Americans for Safe Access hosts scientists, patients, doctors, advocates, lawyers, and policymakers in effort to advance health policy reforms

Washington, DC -- The country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), formally announced its third annual Unity Conference, "Wellness is Winning: Advancing Evidence Based Medical Cannabis Policy," by running an ad in USA Today. The conference, which is being held in Washington, D.C. on March 27-31, 2015, will highlight medical and legal experts, policymakers, and a wide array of workshops and panels focusing on scientific research, strategic planning, and skills building. On Tuesday, March 31st, ASA will host a press conference at 11am, followed by Congressional lobbying visits by hundreds of patient advocates.

What: National Unity Conference: "Wellness is Winning: Advancing Evidence Based Medical Cannabis Policy"
When: March 27-31, 2015, including a press conference at 11am on March 31st
Where: Loews Madison Hotel, 1177 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

Select media is invited to attend the conference at no charge, but reporters must register in advance.

The quarter-page USA Today ad, which ran all last week in the newspaper's NFL Superbowl Preview publication, appeared on news stands across the country. This week, a digital version of the ad is running online for millions of Internet viewers. Sponsors of the ad include the American Herbal Products Association, Cannabis Training Institute, Patient Focused Certification, and OrganiCann.

"We've made historic strides on the issue of medical marijuana over the past year," said ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. "It's a time for celebration, but it's also a time to strengthen our skills, knowledge, and resolve as we work towards a comprehensive federal policy on medical marijuana," continued Sherer. "This conference is not just for patients and advocates, however, it's also for lawyers, doctors, policymakers, and key stakeholders in the effort to establish medical marijuana as one of the public health issues of our time."

The conference officially opens on Saturday, March 28th, with a keynote address by medical marijuana researcher Dr. Ethan Russo, a former adviser to GW Pharmaceuticals, which will be followed by panel discussions and stakeholder breakout sessions. Sunday, March 29th, will feature experts discussing medical marijuana research, the state of policy reform in the U.S., and the harmonization of regulatory schemes from legalization, Pharmaceuticalization, Herbal medicine, and Industrial Hemp.

Monday, March 30th, is dedicated to educational and skills building workshops, with an awards dinner that evening. On Tuesday, March 31st, there will be a Lobby Day Training in the morning, followed by a press conference at 11am, and Congressional visits that afternoon with hundreds of conference participants advancing federal medical marijuana policy reform.

Current conference sponsors include the American Herbal Products Association, Mary's Medicinals, and OrganiCann.

Further information:
Third Annual National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference: http://www.nationalmedicalcannabisunityconference.org/
Tentative conference agenda: http://www.nationalmedicalcannabisunityconference.org/tentative_agenda_for_unity
Media registration: http://www.nationalmedicalcannabisunityconference.org/request_unity_press_pass

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