Medical Marijuana

Americans for Safe Access
Monthly Activist Newsletter

May 2010

Volume 5, Issue 5

ASA Launches National Strategy for Access

Activist Workshop Follows Clinical Conference

Medical cannabis activists from across the country participated last month in the launch of ASA's new National Strategy to secure safe access for all Americans by 2013. The two-day workshop in Warwick, Rhode Island followed the Sixth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, sponsored by Patients Out of Time.

ASA's core strategy recognizes that the changing of Federal law will likely not happen without a much stronger national grassroots base demanding safe access for all Americans. With this in mind, ASA national staff led activists through a series of trainings and discussions on everything from strategic planning to lobbying and media training.

Small groups with representatives from states both with and without medical cannabis laws facilitated dialog on anticipating and resolving issues with implementing safe access. Activists from New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, California and Maine were able to discuss what is working and what's not with each other, as well as representatives from states without patient protections, such as Tennessee and Florida.

"Having patients and activists from so many parts of the country helped everyone gain a better sense of what's possible and what's difficult," said Caren Woodson, ASA's Government Affairs Director. "ASA's national strategy to mobilize the grassroots is providing them with key support. They know they're not alone in the process."

ASA's strategy focuses on the specific needs and constraints of individual states within a framework of national impact. Workshop participants learned how their work toward passing meaningful medical cannabis legislation in more states and successfully implementing local medical cannabis laws links to the passage of Federal initiatives that will grant access to all Americans who need it. ASA staff explained how increasing the nationwide grassroots base helps put constant local pressure to pass comprehensive federal legislation, as does effectively implementing the current medical cannabis laws in 15 states and the District of Columbia.

The guided process -- facilitated by ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer, Legal Coordinator Lauren Payne, and Elizabeth Mewhiney and Caren Woodson from ASA's Government Affairs office - helped activists identify specific goals and create local action plans appropriate for their area.

"Criticizing what happens in a particular state as either too permissive or too restrictive is easy from the outside," said Woodson. "But after hearing the local truth from activists on the ground, people were able to keep a more open mind about the big picture -- achieving national access."

ASA's legal and government affairs staff also unveiled how they will apply direct pressure for change on the national level. ASA's government affairs office is building on momentum with the Obama Administration and Congress to fix harmful federal policies on asset forfeiture, drug classification, and cannabis research. Meanwhile, the ASA legal team is pursuing pivotal medical cannabis litigation that can guarantee safe access nationwide, including ASA's Data Quality Act petition and another to "reschedule" cannabis to a classification that would remove barriers to research and medical use.

"What's most exciting about this is seeing the grassroots take ownership of the process," said Woodson. "Medical cannabis patients are realizing how to move forward together as a community to accomplish safe access for everyone. ASA is building a strong grassroots now to prepare for the coming victory."

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D.C. Close to Protections for Cannabis Patients

Council Passes Measure, Congress Has 30-Day Review

After a wait of more than a decade, residents of Washington, D.C. who use medical cannabis should soon enjoy some legal protections. The District Council early this month passed a bill that will regulate and enact Initiative 59, the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative, which voters approved in 1998 but was blocked by an act of Congress. That Congressional ban was lifted earlier this year.

In the final vote on amendments to the bill, the Council relented on a restrictive provision that would limit personal possession to no more than two ounces per month. Lobbying by patients and ASA staff -- including Executive Director Steph Sherer, who is a D.C. resident - convinced them to give the District Mayor discretion to increase that limit to four ounces. Other amendments to prevent the denial of employment or housing, to allow personal cultivation, and to ensure distribution centers are operated on a nonprofit basis were each rejected.

"We are certainly excited to help implement a bill that has taken 11 years to see the light of day," said Sherer. "But the Council's failure to listen to patients' needs will have serious unintended effects that may take years to correct."

The implementation bill's ban on personal cultivation while allowing for-profit distribution centers has been a particularly cause for concern among activists.
"This policy will set a precedent that placed the needs of shareholders over those of patients," said Sherer.

Since Congress lifted the ban on implementing Initiative 59 in December, the District Council has moved swiftly to implement the law. The "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative Amendment Act of 2010," was co-introduced earlier this year by District Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) and Councilmembers David A. Catania (I-At Large) and Phil Mendelson (D-At Large).
A final vote on the measure has not yet been scheduled, but passage and signing by the Mayor is expected soon. Under the Home Rule Act, the bill then goes before Congress for a mandatory 30-day review period, as with all local laws in Washington D.C.



Further Information:
Proposed D.C. legislation to implement I-59
ASA's suggested amendments
Text of I-59, passed in 1998

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