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Clarity Changes What is Possible

The Twelve Days of Christmas end with Epiphany—the moment when things finally click.

As we enter a year that will define medical cannabis policy for decades, this felt like the right moment to pause and take stock. Yesterday, I pondered what it would take to finally secure federal rights for medical cannabis patients by fully integrating cannabis into U.S. healthcare.

When I sat with that question, I was surprised by my own response. I wasn’t anxious. I wasn’t exhausted. I was energized—borderline elated. In the spirit of organizing and because this is not a moment to keep optimism to yourself, I want to share some hard-earned clarity I found.

Here are twelve epiphanies I had about what is shaping the current medical cannabis landscape—

#1 A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN CANNABIS ARE NEW, 5-8 YEARS TOPS

That means they didn’t live through the raids, the federal threats, or watch their medicine or friends get carried away by federal agents in years when state programs provided no protection against arrest or prosecution.

So, when we warn about attacks on long-standing safeguards—like the medical cannabis protections in the CJS appropriations bill—and don’t see immediate mobilization, it’s often because people don’t know that history, or they assume policy only moves forward.

That’s a relief, because it means millions of people can be mobilized to fight for federal patient protections when they learn why medical cannabis organizing began!

#2 WE ARE NO LONGER ALONE

When Americans for Safe Access first started, we struggled to get medical professionals to add their names to medical cannabis patient education materials they had created for us. That was a time when public support came with real professional risk.

Today, clinicians, researchers, pharmacists, nurses, and public health professionals are stepping forward openly—and proudly.

That shift matters. And to those who have stepped up: thank you!

#3 PUBLIC SUPPORT IS NOT THE PROBLEM

More than 90% of Americans support patient access to medical cannabis.

That’s not a ceiling. It’s a foundation.

We don’t need to persuade a hostile public—we just have to activate a supportive one.

#4 AWARENESS IS THE MISSING LINK

That same 90% doesn’t realize that millions of people who need medical cannabis still don’t have safe, legal, or affordable access.

Education is Organizing 101. It doesn’t slow a movement down—it accelerates it.

#5 PATIENTS AREN’T DISENGAGED—THEY’RE DISCONNECTED

Very few medical cannabis patients are in touch with their federal representatives. Not because they don’t care—but because they don’t know there is a movement fighting to integrate their medicine into the healthcare system.

Once patients realize they are not alone—and that organized support already exists—our numbers can grow quickly.

#6  PATIENTS DON’T KNOW THEY SHOULD DEMAND MORE

Many patients don’t realize they have the right to expect protections—and to insist their representatives fight for them.

That changes quickly once someone turns on this light for them and they hear for the first time: You deserve this. And organizing is how you claim it.

#7 CARING IS CONTAGIOUS

People often assume no one gives a damn—until they find Americans for Safe Access, patient advocates, and communities who have been doing this work for decades.

Hope isn’t abstract, but it requires belief in something better.

#8 NATIONAL MEDICAL CANNABIS POLICY ISN’T CONTROVERSIAL

Very few people oppose federal legislation to create a national medical cannabis framework. Most didn’t know that’s what we’ve been organizing toward all along.

When the goal is clear, support follows.

#9 MOST AMERICANS DON’T KNOW WHAT ORGANIZING IS

Over the past decades, ASA has trained more than 100,000 advocates to bring awareness that organizing is how policy actually moves: strategic plans, timing, coordination, repetition, and showing up when it counts.

Consistency, Commitment & Repetition.

Once people see behind the curtain, they realize that they can have a more active role in their future!

#10 CAPITALISM ISN’T A CONSPIRACY

Americans often conflate conspiracies with capitalism when discussing healthcare.

The U.S. healthcare system is for-profit. That’s not hidden—it’s the operating environment.

When we stop treating that reality like a shadowy villain, we can focus on what changes patient outcomes: patient protections, oversight, and policy design that centers health over hype.

Clarity beats cynicism every time.

# 11 GETTING THE ROCK UP THE HILL IS ESSENTIAL—BUT KNOWING WHAT TO DO WHEN IT STARTS ROLLING IS KEY TO EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY.

Policy progress without patient-centered guardrails doesn’t protect access.

Organizing ensures progress doesn’t outpace protections.

#12  PATIENT ADVOCACY JUST MOVED US CLOSER TO ANOTHER YEAR WITHOUT FEDERAL INTERFERENCE IN MEDICAL CANNABIS PROGRAMS!

The current draft of the combined CJS appropriation bills removed rescheduling restrictions and stripped language that would have rolled back long-standing medical cannabis protections.

That didn’t happen by accident. Thank you to everyone who has been working with us on this important issue.

ALL 12 TOGETHER: I FOUND CLARITY, WE ARE WINNING

I’ve spent half my life working on cannabis policy (another epiphany). I can honestly say that despite tighter funding, pervasive misinformation, and a reinvigorated opposition on Capitol Hill, I’ve never been more optimistic about fulfilling ASA’s mission.

Why? The strategic plan we created 24 years ago is working (and 2025 is over)!

We have the support we need; even federal health agencies have recognized the medical value of cannabis.  So, what’s left? It’s time to do what we do best:  ORGANIZE!

THE IMPACT OF AN EPIPHANY IS MORE THAN A MOMENT. IT CHANGES EVERYTHING

Understanding these realities doesn’t just change how we see the landscape—it clarifies what is required of us.

If this resonates, join me in taking the Americans for Safe Access’ Medical Cannabis Action Pledge: a commitment to show up, stay engaged, and ensure patient voices are represented when decisions are made in 2026. Join us on January 14^th. at 7 pm ET for a virtual organizing meeting and plug in! In true organizer fashion, we have even created an Action Pledge Toolkit.

Clarity brings responsibility, and responsibility creates movement.

And this movement is ready for victory!