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Medical Marijuana

March 2008 Cannabinoid Chronicles, 50th Issue

[Courtesy of The Vancouver Island Compassion Society] The March 2008 issue of the Cannabinoid Chronicles (our 50th edition!) is available online for viewing, and can be found at: http://www.thevics.com/publications/vol5/VICSNews5_7.pdf.

Michigan Medical Marijuana Initiative Certified for the November Ballot

[Courtesy of MPP] 

I am excited to announce that yesterday the Michigan government officially certified that MPP's Michigan campaign committee — the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC) — collected enough signatures to qualify a medical marijuana initiative for the statewide November ballot. You can read more about this milestone here.

The roughly half a million signatures counted by the state had a whopping 80.2% validity rate, far exceeding what was needed to qualify for the ballot. I hope you’ll consider making a donation to MCCC today so that we can run a robust campaign the rest of the year and ensure that the measure passes in November.

The official word that we gathered enough signatures to send the initiative to the voters in November culminates a monumental effort in the state. Thanks to the hard work of MPP and MCCC staffers, local activists, volunteers, and supporters for the past nine months, Michigan is close to becoming the 13th medical marijuana state — and the first in the Midwest.

The initiative will now be transmitted to the Michigan Legislature, which has 40 days either to pass it into law or to send it to voters in November. Because the legislature has considered multiple medical marijuana bills in recent years and none has ever gained traction, Michiganders — who support protecting patients from arrest by a nearly 2 to 1 margin — are all but certain to vote on the issue at the polls later this year.

Most importantly, Michigan patients are now one enormous step closer to being able to use medical marijuana without the fear of arrest and jail. If passed by a majority of voters on Election Day, the initiative will allow Michigan patients to use, possess, and grow their own marijuana for medical purposes with their doctors’ approval.

The most recent polling shows that 61% of Michigan voters support medical marijuana access, and we’ve hired a top-notch consulting firm and a full-time campaign manager to translate that public sentiment into a new law that protects patients. But we need your financial support to succeed, so please make a donation to the campaign today.

I’m grateful for your support.

Sincerely,
Kampia signature (e-mail sized)
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2008. This means that your monthly pledge to MPP will be doubled.

Press Release: Dr. Mollie Fry to be Sentenced for Medical Marijuana - March 6th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 3rd, 2008 Contact: Nathan Sands, t: (916) 709-2483, e: [email protected] California Dr. Mollie Fry to be Sentenced for Medical Marijuana Sentencing scheduled for March 6th at 10am in Sacramento Federal Court The federal sentencing of medical marijuana defendants Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband, Attorney Dale Schafer will take place on Thursday, March 6th at the US courthouse in Sacramento (5th and I St.). The sentencing is at 10 AM. There will be a press conference afterwards at Noon in front of the Court House. The couple was denied the right to defend their actions that were protected under the Laws of the State of California. WHO: Sentencing in Federal Court of Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband, Attorney Dale Schafer for cultivation and dispensing medical marijuana under the Laws of California. WHAT: Press Conference to follow at NOON WHEN: Sentencing is Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 10am WHERE: Federal Court House, 501 I St., Sacramento, CA “We never would have grown marijuana had it not been sanctioned by the Laws of the State of California, the Attorney General of California and the District Attorney and Sheriffs’ of El Dorado County. Why aren’t they being charged with conspiracy to violate Federal Law?” Dr. Fry asks a group of patients who are waiting to see her at her clinic. Dr. Fry and her husband face a likely 5-year mandatory minimum sentence for conspiracy to cultivate and dispense medical marijuana for a small number of Dr. Fry’s patients. They ran (and continue to run) a popular medical marijuana clinic in El Dorado County that provides recommendations for many needy patients in the Sierra Foothills: http://www.docfry.com. Go to articles link for background. Like other federal defendants, they were denied the right to mention medical marijuana or Prop 215 in their trial. Both are in fragile health - Dale has hemophilia and suffers from chronic back pain, and Mollie is a breast cancer survivor. They are currently caring for three beautiful children and two grandchildren in their home. They were among the first medical marijuana providers raided by the Bush Administration, just a couple of weeks after 9/11 (9/28/01), but were not successfully indicted until June 22nd, 2005 after the Raich decision was overturned by the Supreme Court. Dale Schafer had also run for District Attorney in 2001. The sentence they face is particularly egregious compared to other defendants who have grown far more marijuana. They are liable to a five-year mandatory minimum because they were convicted of growing (not a lot more than) 100 plants over a period of three years, a number far smaller than is usually prosecuted by federal authorities. The jury was forced to add three different years worth of gardens to come up with the 100-plant count. They were not allowed to mention at their trial that local law enforcement had (deliberately) entrapped them by telling them it was OK to grow their relatively modest garden or that they had received advice of counsel supporting their right to grow and care for others under the Law in California. The Attorney General, Bill Lockyer, the District Attorney and the Sheriff in El Dorado County were all aware of and supportive of Dr. Fry and Schafer’s activities, but the jury was also denied these truths. Dale Schafer is still meeting with the local Task Force (2/29/08) made up of local law enforcement and medical marijuana advocates to further implement the State and County guidelines regarding medical marijuana. Fry and Schafer’s case aptly exemplifies the kind of DEA enforcement abuses bill SJR 20 condemns. Patients and medical marijuana rights supporters are welcome to attend. Bobby Eisenberg-FRY/SCHAFER Defense Committee • [email protected] • 530-823-9963

