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Medical Marijuana

ACTION ALERT: Help Protect Patient Access in Colorado

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Crucial Hearing on Statewide Dispensary Bill

Make Your Voice Heard.

ACTION ALERT

On Tuesday, April 27,  HB 1284-- the bill to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries-- will be heard in front of the Colorado Senate "Local Government" Committee.  While HB 1284 would firmly establish dispensaries in state law, it also contains some damaging provisions to safe patient access.

This may be your last chance to publicly comment on the bill.  Please attend this Hearing or contact the target Senators listed below as soon as possible.

 What:  Attend the Hearing to discuss HB 1284

When:  Tuesday, April 27 at 2pm

Where:  Old Supreme Court Chambers, 200 E. Colfax Avenue (State Capitol), Denver.   

If you can't attend, please send a personal message or paste the following message in an email to the target Senators (pasted below)

-----------------**SAMPLE EMAIL**------------------------

Dear Senator,

While there are many positive provisions in HB 1284, I urge you to amend this bill to help protect Colorado's vulnerable medical marijuana patients.  Please consider amending this bill to:

(1)  Prevent local governments from banning dispensaries.  Patients need to be able to access medicine in their communities.

(2)  Establish Advisory Boards within both the Health Department and the Department of Revenue to help implement this law.  A diverse Panel of patients, law enforcement, medical professionals, and others can help safeguard both patients and communities   

I hope you will strongly consider the needs of patients as you vote on this law.

Respectfully,

NAME

--------------**END SAMPLE EMAIL**----------------------

*Senate Local Government Committee Members*
Sen. Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass), Chair
District 5 (Alamosa, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale,
Mineral, Pitkin, Rio Grande and Saguache Counties)
Capitol Phone: 303-866-4871
E-mail: [email protected]
 

Sen. Joyce Foster (D), Vice-Chair
District 35 (Arapahoe and Denver Counties)
Capitol Phone: 303-866-4875
E-Mail: [email protected]
 

Sen. Bill Cadman (R)
District 10 (El Paso County)
Capitol Phone: 303-866-2737
E-mail: [email protected]
 

Sen. Mary Hodge (D)
District 25 (Adams County)
Capitol Phone: 303-866-4855
E-Mail: [email protected]
 

Sen. Ken Kester (R)
District 2 (Baca, Bent, Crowley, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Las Animas,
Otero and Pueblo Counties)
Capitol Phone: 303-866-4877
E-Mail: [email protected]
 

Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R)
District 15 (Larimer County)
Office Location: 200 E. Colfax
Denver, CO 80203
Capitol Phone: (303)866-4853
E-Mail: [email protected]
 

Sen. Linda Newell (D)
District 26 (Arapahoe and Jefferson County)
Capitol Phone: 303-866-4846
E-mail: [email protected]
 

COPY AND PASTE EMAILS:
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected]

Sensible Colorado | PO Box 18768 | Denver CO 80218

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Your input needed: D.C. Council expected to vote on medical marijuana today

Marijuana Policy Project

Marijuana Policy Project Alert

April 20, 2010

 

Your input needed: D.C. Council expected to vote on medical marijuana today

Draft amendments to legislation answer some patient concerns, leave others unresolved.

Dear friends:

The D.C. Council may vote today on legislation to amend Initiative 59. The proposal would get a second vote in May. Please share your thoughts on implementation of medical marijuana with your councilmembers now.

Tell your DC councilmembers to put patients and voters first — tell them you want to see a medical marijuana program that resembles the one voters approved in Initiative 59.

Those of you in attendance at February’s hearing before the committees on Public Safety and the Judiciary as well as Health will be happy to know that this latest incarnation addresses many of the concerns you helped bring to the council’s attention. For instance, the bill no longer requires patients to seek recommendations from "primary care physicians," ensuring access for those too poor to see the same doctor regularly or, like many veterans, whose doctors are federal employees. The amended bill also reduces the minimum distance from which dispensaries must be located from schools — down to 300 feet from 1,000 feet — easing zoning and location concerns.

