Press Releases

Bi-Coastal Governors Petition Federal Government to Reclassify Marijuana for Medical Use

Paul Marini | November 30, 2011

Olympia, WA -- Governors Christine Gregoire (D-WA) and Lincoln Chafee (I-RI) announced at a press conference today that they were jointly filing a federal petition to reclassify marijuana for medical use. Under the Controlled Substances Act, the federal government considers...

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Medical Marijuana Advocates Appeal Conviction of San Diego Dispensary Operator

Paul Marini | November 22, 2011

San Diego, CA -- Medical marijuana patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) today appealed the September 2010 conviction of San Diego dispensary operator Jovan Jackson in a case that has received widespread attention. The case against Jackson has...

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Cedars-Sinai Denying Transplant to Medical Marijuana Patient with Inoperable Liver Cancer

Paul Marini | November 17, 2011

Los Angeles, CA -- Sixty-three year-old medical marijuana patient Norman B. Smith was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer in 2009 and sought treatment from the internationally lauded Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Smith's oncologist at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Steven Miles,...

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Medical Marijuana Patients, Supporters Rally in Sacramento Against DOJ Attacks

Paul Marini | November 07, 2011

Sacramento, CA -- Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and a coalition of advocacy and labor groups are staging a demonstration at Noon on Wednesday, November 9th to protest federal government's escalated attack on California's medical marijuana laws. A lively rally...

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Patient Advocates Sue Obama Justice Department Over Medical Marijuana Crackdown

Paul Marini | October 27, 2011

San Francisco, CA -- Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country's largest medical marijuana advocacy organization, filed suit in federal court today challenging the Obama Administration's attempt to subvert local and state medical marijuana laws in California. ASA argues in...

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Patient Advocates Accuse Obama of Hypocritical, Aggressive Policy on Medical Marijuana

Paul Marini | October 07, 2011

Sacramento, CA -- The Obama Justice Department (DOJ) held a press conference in Sacramento today announcing an array of enforcement actions against medical marijuana producers and distributors as well as landlords throughout California. Patient advocates are calling President Obama's enforcement...

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RAND Study Finds No Link Between Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Crime

Paul Marini | September 20, 2011

Oakland, CA -- The RAND Corporation issued a report today dispelling the myth that there are inherent links between medial marijuana distribution centers and crime. The study on which the RAND report is based claims that crime was as much...

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Patient Advocates Appeal Federal Decision to Deny Medical Marijuana to Millions of Americans

Paul Marini | July 21, 2011

Washington, DC -- The country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), with the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), today appealed a recent decision by the federal government to keep marijuana classified as a dangerous drug with...

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Gov. Christie Commits to 'Begin Work Immediately' on New Jersey's Medical Marijuana Program

Paul Marini | July 19, 2011

Trenton, NJ -- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie held a press conference today to announce his plans to "begin work immediately" on his state's pending medical marijuana program. "We're moving forward with the program as it was set up," said...

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Patients' Lawsuit Forces Federal Gov't to Answer 9-Year-Old Medical Marijuana Rescheduling Petition

Paul Marini | July 08, 2011

Washington, DC -- Less than two months after patient advocates filed a lawsuit compelling the federal government to answer a 9-year-old petition to reschedule medical marijuana, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today made official its denial of the petition in...

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