Americans for Safe Access: March 2008 Activist Newsletter

New Employment Bill Would Protect California Patients

California medical marijuana patients may soon have protection from employment discrimination, thanks to legislation sponsored by Americans for Safe Access that was introduced on February 20. The new law has been proposed in response to a January California Supreme Court ruling that said employers may fire qualified patients for no reason other than following the medical treatment recommended by their doctors.

Assemblyman Mark Leno Assemblyman Mark Leno

The employment rights bill leaves intact existing state law prohibiting medical marijuana consumption at the workplace and protects employers from liability by allowing exceptions for jobs where physical safety could be a concern.

"The California Supreme Court decision said that an employer may fire someone solely because they use medical marijuana outside the workplace," said Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), the author of the bill. "AB 2279 is merely an affirmation of the intent of the voters and the legislature that medical marijuana patents need not be unemployed to benefit from their medicine."

Joining Assemblymember Leno as co-authors are Patty Berg (D-Eureka), Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) and Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego).

The bill is designed to rectify a 5-2 decision by the California Supreme Court in Ross v. RagingWire, a case which was argued by ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford.

The court upheld a lower court ruling that qualified patients could be fired based on either their status as a patient or a positive test for marijuana. The plaintiff in the case, a 46-year old disabled veteran named Gary Ross, lost his job as a systems engineer in 2001 after testing positive for marijuana. His employer, RagingWire Telecommunications, would not make an exception for medical use, even though Ross did not use cannabis on the job and was treating injuries sustained during his military service.

Gary Ross Gary Ross, speaking to the media

"It's important that we not allow wholesale employment discrimination in California," said Ross. "If the court is going to ignore the need for protection, then it's up to the legislature to ensure that productive workers like me are free from discrimination."

California joins Oregon and Hawaii in introducing legislation to protect medical marijuana patients from employment discrimination.

Since 2005, ASA has received hundreds of reports of employment discrimination from all across California. Employers that have either fired patients from their job, threatened them with termination, or denied them employment because of patient status or because of a positive test for marijuana, include Costco Wholesale, UPS, Foster Farms Dairy, DirecTV, the San Joaquin Courier, Power Auto Group, as well as several construction companies, hospitals, and various trade union employers.

"We welcome and strongly endorse this clarification from the legislature," said ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes. "Despite the ill-conceived ruling by the California Supreme Court, the intent of state legislatures has been to recognize the civil rights of patients and to offer them reasonable protections."

Further information, see ASA’s website at: www.AmericansForSafeaccess.org/Ross.

Sixth Annual Medical Marijuana Week Another Success

For the sixth year in a row, Americans For Safe Access organized a Medical Marijuana Week. And for the sixth time, the event was a huge success, providing opportunities for patients and activists to learn about the issues, take action, and educate others.
Held every year during the week of 2/15 -- to commemorate the passage of Proposition 215, California's medical cannabis law -- Medical Marijuana Week this year had an activity or event for every day of the week from February 11-17.
Monday's focus was on membership, as ASA supporters reached out to friends and family to encourage them to join the nation's largest and fastest growing organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

On Tuesday, hundreds of activists throughout the country visited their U.S. Senators' district offices to ask their representatives to support access to new sources of cannabis for FDA-approved medical research. The senators were urged to support patients by signing on to the letter Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry are circulating to enable FDA-approved research.