Still, several aspects of the bill now being considered raise concerns over the ability of patients to have safe, reliable access to medicine. For instance, the list of conditions for which medical marijuana could be utilized is needlessly restrictive. This would be only the second law in the country to completely exclude severe or chronic pain as a symptom or condition for which medical marijuana could be used as treatment. The bill would also mandate that patients use only marijuana or paraphernalia obtained from a District dispensary, and that they do so only in their own homes. A simple ban on smoking in public would be a much better and easier way to address legitimate concerns. Additionally, the bill limits the amount of marijuana that cultivation centers could grow to 95 plants, which would drive up costs and raise serious concerns about the ability of program supply to meet patient demand. Other concerns include:

  • The right of patients to cultivate their own medicine will not be addressed until at least 2012, and is not guaranteed even then.
  • Only physicians licensed in D.C. can make recommendations; a concern for the many District residents who see physicians in Maryland or Virginia.
  • Patients would be limited to acquiring only 2 ounces of medical marijuana in any 30-day period. Patients in the federal government’s own “Investigational New Drug” program receive upwards of 9 ounces in that same time span.
  • Dispensary transaction records identify patients by name rather than registry ID number, compromising patient privacy.

If you haven’t already, please do take just a minute or two to use our automated system to send your councilmembers a quick e-mail. When you’re done, go ahead and forward this on to a friend.

Thanks for all your help in shaping this legislation. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the process moves forward.

Sincerely,

Dan Riffle's signature

Dan Riffle
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project

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Join ASA Online Sunday!

 

Dear friends,

This Sunday, find us online for ASA's "Preparing for Victory" workshop. Join us to enhance your political skills for securing safe access. ASA will be webcasting live from the National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in Rhode Island where this workshop will be the final event! Join with other activists to gain skills to help achieve safe access for every American.

View the workshop binder at: http://www.americansforSafeAccess.org/victorybinder.

Leading the workshop are:

Steph Sherer - ASA Executive Director and the foremost medical cannabis leader in the USA.
Caren Woodson - ASA Director of Government Affairs and the leading activist in the Washington DC and Maryland campaigns for safe access.
Lauren Payne - ASA Legal Coordinator and a national medical cannabis legal expert.

To watch the workshop on Sunday go to: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/workshop. This link will take you to the UStream website where you will need to sign in to view the workshop. There is no charge and you may join the workshop at any time on Sunday, April 18, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm EST.

The workshop agenda is below. Don't miss ASA's first national webcast training!

Thanks -

The ASA Team

ASA's Preparing For Victory National Workshop

9:00 am - 10:00 am

Welcome / Introductions / Overview & Special Reports from the Field

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Strategic planning: Audience-driven cases, participatory solutions

11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Citizen Lobbying and Smart Coalition Building

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm

Lunch on your own.

1:45 pm - 3:00 pm

Message Training: Audience-driven cases.

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Open discussion / questions.

Americans for Safe Access

Please support ASA!

On The Web:

ASA's Mission

ASA Forums

ASA Blog

Take Action

ASA's Online Store

"Gear up" for medical cannabis activism with ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more! All proceeds go to ASA advocacy

Press Release: Medical Marijuana Expected to Qualify for Arizona Ballot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

APRIL 14, 2010

Medical Marijuana Expected to Qualify for Arizona Ballot

Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project will turn in more than 250,000 signatures today to place initiative on November ballot

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications …………… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

PHOENIX, ARIZONA — Today, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project will submit more than 250,000 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office in order to place medical marijuana on the November ballot in Arizona. The initiative requires 153,365 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Once the initiative qualifies, Arizona voters will be asked on November 2 to vote yes on the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, which would allow terminally and seriously ill patients who find relief from marijuana to use it with their doctor’s approval.

         “We are proud to turn in these signatures today on behalf of the thousands of patients in Arizona who will benefit from this law once it is enacted,” said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project. “People suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses should not be forced to seek on the streets the medicine they and their doctors know they need. This initiative proposes instead a dispensary system that will give patients safe and reliable access to medical marijuana if they possess a doctor’s recommendation to use it. We look forward to qualifying for the ballot and bringing our message to voters over the coming months.” 

         Upon its passage, medical marijuana will be regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services and will permit qualifying patients or their caregivers to legally purchase their medicine from tightly regulated clinics, as they would any other medicine – they need not purchase it from the criminal market. It will protect seriously ill patients from arrest and prosecution for the simple act of taking doctor-recommended medicine.

