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Posted by Daniela Perdomo at 12:46 pm
January 28, 2010
Tax Cannabis Initiative Submits Signatures to Election Officials
Leaders and supporters of the Tax Cannabis 2010 initiative here in California are submitting signatures to election officials in all of the state’s 58 counties today — from Eureka to Calexico.
The initiative, which would tax and regulate the sale of marijuana to adults over 21, and which would make personal possession, cultivation, and use of cannabis legal, gathered nearly 700,000 signatures. It needed only 455,971 to qualify.
Election officials have 60 days to review the signatures. Because the campaign collected so many more than necessary, it’s virtually assured that the initiative will be confirmed to the November mid-term ballot, even if many signatures are deemed ineligible.
Jim Gray, a retired Orange County Superior Court judge, said that the bill — which he supports, despite not being a cannabis consumer himself — will have major implications. Among them he listed the fact that California will save at least hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement costs while generating $3.1 billion in new revenue.
Gray seemed particularly keen on the fact that he believes legalizing marijuana will “stop feeding money to Mexican drug cartels” and “would make marijuana less available to children than it is today.”
As I’ve written, Tax Cannabis is the best chance yet for marijuana legalization on a statewide level. That being said, it faces an uphill battle as polling shows support for it in the low 50’s. A majority, albeit slim, is encouraging, but successful measures are usually polling in the super-majority category at this stage in the game.
That being said, the campaign is looking to blanket the state with a public education campaign that, in the face of a crushing state budget deficit, could sway even the most recalcitrant minds.
Coming soon at: 70 Hegenberger Loop, Oakland Ca
On Thursday January 28th at 5:00PM, iGrow, the Bay Area’s largest full service hydroponic superstore, will celebrate its’ grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Oakland City Councilmembers Larry Reid, Desley Brooks and Ignacio de la Fuente. This 15,000 square foot facility by the Oakland Airport offers turnkey services to assist medical marijuana patients in creating their own cannabis gardens. iGrow is a one-stop shop where medical marijuana patients can get their cannabis cards, buy their grow equipment, and even hire on-site technicians to build out their grow rooms.
Join the grand opening celebration. iGrow offers all the services required for medical marijuana patients to set up their own gardens. The on-site medical doctor offers cannabis card recommendations, which is the first step in California for a patient to legally cultivate cannabis. The retail area of iGrow not only offers the largest selection of hydroponic equipment but also features Ikea-style grow room demonstrations with live plants, allowing new cultivators to visualize everything required for a new setup. And lastly iGrow’s very own “Grow Squad” offers free cultivation advice and in-home technician services for customers interested in avoiding legal and safety hazards with a professional build out.
Oakland entrepreneur and founder, Dhar Mann, 25, says “We’re excited that iGrow was born in the epicenter of the cannabis movement. And we’re even more thrilled to see the strong support that the City of Oakland and the community has shown us for the grand opening of our new business.”
The measure — which would allow patients diagnosed with severe illnesses like cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis to have access to marijuana grown and distributed through state-monitored dispensaries — was passed by the General Assembly and State Senate on the final day of the legislative session.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he would sign it into law before leaving office next Tuesday. Supporters said that within nine months, patients with a prescription for marijuana from their doctors should be able to obtain it at one of six locations.
“It’s nice to finally see a day when democracy helps heal people,” said Charles Kwiatkowski, 38, one of dozens of patients who rallied at the State House before the vote and broke into applause when the lawmakers approved the measure.
Mr. Kwiatkowski, of Hazlet, N.J., who has multiple sclerosis, said his doctors have recommended marijuana to treat neuralgia, which causes him to lose the feeling and the use of his right arm and shoulders. “The M.S. Society has shown that this drug will help slow the progression of my disease. Why would I want to use anything else?”
The bill’s approval, which comes after years of lobbying by patients’ rights groups and advocates of less restrictive drug laws, was nearly derailed at the 11th hour as some Democratic lawmakers wavered and Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie, a Republican, went to the State House and expressed reservations about it.