Wednesday, activists wrote letters to their local newspapers calling on Congress to support access for FDA-approved medical marijuana research. FDA-approved research is key to safe access nationwide. ASA created a Letter to the Editor action site as an easy way to submit LTEs online, using talking points provided by ASA's communications specialists.

For Thursday, patients were asked to plug into ASA's condition-based unions to further promote medical cannabis research and advocate for safe access.

On Friday, ASA released its first National Field Report, which paints a comprehensive picture of the local, state, and national campaigns ASA's chapters and affiliates work on and also highlights the 2007 accomplishments in the field. Patients and activists were asked to start or join a local ASA chapter.

Finally, the weekend was devoted to mobilizing local communities and getting signatures for ASA's Congressional research petition.

All in all, it was another fun, informative, and empowering week of activities for medical marijuana patients and activists across the country.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Osteoporosis May Be Treatable with Cannabinoids

New research out of Israel shows that osteoporosis, a degenerative bone condition afflicting 10 million Americans over age 50, may be treatable with cannabinoids.

Researchers found that the body's natural endocannabinoid system helps control how the body replaces old bone with new growth. In the study, activating CB2 cannabinoid receptors reduced bone loss and stimulated bone formation.

This would seem to confirm early studies that showed faster bone loss in mice that had fewer CB2 receptors.

Study Confirms Cannabis Helps People with HIV/AIDS

Cannabis has been commonly recommended to help people with HIV/AIDS combat nausea and appetite loss, and numerous studies have shown it to be an effective treatment.

A new Columbia University study, the first in nearly 20 years to examine cannabis' efficacy, has shown that not only is smoked cannabis effective, it's substantially more so than Marinol, the synthetic oral drug, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients in the trial gained almost 2.5 lbs over four days.

To produce similar weight gain, Marinol had to be given in doses eight times higher than current recommendations.

State Medical Marijuana Laws Do Not Increase Drug Use

A statistical study has found that passing state laws legalizing the medical use of cannabis does not increase the drug's recreational use.

Researchers looked at two "high-risk" groups (ER patients and arrestees) in four states, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Researchers reported that "the introduction of medical cannabis laws was not associated with an increase in cannabis use."

This finding confirms a study of states with medical marijuana laws conducted by the US General Accounting Office (GAO), which found that legalizing medical cannabis has not led to increased recreational use.

Marijuana Policy Project: Are you planning to visit New York this spring?

[Courtesy of MPP] 

You’re invited to an exciting evening with the Marijuana Policy Project at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan on May 14.

MPP Medical Marijuana Benefit
Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, New York City
Wednesday, May 14, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Please consider joining us for a night of comedy and music to celebrate MPP’s recent successes on the path to passing medical marijuana legislation in New York state (and other parts of the country).

The event will feature a performance by folk-rock band Nicole Atkins & The Sea, as well as special appearances by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Michelle Phillips and medical marijuana advocate Montel Williams. We’ll also honor Joel Peacock, a patient advocate from Buffalo who suffers from chronic pain resulting from a 2001 car accident.

Proceeds from the event will be used to change the law to remove criminal penalties for medical marijuana. If the New York bill passes in the next few months, New York would become the 13th medical marijuana state in the country.

Last year, the New York Assembly passed the bill by a 95-52 vote, marking the first time that such a bill has received a vote on the floor of either chamber of the New York Legislature. Plus, more than 1,000 doctors in New York have spoken out in support of medical marijuana, in addition to the Albany, Buffalo, and New York city councils and most medical organizations in the state.

The New York legislation is at the brink of victory — and the prospects for some of MPP’s other bills look good in California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Please join us and be a part of the tipping point that brings about these momentous changes!

Please don’t wait long to buy your tickets, since space is limited.

I look forward to seeing you on May 14 in New York City.

Sincerely,
Kampia signature (e-mail sized)
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2008. This means that your ticket purchase today will be doubled.