         If the initiative qualifies, Arizona will join South Dakota in having medical marijuana initiatives on the ballot this November. Currently 14 states have effective medical marijuana laws, and more than a dozen other states, including New York, Illinois, and Delaware, are considering medical marijuana laws this year.

         AMMPP receives significant support and funding from the Marijuana Policy Project. With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

####

Update on "Preparing for Victory"

 
Dear friends,We wanted to give you an update on Preparing for Victory, ASA's workshops next weekend in Rhode Island (April 17-18).

http://www.AmericansforSafeAccess.org/PreparingforVictory

We have updated our registration so that those who may be on a limited budget can still attend.  The official registration fee is now on a sliding scale of up to $60 per person, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.  One caveat:  we only have room for 50 attendees at the event.The ASA workshops will follow the National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics (4/15-4/17), which is organized by Patients Out of Time.  If you are already attending the National Clinical Conference, add an extra day for Preparing for Victory.

At the National Clinical Conference, you will learn the science behind medical marijuana.  At ASA's Preparing for Victory, you will build the political skills for securing safe access.

Click here to register or read additional details on the workshops:

http://www.AmericansforSafeAccess.org/PreparingforVictory

Thanks - The ASA Team

Americans for Safe Access

Please support ASA!

On The Web:

ASA's Mission

ASA Forums

ASA Blog

Take Action

ASA's Online Store

"Gear up" for medical cannabis activism with ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more! All proceeds go to ASA advocacy
 

Press Release: Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

APRIL 10, 2010

Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

Measure to Provide Patients With Safe Access Now Moves to House

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications …………… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — Today, with no discussion or objections, the Maryland Senate voted 35-12 to pass SB 627, a bill that would allow qualified patients to be recommended medical marijuana by their doctor and receive safe access to their medicine through state-licensed distribution centers. The bill now moves to the House. The General Assembly’s session ends Monday night.

         “I’m very proud of my Senate colleagues today for voting to provide some of our most vulnerable residents with the compassion and care that they deserve,” said Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick), the bill’s sponsor and a two-time cancer survivor. “Anyone who has watched a loved one suffer from a debilitating illness would agree that we should not stand between doctors and patients, or deprive seriously ill people safe access to a legitimate medicine if it can help them cope with their illness.”

         “We think this bill offers the most carefully crafted medical marijuana law in the country,” said Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Silver Spring), one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “It offers legal protection and safe medical access to patients who are desperately in need and takes every possible measure to prevent abuse. I’m hopeful that our colleagues in the House will give this proposal serious consideration, and make Maryland’s medical marijuana law a national model for how to promote medical privacy, social compassion, and security in administration.”

         Fourteen other states, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maine, have effective medical marijuana laws. This year, more than a dozen other states, including New York, Illinois, Delaware, South Dakota, Arizona, and Kansas, are considering medical marijuana laws. The District Council of Washington, D.C. is working on a medical marijuana law expected to be implemented by the end of this year. 

         Under current Maryland law, medical marijuana patients are provided with a limited affirmative defense in court, no protection from arrest, and no safe means of access to their medicine. Patients can still be given a $100 fine that results in a criminal conviction.

         With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

####

Press Release: Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

APRIL 10, 2010

Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

Measure to Provide Patients With Safe Access Now Moves to House

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications …………… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — Today, with no discussion or objections, the Maryland Senate voted 35-12 to pass SB 627, a bill that would allow qualified patients to be recommended medical marijuana by their doctor and receive safe access to their medicine through state-licensed distribution centers. The bill now moves to the House. The General Assembly’s session ends Monday night.

         “I’m very proud of my Senate colleagues today for voting to provide some of our most vulnerable residents with the compassion and care that they deserve,” said Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick), the bill’s sponsor and a two-time cancer survivor. “Anyone who has watched a loved one suffer from a debilitating illness would agree that we should not stand between doctors and patients, or deprive seriously ill people safe access to a legitimate medicine if it can help them cope with their illness.”

         “We think this bill offers the most carefully crafted medical marijuana law in the country,” said Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Silver Spring), one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “It offers legal protection and safe medical access to patients who are desperately in need and takes every possible measure to prevent abuse. I’m hopeful that our colleagues in the House will give this proposal serious consideration, and make Maryland’s medical marijuana law a national model for how to promote medical privacy, social compassion, and security in administration.”

