California law now requires that applicants for a state medical cannabis license also obtain a license, permit, or authorization from the city or county in which they operate or propose to operate. While some cities and counties already allow for medical cannabis activity, most have no rules or prohibit medical cannabis businesses outright. Patients and industry players who want to bring safe and legal access to communities where it is not already allowed will need a campaign plan.

A campaign plan is simply a plan to achieve a desired goal, including the steps you need to take, timelines, strategies, resources needed, and other details. Before you can make your campaign plan, you will need to know some basic information and choose one of several pathways to adopting (or repealing) a local ordinance. ASA recommends you gather the information you need to make a decision about the best pathway, and then discuss it with other local stakeholders before settling on a plan. This is important because you want other stakeholders to have input and buy into the plan. It is always best if all the stakeholders in a community are cooperating to create safe and legal access.

You cam learn many of the skills you need to do strategic planning, build coalitions, and organize public meetings in ASA’s online Medical Cannabis Advocates Training Center. This comprehensive resource for community organizers is free.

Follow the links below or to the right to explore preliminary questions, choosing a pathway, and writing a campaign plan.

The California Citizen Lobby Day is just one month away. Get registered now so that we have time to schedule an appointment for you with your state Assembly Member and Senator on Monday, June 15. We are requesting a $25 donation to help defer the costs of the event, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

This year’s lobby day is actually two days. We will have two workshops on Sunday, June 14, designed to support local advocacy. ASA Director of Patient Focused Certification Kristin Nevadal will be talking about challenges and solutions for regulating medical cannabis cultivation. Advocates can use this expert information to help stem the tide of city and county cultivation bans. I will also be presenting a workshop on using voter initiatives to adopt medical cannabis ordinances or repeal bans.

The workshops are from 1:00 to 5:00 PM on Sunday. You need to buy tickets in advance, because workshop space is limited to 100 people. Tickets are $15 for one workshop of $25 for both. Register, see the full schedule, and get all the event details online at http://californiacitizenlobbyday.org

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