Press Release: State Bill Protects Employment Rights of Medical Marijuana Patients

[Courtesy of Americans for Safe Access] For Immediate Release: February 21, 2008 Contact: ASA Media Liaison Kris Hermes (510) 681-6361 or ASA Chief of Staff Rebecca Saltzman (510) 251-1856 x308 State Bill Introduced Yesterday Protects Employment Rights of Medical Marijuana Patients AB 2279 would reverse the State Supreme Court in Ross v. Raging Wire Sacramento, CA -- Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and several co-authors introduced a bill yesterday that would protect the rights of hundreds of thousands of medical marijuana patients in California from employment discrimination. The bill leaves intact existing state law prohibiting medical marijuana consumption at the workplace and protects employers from liability by carving out an exception for safety-sensitive positions. The employment rights bill, which is being co-authored by Assemblymembers Patty Berg (D-Eureka), Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) and Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), is in response to a January decision by the California Supreme Court in Ross v. RagingWire. National medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) argued the case before the court and is now a sponsor of the bill. "The California Supreme Court decision said that an employer may fire someone solely because they use medical marijuana outside the workplace," said Assemblymember Leno. "Long ago, the legislature prohibited patient use of medical cannabis in the workplace or during working hours," continued Leno. "AB 2279 is merely an affirmation of the intent of the voters and the legislature that medical marijuana patents need not be unemployed to benefit from their medicine." On January 24, in a 5-2 decision, the California Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling that denied qualified patients a remedy from employment discrimination, based either on their status as a patient or a positive test for marijuana. The plaintiff in the case, Gary Ross, is a 46-year old disabled veteran who was a systems engineer living Carmichael, California, when he was fired from his job in 2001 at RagingWire Telecommunications for testing positive for marijuana. "It's important that we not allow wholesale employment discrimination in California," said former plaintiff Gary Ross. "If the court is going to ignore the need for protection, then it's up to the legislature to ensure that productive workers like me are free from discrimination." The decision in Ross v. RagingWire closed the door on redress through the courts, shifting the debate to the state legislature. California is not alone in its attempt to affirm employment protections for medical marijuana patients. Both Oregon and Hawaii have introduced similar legislation aimed at clarifying the intent of the state legislatures. This recent multi-state effort builds on existing legislation adopted in ten out of twelve medical marijuana states, including California, which already sought to protect patients from employment discrimination. "We welcome and strongly endorse this clarification from the legislature," said ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes. "Despite the ill-conceived ruling by the California Supreme Court, the intent of state legislatures has been to recognize the civil rights of patients and to offer them reasonable protections." Before the court made its final decision, Ross enjoyed the support of ten state and national medical organizations, all of the original co-authors of the Medical Marijuana Program Act (SB 420), and disability rights groups. Since it began recording instances of employment discrimination in 2005, ASA has received hundreds of such reports from all across California. Employers that have either fired patients from their job, threatened them with termination, or denied them employment because of patient status or because of a positive test for marijuana, include Costco Wholesale, UPS, Foster Farms Dairy, DirecTV, the San Joaquin Courier, Power Auto Group, as well as several construction companies, hospitals, and various trade union employers. Further information: Employment rights legislation introduced yesterday: http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/AB2279.pdf California Supreme Court decision in Ross v. RagingWire: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/Ross_Ruling.pdf Review legal briefs and more about the Ross v. RagingWire case here: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/Ross # # #

Urge Your Legislator to Oppose DEA Medical Marijuana Raids -- Support SJR 20

[Courtesy of CA NORML] CAL: URGE YOUR LEGISLATOR TO OPPOSE DEA MEDICAL MARIJUANA RAIDS - SUPPORT SJR 20 See: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=10990366&type=ST&show_alert=1 California Senate Asks Feds to Cease Harassing Law Abiding Dispensaries! Urge Your Senator to Vote YES on SJR 20! NORML is pleased to announce that SJR 20, a resolution stating the Senate's opposition to the federal government's crackdown on local medical cannabis providers, has been introduced in the California State Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Health. This resolution would reinforce the Senate's opposition to the Drug Enforcement Administration's raids on medical marijuana facilities that pay sales tax and comply with California law. If passed, the California State Senate will forward copies of this resolution to the President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House, and all California representatives and senators, urging them to respect California law. Please take a moment and write your state senator today asking him or her to support SJR 20. If your senator sits on the Senate Committee on Health, then it is even more imperative that he or she hears from you. For your convenience, a prewritten letter will be sent to your state senator when you enter your zip code below. Click on: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=10990366&type=ST&show_alert=1 -- California NORML, 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114 -(415) 563- 5858 - www.canorml.org, http://www.canorml.org/.