         Fourteen other states, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maine, have effective medical marijuana laws. This year, more than a dozen other states, including New York, Illinois, Delaware, South Dakota, Arizona, and Kansas, are considering medical marijuana laws. The District Council of Washington, D.C. is working on a medical marijuana law expected to be implemented by the end of this year. 

         Under current Maryland law, medical marijuana patients are provided with a limited affirmative defense in court, no protection from arrest, and no safe means of access to their medicine. Patients can still be given a $100 fine that results in a criminal conviction.

         With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

####

Americans for Safe Access: Choose Victory

 

Last week, when we began to unveil our strategy to win, we told you that we are committed to a 2013 victory-ensuring the framework for all Americans to have safe access to medical cannabis. We told you that we are going on the offensive; that we are through with putting out fires, responding to one narrow minded and misguided attack after another. We told you that this ends now and we are focused where we need to be on winning safe access, and winning it federally.
 
We wrote that over the course of this month, each week we would outline a different part of the strategy-our road map to win is divided into a series of core goals, and this week I want to tell you about our top three national goals to assure safe access for every American.
 
1. Move the federal government to recognize the medical properties of marijuana.
 
2.  Create new federal polices to protect patients' rights by changing current federal policies for veterans and patients who live in government subsidized housing who legally use medical cannabis in their state.  
 
3. Dramatically increase our grassroots base of activists in key states, and across the nation, to compel federal action on the previous two goals.
 
We know that we have a 3 year window with this Administration (maybe longer, but we must be prepared for any political landscape).  While 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed medical cannabis laws there is still no safe access until federal law changes.  Our elected officials will not act unless we pressure them to do so. Together we can make this happen!


Last week, we told you that in order for ASA to begin fully working towards a 2013 victory we needed to raise an additional $20,000-many of you responded so generously to that need and if you did, we thank you. It is because of your commitment to this movement that we are able to make these inroads, and it is your support that will catapult our movement to victory.


If you haven't given yet, it is my hope that you'll make a contribution today. We have raised a third of our budget for the year, but we still need to raise another $1.6 million to implement our strategy. Without your support, we will not see a 2013 victory. Our opponents are better funded than ever before, and we must match them dollar for dollar in this fight if we have any chance of winning. Your support will be what makes the difference between our movement forced into a defensive, reactionary position or a victory in 2013. Choose victory.
 
I'll be back next week with more of ASA's roadmap to win. Until then, thank you as always for your incredibly meaningful support.
 
In Solidarity,
 
Steph Sherer
Executive Director
 
PS
To thank those that gave last week, I'll be sending out an invitation to a private conference call with me where I'll discuss the strategic plan and answer any questions you may have. If you give before the end of today, we'll make sure you have a chance to be on that call.

Americans for Safe Access

Please support ASA!

On The Web:

ASA's Mission

ASA Forums

ASA Blog

Take Action

ASA's Online Store

"Gear up" for medical cannabis activism with ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more! All proceeds go to ASA advocacy

Press Release: Maryland Senate Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

APRIL 6, 2010

Maryland Senate Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

By 7-4 vote, Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee OKs Bill to Provide Qualified Patients With Safe Access to Medical Marijuana

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications …………… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — Last night, Maryland’s Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 7-4 to pass SB 627, a bill that would provide qualified patients with safe access to medical marijuana and protection from arrest for using the medicine that works best for them. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

         “This vote represents the biggest victory to date for supporters of an effective medical marijuana law in Maryland,” said Dan Riffle, a legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project. “I look forward to a productive discussion on the Senate floor, and I sincerely hope Maryland legislators do all in their power to get this bill passed and ensure Maryland’s most vulnerable citizens don’t have to spend another year living without effective medicine or in fear of arrest.”  

         Sponsored by Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick), a two-time cancer survivor, and co-sponsored by Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Takoma Park) and key members of the Senate leadership, including Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller (D-Clinton), SB 267 would not only protect patients from arrest but also allow pharmacies or other similar dispensing entities to distribute marijuana to patients.

