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[Courtesy of Families Against Mandatory Minimums] Please join Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) and partner organizations on February 26 in Washington, D.C. as we call for change on Capitol Hill! Ask Congress to support legislation eliminating the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity. In the 21 years that mandatory sentences for crack have been in effect, tens of thousands have suffered unjust, disproportionate, and excessive sentences because of the sentencing disparity. It's time for change. If your loved one was sentenced for crack cocaine or you served time in prison for a crack cocaine offense, we encourage your participation. Please attend the Cracked Justice Lobby Day on February 26 and share your story and photographs with lawmakers to show the human face of excessive sentencing. While none of the bills we will advocate for is likely to affect people who have already been sentenced, your advocacy could positively change the lives of tens of thousands in the future. To learn more about the legislation FAMM is following, please click here. The Cracked Justice Lobby Day will start in D.C. at 8:30 a.m. with breakfast and a brief training (location to be determined). You will learn tips on how to lobby members of Congress and receive information on the members of Congress you will visit that day. FAMM members have unique stories to tell and we believe everybody should hear them. You will not be limited to visiting your own members of Congress, but will also join people from other states and help them lobby their senators and representatives. For example, you may be paired with a preacher from Kansas or an advocate from Texas. We will visit lawmakers or staff from the following targeted states: California; Illinois; Kansas; Maryland; Michigan; New York; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Texas and Virginia. Don't worry if you are not from one of these states. We still want to see you here. If you or your family members live in the targeted states and would like to participate but cannot travel to D.C., we still need you! You can: - Participate in a National Call-In Day on February 25 (look for a FAMM ealert on February 25 with call-in information and talking points.) - Meet with your member of Congress or Congressional staff at a district office the week of February 18. Please rsvp for the lobby day by February 8. Space for the lobby day is very limited. If you are interested in participating or want more information on district visits, please call or email Jennifer Seltzer Stitt at (202) 822-6700 x15 or [email protected]. Sincerely yours, Jennifer Seltzer Stitt FAMM Federal legislative director

For Immediate Release: January 29, 2008 Contact: ASA Media Liaison Kris Hermes (510) 681-6361 or ASA Director of Government Affairs Caren Woodson (510) 388-0546 Advocates Urge Presidential Candidates to End DEA Raids by Executive Order Nationwide campaign launched today to end federal enforcement against medical marijuana Washington, D.C. -- With only a week left until Super Tuesday, medical marijuana advocates launched a nationwide campaign today to urge presidential candidates to end federal raids in states with medical marijuana laws. The campaign urges candidates to issue an Executive Order upon taking office that would end federal interference in state-sanctioned medical marijuana laws. The proposed Executive Order would deny funds to the Department of Justice for federal enforcement efforts against patients and providers in states that have adopted medical marijuana laws. "To match the increased level of federal interference in states with medical marijuana laws, we're asking candidates to clearly state their opposition by pledging to issue an Executive Order, if elected." said Caren Woodson, Director of Government Affairs at Americans for Safe Access, the advocacy group that launched the campaign. "We're spending millions of dollars on law enforcement actions that harm our most vulnerable citizens," continued Woodson. "And, the President wields the power to stop it at any time." Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gonzales v. Raich (2005), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has stepped up its enforcement actions against medial marijuana patients and providers. While federal interference has occurred in multiple medical marijuana states, some have been hit harder than others. In California, the DEA has conducted more than 100 raids and threatened more than 300 landlords with criminal prosecution and asset forfeiture if they continue to lease to medical marijuana dispensing collectives (dispensaries). In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently prosecuting more than 100 medical marijuana-related cases. The campaign focuses on candidates that have already made supportive statements on medical marijuana: Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, former Senator John Edwards, and Representative Ron Paul. These candidates are being asked to officiate their support by pledging to issue an Executive Order, which states that: "No funds made available to the Department of Justice shall be used to prevent States from implementing adopted laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana. In particular, no funds shall be used to investigate, seize, arrest or prosecute in association with the distribution of medical marijuana, unless such distribution has been found by adjudication to violate state or local law." DEA actions have already garnered opposition from both local and federal lawmakers, including Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and House Judiciary Chair John Conyers. In December, Mayor Dellums made a public statement condemning DEA tactics. The same month, Chairman Conyers publicly voiced his "deep concern" over DEA "efforts to undermine California state law," and he committed to sharply question these tactics in oversight hearings. Further information: ASA Executive Order Campaign Page: http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/ExecutiveOrder Proposed Executive Order: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/Proposed_Executive_Order.pdf Background Information on Increased DEA Actions: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/dea_escalation.pdf Video footage of Candidates' Position on Medical Marijuana: http://safeaccessnow.org/blog/?p=48 Statement by House Judiciary Chair John Conyers: http://judiciary.house.gov/newscenter.aspx?A=889 # # #