In the end, however, it passed by comfortable margins in both houses: 48-14 in the General Assembly and 25-13 in the State Senate.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a Democrat from Princeton who sponsored the legislation, said New Jersey’s would be the most restrictive medical marijuana law in the nation because it would permit doctors to prescribe it for only a set list of serious, chronic illnesses. The law would also forbid patients from growing their own marijuana and from using it in public, and it would regulate the drug under the strict conditions used to track the distribution of medically prescribed opiates like Oxycontin and morphine. Patients would be limited to two ounces of marijuana per month.
“I truly believe this will become a model for other states because it balances the compassionate use of medical marijuana while limiting the number of ailments that a physician can prescribe it for,” Mr. Gusciora said.
Under the bill, the state would help set the cost of the marijuana. The measure does not require insurance companies to pay for it.
Some educators and law enforcement advocates worked doggedly against the proposal, saying the law would make marijuana more readily available and more likely to be abused, and that it would lead to increased drug use by teenagers.
Opponents often pointed to California’s experience as a cautionary tale, saying that medical marijuana is so loosely regulated there that its use has essentially been decriminalized. Under California law, residents can obtain legal marijuana for a list of maladies as common, and as vaguely defined, as anxiety or chronic pain.
David G. Evans, executive director of the Drug-Free Schools Coalition, warned that the establishment of for-profit dispensaries would lead to abuses of the law. “There are going to be pot centers coming to neighborhoods where people live and are trying to raise their families,” Mr. Evans said.
Keiko Warner, a school counselor in Millville, N. J., cautioned that students already faced intense peer pressure to experiment with marijuana, and that the use of medical marijuana would only increase the likelihood that teenagers would experiment with the drug.
“There are children at age 15, 14 who are using drugs or thinking about using drugs,” she said. “And this is not going to help.”
Legislators attempted to ease those fears in the past year by working with the Department of Health and Senior Services to add restrictions to the bill.
But with Democrats in retreat after Mr. Corzine’s defeat by Mr. Christie, some supporters feared that the Democratic-controlled Legislature — which last week failed to muster the votes to pass a gay marriage bill — would balk at approving medical marijuana.
Mr. Christie added to the suspense Monday, just hours before lawmakers were scheduled to vote, when he was asked about the bill during a press conference within shouting distance of the legislative chambers. He said he was concerned that the bill contained loopholes that might encourage recreational drug use.
“I think we all see what’s happened in California,” Mr. Christie said. “It’s gotten completely out of control.”
But the loophole Mr. Christie cited — a list of ailments so unrestricted that it might have allowed patients to seek marijuana to treat minor or nonexistent ailments — had already been closed by legislators. In the end, the bill received Republican as well as Democratic support.
“This bill will help relieve people’s pain,” said Senator William Baroni, a Republican.
Supporters celebrated with hugs and tears.
Scott Ward, 26, who said he suffered from multiple sclerosis, said he had been prescribed marijuana to alleviate leg cramps so severe that they often felt “like my muscles apart.” “Now,” he said, “I can do normal things like take a walk and walk the dog.”
Medical Cannabis Rally/Protest Monday January 4th in Oakland
Hello Activists and Medical Cannabis Supporters,
Please join us at the Oakland Federal Building January 4th to Protest Federal Interference into State affairs and to rally behind those cities, like Oakland, who embrace and support patient and cannabis rights. Below is all of the information. See you there.
“Ring in the New Year Rally and Protest”
Medical Cannabis Peaceful Rally and Protest in Oakland January 4th at Noon
By: Medical Cannabis Activist and Political Prisoner Mickey Martin, in association with:
Americans for Safe Access and Students for Sensible Drug Policy
• To demand the Federal Government respect states’ rights regarding medical cannabis.
• To ask the State of California to do more to protect patients and providers of cannabis.
• To commend local governments, such as Oakland, that have championed the cause
WHAT: The Ring In The New Year Rally and Protest will take place January 4, 2010, the first official business day of the New Year. Political prisoner and activist Mickey Martin, as well as the grassroots organizations Americans for Safe Access and Students for Sensible Drug Policy will be descending on the Oakland Federal Building to demand that 2010 be the year that the federal government quit interfering with state affairs regarding cannabis. A press conference will be followed by a march to the state building to encourage the state to do more to protect the rights of patients. The group will then move to Oakland City Center to commend local governments like Oakland that have lead the charge in protecting patients and providers by developing sensible regulations.