       Currently 14 other states, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maine, have medical marijuana laws that provide qualified patients with safe access and protection from arrest. The District Council of Washington, D.C. is working on a medical marijuana law expected to be implemented by the end of this year.

         With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

####

Americans for Safe Access: April Activist Newsletter

 

In This Issue:

ASA Lays Out Strategy for Securing Safe Access for All

ASA Chapters and Affiliates Taking Action for Safe Access

D.C. Council Holds Hearing on Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana Bill Goes to Maryland Senate

ACTION ALERT: Tell Sen. Leahy to Challenge the DEA

Become an ASA Member!

Please support the work of Americans for Safe Access

On The Web:

ASA's Mission

What We Do

ASA Forums

ASA Blog

ASA YouTube

Legal Info

Take Action

Condition-Based Booklets

Join ASA Email Lists

ASA's Online Store

"Gear up" for medical cannabis activism with ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more! All proceeds go to ASA advocacy

Americans for Safe Access

1322 Webster St., Ste. 402
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-251-1856
Fax: 510-251-2036

Email us!

Americans for Safe Access
Monthly Activist Newsletter

April 2010

Volume 5, Issue 4

ASA Lays Out National Strategy to Win

Plan to Secure Safe Access for All Patients by 2013

This month, Americans for Safe Access is unveiling a new, three-year national plan for expanding safe access to medical cannabis. The multi-prong strategy for creating support at local, state and federal levels will be the centerpiece of "Preparing for Victory," a special series of workshops April 17-18 in Warwick, Rhode Island.

"ASA has worked with our lobbyists in DC and some of the sharpest legal minds in the country to develop a strategy to secure safe access nationally by 2003," said Steph Sherer, ASA Executive Director. "We're excited to share our plan to both fully implement state programs and establish a compassionate federal policy. There are roles for so many committed individuals and groups as we expand our successful grassroots efforts, build new coalitions with other advocacy groups, and pursue high-impact legal actions."

The workshops, which will help advocates build the political and strategic skills to make safe access a reality for patients everywhere in the country, follow the Sixth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, which is being held April 15-17 in Warwick.

The national clinical conference, hosted by Patients Out of Time, includes a keynote address by the scientist who identified THC, Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D., of Hebrew University in Israel, and a teleconference presentation by noted author and champion of holistic medicine Andrew Weil, M.D. The conference is part of a Continuing Medical Education series, partnering with the University of California.

"At the clinical conference, you will learn the science behind medical marijuana," said ASA Field Director Sanjeev Bery. "At ASA's workshops, you will build the political skills for securing safe access."

In addition to the workshops following the national clinical conference, ASA will be sharing key elements of the strategy with its membership through a series of weekly briefing emails this month.

Register now for ASA's Preparing for Victory workshops.

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ASA Chapters and Affiliates Taking Action for Safe Access

ASA's chapters and affiliates across the country are busy with organizing and advocating on behalf of patients and caregivers in their areas. A few of the recent highlights of their activities include political lobbying in Michigan, California and Pennsylvania; signature gathering for an expansion of access in Oregon; and educating the community in New Jersey about the new state law.

On the grassroots lobbying front, in California the Silicon Valley ASA chapter has been organizing to convince the San Jose City Council to push forward an ordinance that would allow medicinal cannabis collectives to have storefront locations in that area. Patients and advocates attended the council meeting on March 30 to make their case.

In Michigan, the Metro Detroit ASA chapter has been engaging in lobbying and grass tops political activities with key politicians and opinion leaders, working closely with the Michigan ACLU, MPP and the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association on a statewide level. The Greater Flint ASA chapter, which has over 50 active members, has been more focused on grass roots activities in Michigan's Tri-City area of Flint, Bay City and Saginaw. The patient and caregiver community has been peacefully thriving in that area of the state, thanks to the excellent working relationship Flint ASA has developed with the Gennesse County Prosecutor.

In Pennsylvania, ASA affiliate Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana is working to push forward House Bill 1393, the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, which would allow patients and caregivers to cultivate and possess limited amounts of cannabis and establish state-licensed dispensaries. The group is holding a fundraiser on April 20 and a lobbying day in Harrisburg on April 21 so patients and advocates can visit their representatives. The House bill is awaiting a hearing before the Health and Human Services committee; a Senate version of the bill is expected sometime in May.

In New Jersey, the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey (CMMNJ), an ASA affiliate, sponsored an informational town hall meeting to educate the community on the state's new medical cannabis law, which took effect in January. The "New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act" allows patients with qualifying conditions to possess and use of up to two ounces of marijuana a month with the recommendation of a licensed. Patients fighting such conditions as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease can receive ID cards from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services that will allow them to obtain cannabis from state-licensed Alternative Treatment Centers by July 2010. CMMNJ holds open, public meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at the Lawrence Twp. Library; the next meeting will be April 13.

In Oregon, ASA affiliate Voter Power is collecting signatures to qualify a medical marijuana initiative for the November ballot. Initiative 28 would create a system of state-regulated dispensaries and state-licensed medical marijuana producers. Dispensaries would have to be Oregon nonprofits and pay both a $2,000 license fee and a 10% tax on gross sales. Licensed producers would have to pay a $1,000 fee and the 10% tax. State-approved patients would be able to buy their supplies at any dispensary, and dispensaries would be able to buy from any licensed producer.

"The law works well for you if you live on a farm or can network with other patients, but if you're terminally ill in a hospice, you might be out of luck," said John Sajo of Voter Power, which also spearheaded the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act in 1998. "We'd like to do it like California, where patients can go to a dispensary and have myriad choices."

Advocates in Oregon need to submit 82,769 valid signatures by July 2 to make the November ballot. Organizers say they have over 90,000 signatures already and intend to file more than 120,000 by the end of May, leaving time to collect more if an unusually large number are ruled invalid.

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D.C. Cannabis Law Enacted then Suspended

District Council Working on Regulations for Safe Access

The medical cannabis initiative in Washington, D.C. passed its mandatory 30-day Congressional review period last month but was immediately suspended by the local District Council so they can complete regulations for implementing the new law.

Initiative 59, known as the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative, was approved by 69% of voters in 1998 but blocked by Congress from taking effect then. That ban was lifted earlier this year.

"We're extremely pleased that Congress finally decided to allow the District of Columbia's medical marijuana law to take effect," said Nikolas Schiller from the D.C. chapter of ASA."We're also anxious to see the District Council quickly establish regulations that will grant voter-approved rights to patients, which have been denied for far too long."

The local moratorium follows a hearing last month on proposed amendments co-introduced by District Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) and Councilmembers David A. Catania (I-At Large) and Phil Mendelson (D-At Large).

"The District Council needs to consider regulations from the patient perspective," said ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer, who is a DC resident. "Patients are not served by only allowing primary care physicians to recommend medical marijuana, limiting patients to a single caregiver, relegating dispensaries to remote areas, or jeopardizing sensitive patient information."

Once the Council adopts regulations, the law will undergo a second 30-day Congressional review period, as required under the Home Rule Act.

More Information:
Temporary moratorium passed by D.C. Council
Proposed D.C. legislation to implement I-59
Text of I-59, as passed in 1998

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Medical Marijuana Bill Goes to Maryland Senate

Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Measure 7-4

The Maryland Senate Judiciary Committee sent to the full senate a bill that would expand the state’s medical cannabis law. By a margin of 7-4, the committee adopted provisions to protect patients from arrest and prosecution and reclassify cannabis as a Schedule II drug with accepted medical use.

ASA advocates were among those who helped convince committee members that they need to fix their state’s medical cannabis law.

"The Maryland legislature recognizes patients should not be treated like criminals," said Caren Woodson, ASA Government Affairs Director. "We are working to make sure they understand what it takes to meet the real needs of patients."

The new bill would make the state’s health department responsible for a medical marijuana program that would include licensing patients, caregivers, cultivators and distributors.

Maryland's current medical marijuana law reduces penalties for patients who present evidence of medical use in court to a $100 fine, but does not prevent them from being arrested, prosecuted or convicted.

A vote on Senate Bill 627 is expected within a week. The bill is a companion to House Bill 712, which was introduced by House Delegate Dan Morhaim M.D. If the senate bill passes, it will go to the House Rules Committee for consideration.

More information:
ASA Legislative Memo re: Maryland proposed law
Darrel Putnam Compassionate Use Act (current law)

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