Just Say Know Weekly News: 2/15/08

[Courtesy of Just Say Know] Visit Our Web Site: If you’re using internet explorer web browser click this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home If you’re using any other web browser click this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html Please pass this message on to ALL your contacts in the USA and ask them to join our mailing list using the form on our web site. THANK YOU! We never share email addresses from our mailing list with anyone. Just Say Know works on your behalf toward drug policy reform, preserving and re-instating your legal rights. Drug policy and enforcement tactics are out of control and removing your rights at an alarming rate. Your financial contributions are greatly appreciated. To make a donation reply to this message with “donation” in the subject line and an associate will contact you. Thank you for your consideration. Don’t hesitate to contact us by replying to this message; we appreciate your comments, questions and concerns. Together we will make a difference! You are invited to attend the Marijuana Policy Project meeting, Saturday, February 16th, from 1:30 to 3 pm at 7405 Arlington Expressway, Jacksonville, Florida. More details are at the bottom of this message. No matter where you stand on drug policy we can all agree that there are better ways to deal with drugs without anyone having to die or be hurt. Our current drug policy, after over 70 years and over a trillion tax dollars spent has proven to be a failure and is doing far more harm than good. There has only been one successful anti-drug campaign, it targeted tobacco. Almost half of all smokers stopped using this highly addictive drug and no one went to jail or got hurt or killed. IT CAME ABOUT THROUGH EDUCATION NOT A WAR ON TOBACCO USERS. Tell your friends about the "Enough is Enough" petition to stop the reckless overuse of SWAT tactics and save the lives of civilians and police alike. This petition is sponsored by: StoptheDrugWar.org -- see http://ga0.org/campaign/enough_is_enough. Feature Story: Can you believe we have to argue with our government about making it legal for licensed physicians to recommend marijuana to seriously ill and in some cases dying patients? Our government is arresting, harming and sometimes killing people over using a drug that thousands of doctors and patients have testified is safe and effective. In some cases marijuana can take the place of FDA approved drugs that have serious side effects. Sometimes the FDA approved drugs even cause death. There has never been a death caused by a marijuana overdose, not one in all of history. It is one of the safest drugs known. It’s time to take action. You can begin by attending MPP’s medical marijuana meeting tomorrow 2-16-2008. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR OUR GOVERNMENT OUTLAWING MEDICINE RECOMMENDED TO PATIENTS BY A LICENSED PHYSICIAN. Why is the government so adamant about outlawing marijuana? It’s well known that marijuana was originally outlawed without a shred of evidence proving it harmed anyone or society. What’s the real story? Why all the hubbub? The research we’ve done points to corruption and greed. Be sure to read this article http://marijuana.drugwarrant.com/ . This amazing plant can produce over 50,000 products, reduce pollution, reduce deforestation, is more efficient as pulp for paper than trees, can be used to efficiently produce cleaner fuel than petroleum, natural gas or coal, can be used as food in a variety of ways that have no intoxicating effects, can produce almost anything made from cotton using significantly less toxic chemicals and producing superior product quality, the list goes on and on. We believe its illegal and being kept illegal to protect special interest groups that marijuana will compete with once its legal. Be sure to visit our web site and read “Marijuana Facts The Government Does Not Want You To Know” on the home page. If you’re using internet explorer web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home If you’re using any other web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html This country is still run by the people but if you sit around waiting on someone else, it may be your door that gets kicked in, it may be you that’s sick and gets shot by the government for using marijuana to relieve your pain, chemo reactions or other illness, it may be your children, money, livelihood or property that get taken away. Property is sometimes confiscated with no evidence and no legal recourse. Think this is a fairytale? Click here http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/snitch/readings/hidden.html . The truth is, the drug war is being used as an excuse to remove your rights and steal your property. We are by no means saying all politicians or police officers are guilty of this but there is a mountain of evidence supporting the need for policy reform that makes citizens, their family and their property more secure. One very good first step will be to take away the ability of criminals to profit from marijuana. How? Just like it was done with alcohol, remove the prohibition and regulate legal adult use. The drug war and its devastating effects on society must be stopped. Stand up, call, email, write letters or go see your elected representatives. Click here to locate and contact your congressional representatives https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml . The life you save may be your own or a loved one’s. Consider this, what would you do if you or someone you loved was sick or dying and a licensed physician said marijuana could help heal the condition or relieve the suffering? TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND POLICY REFORM. You can get a wealth of information about medical marijuana by visiting our web site and clicking “Web Links” in the site map. Learn what doctors are saying. Learn what conditions marijuana has shown to be beneficial in treating. If you’re using internet explorer web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home If you’re using any other web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html One of the most eye opening sources of information about why the drug war needs to end is a video produced by “LEAP” Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. If you haven’t seen it yet please take a few minutes and view it now. Here’s a link to the video: http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php?name=Content&pid=28

Thursday: Meet Your Medical Cannabis Match

[Courtesy of Americans for Safe Access]

Join ASA's Condition-based Union

Dear ASA Supporter,

Thus far this week ASA activists nationwide have joined the movement, met their Senators, and put their pens to paper. Today, on Valentine's Day, we are urging you to meet your medical cannabis match! We are calling on patients, family members, researchers and medical professionals to match up with ASA's condition-based unions!

Visit www.AmericansforSafeAccess.org/Thursday to find out how you can sign up for ASA's condition-based unions.

Patients nationwide have joined together to form condition-based unions to further promote medical cannabis research and advocate for safe access to medical cannabis through the Medical Marijuana Union project. Plug into one of ASA’s growing network of patients, researchers, advocates, and medical professionals. Join a condition-based union today!

Over the past several months, ASA has been working to improve our services and access for the condition-based unions. Many of you have begun posting online in our condition-based forums, filled out the condition-based survey, which was released last summer, and viewed and given us great feedback on how we can further serve our unions.

In our constant effort to improve our services and strengthen the movement, ASA has designed a website specifically for seniors, which was launched in January. The Seniors' Union Website provides information about medical cannabis issues and aging. In the future, ASA intends to roll out similar websites for our other condition-based unions as well. You can check out the website at: www.MedicalMarijuanaandSeniors.org

If you are a current union member or are new to Americans for Safe Access, medical cannabis, and ASA’s condition-based unions, please help strengthen ASA’s unions by completing two easy tasks:

Ways to Meet Your Medical Cannabis Match:

1. Join a Condition-based Union today: Plug into ASA’s growing network of patients, researchers, advocates, and medical professionals.

2. Join the Movement: In the past day, hundreds of supporters have joined the movement by donating to ASA. There are thousands more of you who support ASA, but have not taken action yet. Please join the movement today. It only takes a couple minutes and will renew your commitment to the medical cannabis movement.

3. Spread the Word: Forward this message widely to friends, co-workers, and family to encourage them to join you in the national movement to protect safe access!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Saltzman
Chief of Staff
Americans for Safe Access

Wednesday: Put Pens to the Paper, Write a Letter to the Editor in Support of Research

[Courtesy of ASA]

Dear ASA Supporter,

This week, ASA called on you to "Join the Movement" and “Meet Your Senators.” Today, we are asking you to take your involvement to the next level by making your voice heard and putting your pens to the paper for medical cannabis research. Write a letter to the editor about medical cannabis to educate your community about the issues patients and doctors face every day.

 

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper calling on your Senators to support access for FDA-approved medical marijuana research. FDA-approved research is key to safe access nationwide. Use the talking points provided as a guide, but please be sure to personalize your message. Editors do not appreciate receiving several of the same messages so be sure to make yours unique!

Please write a letter to the editor today about the importance of medical cannabis research and how your Senators can get involved. Read on for ways to take action.

Ways to Make Your Voice Heard:

1. Use ASA's LTE Action Page to write a letter to the editor about research: After clicking here you will be asked pick your state, then you can choose from newspapers in your area, and finally you will be taken to a page with talking points, but please personalize your letter. Editors do not appreciate receiving several of the same messages so be sure to make yours unique!

 

2. Join the Movement: In the past day, hundreds of supporters have joined the movement by donating to ASA. There are thousands more of you who support ASA, but have not taken action yet. Please join the movement today. It only takes a couple minutes and will renew your commitment to the medical cannabis movement.

3. Spread the Word: Forward this message widely to friends, co-workers, and family to encourage them to join you in the national movement to protect safe access!

 

Sincerely,

Kris Hermes
Media Specialist
Americans for Safe Access

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