CA Court Legitimatizes MMJ & MCDs (Yipee!)

[Pinch]

Dear ASA Supporter,


Today, California Attorney General Jerry Brown released guidelines that direct law enforcement on how to approach encounters with medical cannabis patients and that explicitly acknowledge that "a properly organized and operated collective or cooperative that dispenses medical marijuana through a storefront may be lawful under California law." These guidelines are a direct result of a cooperative effort between Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the Attorney General’s Office, and represent a new milestone in the permanence and legal acceptance of California’s medical cannabis laws.

The release of these guidelines demonstrates how invaluable ASA’s work really is. But we need your help right now to keep doing this kind of important work to protect and expand patients’ rights in California. Please take a moment right now to make a contribution to ASA.

The Attorney General’s guidelines represent a major turning point for the state of California. Attorney General Brown, our highest-ranking law enforcement officer is now joining voters, lawmakers, and the courts in reaffirming the validity of our state law. These guidelines provide long-awaited direction for patients and police, as well as for lawyers, judges and public officials to better understand their rights, responsibilities, and obligations under state law.

The guidelines firmly establish that as long as patients and caregivers are abiding by local and state laws, they should not be arrested and their medicine should not be confiscated. Reaffirming that California's medical marijuana law is not preempted by federal law, the Attorney General directs "state and local law enforcement officers [to] not arrest individuals or seize marijuana under federal law" when an individual's conduct is legal under state law!

These guidelines are the result of ASA’s five years of hard work organizing the grassroots, building relationships, fighting in court, and demanding state policies that support patients’ rights. Due to ASA's relationship with the Attorney General's Office, developed over several years, the Attorney General approached ASA for cooperation and assistance in drafting the guidelines. ASA voiced the concerns of patients in this process and our feedback was crucial in obtaining guidelines that are most beneficial to medical marijuana patients and providers.

We could not have accomplished so much without your support, and we need your ongoing commitment more than ever to keep pushing toward full implementation of California law. Please make a generous contribution today.

ASA will be working hard this summer and fall to educate patients, elected officials, and law enforcement about the guidelines. Success at this level is a turning point not only in California, but throughout the nation. It is a giant leap forward in defending medical cannabis patients’ rights. Thank you for your support in making this happen – and in helping us do even more this year!

Sincerely,

Don Duncan
California Director
Americans for Safe Access

P.S. Please read the full Attorney General guidelines at ASA*:*Attorney General Guidelines Signal Victory for California Campaign.

Americans for Safe Access is the nation's largest organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

[DaMagoMan]

That's friggin' Great news BubaPinch!!!

Thank Y'all for all your hard work and sacrifices

[Pinch]

Mr DaMagoMan,

Correct you are, my friend. Removal of the "gray" area is a win-win for medical cannabis patients and their caregivers (MCDs). It's been a wonderful week in the California neighborhood.:smoke2: