for a live online broadcast entitled “California Lawmakers: Medical Cannabis is Medicine for Real” on Thursday, May 7, and 7:00 PM. I will be talking about the need to treat medical cannabis like other herbal medicine when we write and adopt legislation. Join this Google Hangout on Thursday a little before 7:00 PM to participate:
https://plus.google.com/events/c0dhokl9h2cjsithrmk32m5ac00
Or watch live on YouTube without the interactive features:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WcVy_Tr4SI

I am happy to report that the California Assembly approved AB 258, the ASA-sponsored Medical Cannabis Organ Transplant Act, on Thursday of last week. The bill will prevent life-threatening discrimination against medical cannabis patients in the organ transplant process. Read ASA’s press release to learn more:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/california_state_assembly_passes_the_medical_cannabis_organ_transplant_act

Registration is now open for the California Citizen Lobby Day, June 14-15, in Sacramento. ASA will make an appointment for you to meet with your state representatives when you sign up. With more than a dozen bills on the table, this is going to be our biggest and most important lobby day yet. Get all the details and register here:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/california_campaign_for_safe_access

Scroll down for all the medical cannabis news, events, action alerts, court support, and chapter meetings. 

ASA California Weekly Roundup: May 4, 2015

Contents (Scroll down for details and links):

News

• National
• California
• Local

Events

• May 5, 2015 – Placer County Board of Supervisors Meeting (Auburn)
• May 7, 2015 – Live Google Hangout: CA Lawmakers… Medical Cannabis Is Medicine for Real (Online)
• June 14-15, 2015 – California Citizen Lobby Day 2015 (Sacramento)

Court Support

• May 5, 2015 – Court Support for Yarrow Kubrin (Santa Rosa)

Take Action Now

• Sign the Petition to Ask Your Representatives to Sign on to the Senate CARERS Act! (National)
• Tell President Obama his next DEA Administrator should match your position on medical cannabis (National)
• Stop Incarcerating Parents for Victimless Marijuana Crimes (Sonoma)

ASA Website Spotlight

• NEW: California Citizen Lobby Day

Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

• May 5, 2015 - San Francisco ASA (San Francisco)
• May 7, 2015 - Sonoma ASA (Santa Rosa)

News

Follow @ASAdonduncan on Twitter for medical cannabis news and more.

Rohrabacher wants feds to stop medical pot prosecutions (National)
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marijuana-659345-medical-laws.html

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Assembly passes bill to end organ transplant black list for pot users (California)
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article19960221.html

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Marin’s state senator proposes regulating medical marijuana industry (California)
http://www.marinij.com/government-and-politics/20150427/marins-state-senator-proposes-regulating-medical-marijuana-industry

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Bay Area senator proposes regulating medical marijuana industry from cultivation to consumption (California)
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_28005297/bay-area-senator-proposes-regulating-medical-marijuana-industry

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Rival bills to regulate medical pot advance in California Legislature (California)
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-rival-bills-to-regulate-medical-pot-advance-in-california-legislature-20150428-story.html

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League of California Cities Reports Comprehensive Medical Marijuana Regulation Legislation Passes First Committee (California)
http://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/3062-league-of-california-cities-reports-comprehensive-medical-marijuana-regulation-legislation-passes-first-committee

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California Sen. Mike McGuire proposes regulating medical marijuana industry (California)
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/general-news/20150430/california-sen-mike-mcguire-proposes-regulating-medical-marijuana-industry

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Opinion: It's High Time (California)
http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/its-high-time/Content?oid=2712693

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Medi-pot ban fails in Vacaville (Vacaville)
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/vacaville/medi-pot-ban-fails-in-vacaville/

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Point Loma – OB Dems Get Lit on Medical Marijuana Regulations in San Diego (San Diego)
http://obrag.org/?p=94354

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California Pot Dispensary Owners Nabbed For Workers’ Comp Fraud (Palmdale)
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2015/04/28/365856.htm

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Hoopa Valley Tribe rejects repeal of ban on pot grows (Northern California)
http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20150429/hoopa-valley-tribe-rejects-repeal-of-ban-on-pot-grows

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Vallejo City Leaders Defy Constituents on Medical Cannabis Taxes (Vallejo)
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/LegalizationNation/archives/2015/04/30/vallejo-city-leaders-defy-constituents-on-medical-cannabis-taxes

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Malibu’s only medical marijuana dispensary opens to community (Malibu)
http://www.malibusurfsidenews.com/malibu%E2%80%99s-only-medical-marijuana-dispensary-opens-community#sthash.YFS8Dprd.dpuf

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“Stop Incarcerating Parents for Victimless Marijuana Crimes” (Sonoma)
http://www.sonomaindependent.org/stop-incarcerating-parents-for-victimless-marijuana-crimes/ 

 Public Meetings & Events

May 5, 2015 – Placer County Board of Supervisors Meeting (Auburn)
9:45 AM at 175 Fulweiler Ave., Auburn, CA 95603. The board will be voting on a ban on outdoor cultivation. Email Supervisors in advance at [email protected] and speak against the proposal at public comments.

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May 7, 2015 – Live Google Hangout: CA Lawmakers… Medical Cannabis Is Medicine for Real (Online)
7:00 PM PT online at https://plus.google.com/events/c0dhokl9h2cjsithrmk32m5ac00 Join ASA CA Director Don Duncan to talk about regulating medical cannabis as an herbal medicine in California, how we need to talk to our lawmakers about that, and more. You can join this live interactive event from your computer or mobile device. Log on early to download free software if this is your first Google Hangout. You can watch live without the interactive elements on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WcVy_Tr4SI 

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June 14-15, 2015 – California Citizen Lobby Day 2015 (Sacramento)
1:00 – 5:00 PM Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday. Venues TBA. ASA will bring hundreds of medical cannabis patients and advocates to Sacramento for workshops on changing local law, special briefings on state bills, training, and face-to-face meetings with lawmakers and staff. Register now for the biggest and most important medical cannabis citizen lobby day yet. Workshops $30 (including materials), Lobby Day $25 requested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds). Registration begins soon.

Court Support

What is Court Support and how do I get involved?

May 5, 2015 – Court Support for Yarrow Kubrin (Santa Rosa)
8:30 AM in Judge Chouteau’s Courtroom 3 in the Sonoma County Superior Court building, at 600 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95409. See the News section for a related story. Dress in an appropriate manner and obey all courtroom rules to best help the defendant.

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

Take Action Now

Sign the Petition to Ask Your Representatives to Sign on to the Senate CARERS Act! (National)
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/senate_carers_act_petition

For the first time ever, we now have comprehensive medical marijuana legislation in the U.S. Senate.  Sign the Petition below to urge your senators to protect safe access and patients right by signing onto the CARERS Act.

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Tell President Obama his next DEA Administrator should match your position on medical cannabis (National)
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/tell_president_obama_his_next_dea_administrator_should_match_your_position_on_medical_cannabis

With the impending resignation of DEA Administration Michele Leonhart, President Obama will need to select a new official to head up the Drug Enforcement Agency. Under Leonhart, the DEA raids against state-legal medical cannabis dispensaries and cultivators skyrocketed. Leonhart also proved to be a roadblock to marijuana rescheduling, and was a vocal supporter of escalating drug war violence. Please take a moment and send this sample email below to President Obama urging him to select a new DEA Administration who will share his views that physicians should be able to offer medical cannabis therapy to their patients. 

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Stop Incarcerating Parents for Victimless Marijuana Crimes (Sonoma)
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-incarcerating-parents.fb51?source=c.fb&r_by=12947975

Yarrow Kubrin, father of two small children, is facing four and a half years in prison for medical cannabis cultivation. Sign this petition asking Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch and Probation Director Robert Ochs to stop recommending prison sentences for victim-less crimes related to cannabis.

ASA Website Spotlight

California Citizen Lobby Day
http://californiacitizenlobbyday.org

Get all the details, tentative agenda, and registration information, and more on this new webpage for the California Citizen Lobby Day, June 14-15, in Sacramento, CA. This will be ASA’s biggest and most important lobby day yet in California. We will be discussing regulating cultivation, using local initiatives, and more than a dozen bills in the state legislature. ASA will make an appointment for you to see your state Assembly Member and Senator on Monday, June 15, when you sign up.

ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings

May 5, 2015 - San Francisco ASA (San Francisco)
The meeting starts at 7:30 PM at Lounge 847, 847 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103. Email [email protected] for more information.

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May 7, 2015 - Sonoma ASA (Santa Rosa)
The meeting starts at 5:00 PM at Arlene Francis Center, 99 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Email [email protected] for more information.

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See all California ASA Chapter Meetings here:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/california_advocacy 

Have something to share?

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.