WHO: Directed by: Mickey Martin is an outspoken activist that will begin serving a one-year term on January 5th in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Cornell Corrections for his role in providing cannabis medicines to patients. This father of two sons, ages 5 and 2, demands justice, morality, and common sense to bring freedom to himself and the many other political prisoners that are incarcerated for providing cannabis medicines. In association with: Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society.
WHERE: Oakland Federal Building, 1301 Clay St., Oakland, CA
WHEN: Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. (Noon)
WHY: To demand that the Federal Government respect state rights and order the DEA to stand down in medical cannabis states and that they release prisoners and stop prosecutions of medical cannabis providers immediately. We insist that the State Government support patients by establishing sound methods providing safe access to patients. To commend local governments like Oakland, that in the absence of support, have lead the charge in developing sound and well thought regulations legitimizing the patient provider relationship, even when it was not politically convenient.
PARTICIPANTS: ASA and SSDP Representatives, Jeff Jones (Patient ID Center), Mikki Norris and Chris Conrad, Activists, (Publishers West Coast Leaf, Expert Witness), Ed Rosenthal (Author), James Anthony (Attorney), Debby Goldsberry (Berkeley Collective Operator), Jacqueline Patterson (Patient from Showtime Special), Addison Demoura (Raid Victim and Cannabis Service Expert), Kim Cue (Patient and Community Organizer), Ngaio Bealum*maybe* (Comedian, Activist and West Coast Cannabis Publisher), Aundre Special (Berkeley Collective Director), Mickey Martin, and more
CONTACT: Mickey Martin PHONE NUMBER: 510-377-1990
Posters and Flyers Attached
Attached Images
File Type: pdf RingInRally.Poster.8.5x11.pdf (447.9 KB, 1 views)
File Type: pdf Ring.In.Rally.Layout.pdf (63.0 KB, 1 views)
File Type: pdf Ring.In.Rally.Layout.back.pdf (219.3 KB, 1 views)
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Please donate to the Tainted Legal Defense Fund to help free our political prisoners from the clutches of tyranny. Stay updated with the case by checking out www.freetainted.com
MEDIA ADVISORY
Americans for Safe Access
For Immediate Release: December 7, 2009
Contact: ASA Media Liaison Kris Hermes 510-681-6361 or ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford 415-573-7842
Medical Marijuana Advocates Hold Press Conference before LA City Council
Hearing Tuesday Possible closed session raises concerns of transparency as city is poised to adopt regulations
Los Angeles, CA -- Medical marijuana advocacy organization Americans for Safe Access (ASA) will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 9:45am in front of City Hall in advance of the expected vote on regulating dispensaries in Los Angeles. The City Council has indicated they might meet in closed session to make the final deliberations on an ordinance that would regulate how and where medical marijuana dispensaries can operate in the city. According to the agenda for Tuesday's Council meeting, the possible closed session stems from "threats of litigation publicly made regarding the adoption of the proposed ordinance." Last month, ASA had threatened to sue the the city if it adopted an ordinance banning the "sale" of medical marijuana.
"We want to emphasize that the sale of medical marijuana is legal not only in Los Angeles, but across California," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford. "We are prepared to take this issue to the courts, if necessary, to show that Los Angeles and other cities may regulate the sale of medical marijuana, but they cannot ban such sales." In contrast to appellate court rulings indicating the sale of medical marijuana is legal, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge complicated matters last week by threatening to issue an injunction against a medical marijuana dispensary in Eagle Rock, claiming "a storefront dispensary that sells marijuana" is unlawful. If an injunction is granted, it is expected to be appealed.
What: ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford to speak at press conference on LA ordinance and legal status of medical marijuana "sales"
When: Tuesday, December 8th at 9:45am
Where: In front of City Hall, 200 S. Main Street, Los Angeles
Despite other provisions in the ordinance that remain a concern, such as an arbitrary cap on the number of medical marijuana dispensaries allowed to operate in the city, the issue of "sales" is most pressing for advocates. "All eyes are on Los Angeles right now," continued Elford. "And, it's very important that the city not backtrack on its decision to allow cash transactions at medical marijuana dispensaries." Two weeks ago, over objections from the City Attorney's office, the Los Angeles City Council approved ordinance language that would allow "cash contributions, reimbursements and compensations" as long as they are not-for-profit and comply with state law.
In 2005, the state court of appeal issued a landmark ruling in People v. Urziceanu that referenced the Medical Marijuana Program Act (MMPA), enacted in 2004. The court found that the MMPA "exempted those qualifying patients and primary caregivers who collectively or cooperatively cultivate marijuana for medical purposes from criminal sanctions for possession for sale, transportation or furnishing marijuana, maintaining a location for unlawfully selling, giving away, or using controlled substances, managing a location for the storage, distribution of any controlled substance for sale... Its specific itemization of the marijuana sales law indicates it contemplates the formation and operation of medicinal marijuana cooperatives that would receive reimbursement for marijuana."
In 2005, the State Board of Equalization (BOE) adopted a policy of taxing the sale of medical marijuana at the hundreds of dispensaries across California. As part of a study on sales tax, ASA estimated that in 2007 medical marijuana dispensaries provided at least $100 million in annual tax revenue to the state budget. Currently, at least 40 California cities and counties have adopted ordinances regulating dispensaries, several of which have included reference to the "retail sale" of medical marijuana.
http://thcompassion.org/
Who am I?
This is a picture of me... http://thcompassion.org/wp-content/...gn1-255x300.jpg
Donna Lambert News interview of me after Jovan Jackson trial verdict where I am also discussing my case. Another Kusi news interview is Kusi news interview
I don’t know when I contracted hepatitis C, but through the 90s I became more and more fatigued. In 2000 I was in a major car accident and suffered injuries from that. In 2003 I had two knee surgeries, and I still have had hip problems from the car accident. Throughout the next year I was nauseated frequently and threw up regularly. I had a liver biopsy and in 2003 they diagnosed me with stage 3/4 cirrhosis of the liver. I had no choice but to go on the interferon ribavirin chemotherapy program for a full year. I was very ill during that time and I was taking at least five different medications to counter the side effects of the chemotherapy. Some of the side effects from chemotherapy were that my entire mouth was full of sores, my eyes were dry and scratchy, half of my hair fell out, my bones ached horribly, I could not sleep for days at a time. In addition, I was very nauseated and threw up frequently. Also I became very anemic and weak. I also had tremors of the muscles and/or spasms. News source: Read More .....THCCOMPASSION
FREE GROW CLASS What: Enroll now for cannabis education delivered live to your computer screen. Horticulture 1, growing for beginners. When: Saturday December 5 at 2:00pm Where: Register in advance at The University of Cannabis How: Upon registration you'll receive an email link to join the class. Bring your questions as no student is left behind and all questions will be answered.
In 1999 the Marin co. DA Kamena had betrayed our support from the Marin Alliance for Med MJ much in the same manner that Cooley has betrayed you all. She went after all of us viciously after gaining her job. sounds very similar to what you are experiencing.
We joined a recall campaign that had been launched about family law issues and Kamena. She was a really bad DA.
It only takes 10% of registered voters WHO VOTED IN THE ELECTION THAT HIRED THE DA, from your specific area to force an election to fire the DA for violating the people's will.
Cooley was elected with not a great turnout,@ 620,000, so you need @62,000 signers to place the question on the next ballot. a special election may be required, it depends on the timing.
This will be cheaper than all the prosecutions he is planning to spend your tax money on! plus once we qualified the recall for our local ballot the DA stopped all prosecutions of medical cannabis and it changed the Marin co.pot policy for the much better. - even when we lost (due to the other, confusing family law problem - don't mix in any other issues, was our lesson!)
My advice: file for the recall papers ASAP. Send out your press releases.
It will stop the raids and prosecutions IMMEDIATELY.
Write a SIMPLE, EASY to UNDERSTAND statement to recall (i.e. fire) the DA over the medical cannabis dispensary issue.
file and print up your petitions.
get everyone to register to vote and sign the recall.
qualify with more than enough sigs, file it and prepare for the campaign.
I am available for consulting.
I have attached the State of California Guide to Recall to this email.
Pot Doc Down By FRED GARDNER Hany Youssef Assad, MD, who has approved cannabis use by some 40,000 patients over the past seven years, is having his license revoked by the Medical Board of California. The board issued its order Oct. 23. Assad can no longer see patients after Nov. 23.
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MEDIA ADVISORY
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