It seems that area law enforcement has not yet learned the value of working WITH the local community.

Thursday's raid on The Greener Side, a medical marijuana resource center, can hardly be considered a top priority. With law enforcement services severely cut across the state, surely there are more dangerous individuals threatening community safety than a group of medical marijuana patients.

Besides the raid in Eugene, it has been reported that after a two year investigation, up to 70 law enforcement officers were used in concurrent raids in southern Oregon.

In August of last year a woman in Josephine County called 911 as a man who had previously assaulted her was breaking into her home. The dispatcher had to tell the woman there was no one to send. The county had laid off 23 deputies because of budget cuts.



In Oregon in 2010 (according to OSP statistics) there were 1,246 reported forcible rapes - yet only 243 arrests were made. How long will Oregon voters stand for our po

lice and sheriffs kowtowing to the federal drug war bureaucracy?

How long before Oregon legislators and voters figure out the simple economics of cannabis regulation over cannabis persecution?

How long before Oregon's leaders disavows this  federal lunacy and acts to PROTECT patients instead of throwing them under the Prohibition bus?

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This was also published in the Registered  Guard

Since last fall, many of California's dispensaries have been forced to close their doors due to the Justice Department's crackdown on medical cannabis. This unfortunate situation worsened last week as we witnessed two dispensaries in California face DEA raids: G3 Holistic in Upland and El Camino Wellness in Sacramento.

Statewide, patients are concerned over the loss of their dispensaries and are asking loud and clear, "Where will we get our medicine?"

Imagine a patient who, in their lifetime, has never been exposed to the culture or experiences of cannabis. They’ve never called a friend for an 1/8th or contemplated what clones to plant for a new season. One doctor’s visit can change a life - and now this person is faced with a laundry list of decisions, one of them likely relating to medical cannabis.

Patient #2 lives in an apartment and for their own laundry list of reasons is not able to cultivate. Either they are not home enough to nurture and protect that endeavor. Or maybe they have a black thumb or the inability to balance pets, children and cultivation.

Patient #3 has spent two weeks in the hospital, 1 of them in intensive care. Released to go home with severe restrictions, a family member has filled the patient’s prescriptions, gathered groceries and transports the patient back home for recovery. Or maybe even end-of-life care. The caregiver doesn't have the expertise, and the patient doesn't have the time, to wait months to harvest medicine for palliative care.

Dispensaries provide a logical answer for getting medical cannabis into the hands of those with a valid recommendation.

Dispensaries give patients the respect of being able to obtain their medicine in a safe, accountable and professional environment rather than endure risky encounters with strangers. Patients are sick and tired and they want to avoid all of the obstacles between them and their medicine. Patients also want to be treated with respect, not like criminals. Many patients have unique needs, and want a variety of choices of cannabis strains and means of delivery.

Join other patients and concerned citizens coming out in protest over the DEA actions against our state's medical cannabis program.

Hundreds of dispensaries across the state have closed down while many more face threat of closure. Closing dispensaries hurts patients. The time to stand up for patients' rights is now!

What: Rally to protest the June 11th DEA raid on El Camino Wellness Center and widespread federal intimidation
When: Wednesday, June 20th at 1:30pm
Where: Federal Courthouse, 501 I Street, Sacramento

Wear sunscreen and a hat, bring water and make signs of protest. Use talking points like:

DEA Closes Legal Dispensaries
Closing Collectives Hurts Patients
Respect CA State Laws

Courtney Sheats is ASA’s Sacramento Community Liason.