[Courtesy of Americans for Safe Access]

Dear ASA Supporter,

Next week, thousands of citizens nationwide will line up to vote in one of more than 20 presidential primaries held on Super Tuesday. Click here to send an e-mail and fax to the presidential candidates to commit to ending DEA raids on medical marijuana providers.

Over the past several months, the medical marijuana community has interacted with many of the candidates in both the Republican and Democratic parties. While ASA has not endorsed a candidate, ASA activists, chapters, and affiliates participated in bird-dogging events throughout the country, asking the candidates tough questions about medical marijuana, ending DEA raids, and prioritizing research. Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana, in New Hampshire, questioned all of the candidates about their positions on DEA raids on medical marijuana patients and providers. Ultimately, several candidates stated that they would end the DEA raids, and four of them are still in the presidential race!

With Super Tuesday on the horizon, it is time to challenge the presidential candidates who have publicly supported medical marijuana to take their commitment to safe access one step further by pledging to end federal raids if elected. We are calling on these candidates to commit to issue an Executive Order that would end federal interference in medical marijuana states. Click here to send an e-mail and fax to the candidates right away!

We are calling on Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, Senator Edwards, and Congressman Ron Paul to pledge that they will issue an Executive Order that says:

No funds made available to the Department of Justice shall be used to prevent States from implementing adopted laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana. In particular, no funds shall be used to investigate, seize, arrest or prosecute in association with the distribution of medical marijuana, unless such distribution has been found by adjudication to violate state or local law.

Click here to e-mail and fax the candidates, challenging them to stand up for medical marijuana patients and to protect taxpayers’ dollars. It is time for the candidates to show that their campaigns are not about rhetoric, but about protecting the rights of Americans.

Sincerely,

Sonnet Seeborg-Gabbard
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access

P.S. Please enable more actions like these in the future. Sending faxes costs ASA ten cents per fax, and as you know, that can add up! Click here to donate to ASA and ensure future actions such as these.

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Americans for Safe Access is the nation's largest organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

[Courtesy of the Kansas Compassionate Care Coalition] An historic first step was taken today toward obtaining legal protections for patients who use, and physicians who recommend marijuana as part of a treatment program for debilitating medical conditions! The Senate Healthcare Strategies committee voted to introduce The Medical Marijuana Defense Act which allows for a “defense to prosecution” for legitimate medical marijuana patients charged with possession of marijuana. This means a person who is charged with possession of marijuana can obtain a written certification from a physician to use in their defense to the charge. Under current Kansas law, legitimate medical marijuana patients can not raise the issue of their medical use to a judge or jury. The bill includes protections for physicians who recommend the use of marijuana to their patients. The bill also would reject out-of-state medical marijuana cards and registrations from being used as a defense in Kansas courts. Laura A. Green, the Director of the Kansas Compassionate Care Coalition requested the committee introduce the bill, and it was approved on voice vote. Only Senator Vicki Schmidt (R-Topeka) was opposed to allowing the bill to be introduced. The bill is now in the State Revisor’s office. They will put it into bill format and forward it for bill number assignment. This process should take about 7 days. A hearing on the bill is expected in the next few weeks. We will let you know when the bill number and committee hearing date have been assigned! Please voice your support for The Medical Marijuana Defense Act by signing our statement of principles on our website or by contacting your legislator and asking them to support medical marijuana legislation in Kansas. Use the online system at our website, http://www.ksccc.org, to send your message directly to their email inbox. We would like to thank everyone who has signed the statement and sent us letter of support. Together we can ensure that medical decisions remain between a doctor and their patient! Laura A. Green Coalition Director