…And the hits just keep coming!

Despite the DOJ memo and our best efforts the federal government continues to engage innovative tactics to continue their campaign of interference with state medical marijuana laws.   The latest tactic is to use an antiquated tax code to prohibit medical marijuana dispensing facilities from taking IRS deductions and credits attributed to amounts paid or incurred during the taxable year. ASA has confirmed that several medical cannabis collectives in California are now being (and have in the past been) targeted by this very law under the guise of federal tax audits.  These “audits” seem to be unfairly applied, especially as they appear to target the largest collectives serving the greatest percentage of the population.

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Like most of the country we had mixed feelings about the mid-term elections. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, there were gains and concessions, reliefs and disappointments. But, there was one race that changed everything—one election that leveraged our movement so greatly things will never be the same.

If you don’t live in California you may not have heard much about our Attorney General race. Steve Cooley was running for AG with the most blatant anti-patient platform this country has ever seen. Hand picked by the cops and funded by rightwing political strategist Karl Rove, Cooley made no small effort to let voters know that if he were elected he would do everything in his power to eradicate medical marijuana for California.

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Americans for Safe Access in partnership with Jed Riffe Films is pleased to inform you that the award winning documentary, WAITING TO INHALE,  will have its national broadcast TV premiere on two cable networks in the coming weeks.

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Supervisor Antonovich

Los Angeles County Supervisors voted 4-1 today to ban medical cannabis collectives in the unincorporated communities of the county, overturning a 2006 ordinance regulating safe access. The vote was in response to concerns about public safety following high-profile violence in the City of Los Angeles and the proliferation of un-permitted collectives in the county. Today’s vote should be a wakeup call for patients and advocates all over California. Bad press and public perception can roll back progress on medical cannabis.

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On Wednesday, November 17, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened for the nomination hearing of Michele Leonhart for the position of Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). In preparation, ASA had submitted questions for the committee members to ask Ms. Leonhart, hoping that she would finally be taken to task for ignoring statements issued by the President, Attorney General, and Assistant Attorney General regarding ceasing raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. As both Deputy Administrator and Administrator, Ms. Leonhart has been behind an extremely large number of these paramilitary type raids on dispensaries, and ASA implored committee members to ask her why these raids were continuing, why she was continuing to prosecute those who were “in clear and unambiguous compliance with state law.”

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The elections are over and it’s time to get back to work! Michele Leonhart, President Obama’s nominee to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, is scheduled to be confirmed by the US Senate Judiciary Committee the afternoon of Wednesday, November 17. As the deputy director of the DEA, Ms. Leonhart supervised an unprecedented level of   raids on medical marijuana dispensaries designed to undermine safe access and the implementation of state medical marijuana programs.

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Demand Senators Ask the DEA Nominee Some Tough Questions!

In October of 2009, the Obama Administration issued a memorandum to U.S. Attorneys discouraging the use of federal resources to prosecute individuals who are in “clear and unambiguous compliance” with their state compassionate use laws. Since then, ASA has tracked more than 30 federal enforcement raids in California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Nevada. Despite these tactics, more states are adopting regulations to authorize safe access to marijuana for medical purposes. (more…)

Americans for Safe Access is urging Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) members to ask Acting Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) head Michele Leonhart difficult and pointed questions on Wednesday, during her confirmation hearing, about her plan to address the growing divide between federal and state medical marijuana laws. Leonhart, a Bush-holdover, led aggressive attacks for many years against medical marijuana patients and their providers, and has obstructed meaningful research into the medical efficacy of marijuana. Read more about Leonhart’s confirmation hearing, her background as Deputy DEA Administrator, the questions ASA has submitted to the SJC, and the action patients are taking to hold Leonhart accountable for her actions.

Acting DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart

D.C. medical marijuana patient advocates claimed partial victory, as a new set of revised rules and regulations were published by the District on Friday. The biggest achievement for patients, which was recently underscored by DCist.com, was wresting the licensing control from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) and placing it into the hands of more experienced healthcare providers. Although Americans for Safe Access (ASA) takes issue with other aspects of the regulations, such as the prohibition on patients cultivating their own medical marijuana, ASA intends to work with Mayor-elect Gray on reversing counter-productive and harmful provisions, building a strong and representative licensing board, and effectively meeting patients’ needs. After voting for Initiative 59, the “Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1998,” more than 12 years ago, D.C. patients are ready to implement the law.

Arizona voters approved Proposition 203, making that state the 15^th to legalize medical cannabis. Supporters are celebrating the results after ten days of uncertainty during which victory seemed to be slipping away. Patients and advocates deserve congratulations. Proposition 203 is an important step forward for Arizona and in the state-by-state march to bring safe access to patients nationwide.

Adopting state initiatives and passing legislation is a crucial step, but we can see from our experience that state medical cannabis laws do not necessarily translate into support from the state’s Congressional delegation. In California, where medical cannabis has been legal since 1996, long-time Senators Feinstein and Boxer have yet to pick up the mantle of safe access.

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While Kamala Harris’ campaign team has declared  victory, the Secretary of State hasn’t made a final decision yet.  There are a large number of unprocessed ballots (either because they were provisional, mailed in, or initially unreadable by the ballot tally machines).  Until we have a final official count, we won’t know for certain.

As of 2:34pm today, Ms. Harris held a lead of only 9,364 votes, down from estimates earlier in the day of under 14,000.  Voting precincts across the state are scrambling to get all of these unprocessed ballots counted accurately.

Stay tuned to ASA’s blog, & check our website often for updates.  We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.  For more information about ASA’s statewide push against Steve Cooley, check out http://NotCooley.com