The Compassionate Coalition

(Thu, 10 Jun 2010)

LEAP's Leigh Maddox, former Maryland State Police Captain on racial profiling; Tonya Davis (Miami Valley NORML) on 3 young people harassed for medmj plants; music by Cypress Hill.

In the spring issue of the journal Democracy, John J. DiIulio Jr., the former White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush, underscored the need to “legalize marijuana for medically prescribed uses,” as part of his “Six Steps to Zero Prison Growth.” DiIulio should be applauded for his statements calling for a federal medical marijuana policy, not just because it will reduce prison growth, but also because it is a public health issue that must be addressed.

It’s true that DiIulio, currently a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, co-authored a book in 1996 with former Drug Czars William Bennett and John Walters, and wrote articles entitled, “Prisons Are a Bargain, by Any Measure,” and “Let ‘Em Rot.” However, DiIulio turned a new leaf before he even set foot in the White House to work for G.W. Bush in 2001. Contrary to the surprise recently expressed by other drug policy groups, Reason Magazine called DiIulio an “outspoken critic” of drug sentencing policies as far back as 1999. After DiIulio left the White House, Time Magazine published a story in 2003, noting that he “now opposes mandatory minimums for drug crimes,” and Rolling Stone published a story in 2007, claiming that DiIulio was:

…disgusted by the “perverse consequences” of harsh sentencing laws that had put millions of young Americans in prison, disbelieved the “sweeping scientific claims” made about the dangers of medical marijuana and wanted to expand “meaningful drug-treatment opportunities in urban areas.”

So, although it may not be a complete surprise that John DiIulio continues to forsake his pro-enforcement rhetoric of the past, we should still seize the opportunity to educate those in positions of power. DiIulio should work with Americans for Safe Access (ASA) to convince the federal government of developing a comprehensive policy on medical marijuana. While he’s at it, DiIulio should counsel Michele Leonhart, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to end the ongoing raids in medical marijuana states, and urge Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to grant the pending petition to reschedule medical marijuana. Finally, DiIulio can satisfy part of his criminal justice goals by working with ASA to pass the “Truth in Trials” Act, which would give medical marijuana patients and providers a fighting chance, a defense in federal court.

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(Thu, 11 Mar 2010) Eagle-Tribune, The (MA)

(Thu, 11 Mar 2010) Sacramento News & Review (CA)

(Thu, 11 Mar 2010)

ASA Chapters continues to grow across the U.S.   You can learn more about about starting an ASA Chapter or ASA Action Group on our website.

New ASA Chapters:

• ASA Porterville Chapter
• ASA San Joaquin County Chapter
  • Matt Leandro, Chair, sjcasa@lccsjc.org
• ASA San Luis Obispo Chapter

The complete list of ASA Chapters.

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Dr. Mitch Earleywine answers live Q&A in Cannabis Science; Jacki Rickert updates us on medical marijuana bill in Wisconsin named after her; music by Sahra Indio.

(Wed, 10 Mar 2010) Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN)

(Wed, 10 Mar 2010) Honolulu Advertiser (HI)

(Wed, 10 Mar 2010) Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO)

(Wed, 10 Mar 2010) Grand Rapids Press (MI)

Steele Smith on trial interviews for California Marijuana Report; Clif Deuvall from NORML of Waco on new reform bills in Texas; music by Quadron.

(Tue, 09 Mar 2010) El Paso Times (TX)

(Tue, 09 Mar 2010)

(Tue, 09 Mar 2010)

(Tue, 09 Mar 2010) USA Today (US)

Americans for Safe Access seeks a motivated, organized, and people-centered Community Liaison for Northern California.

The successful candidate will have previous experience that includes non-profit program delivery, sales or fundraising, political /grassroots organizing, and background in the medical cannabis field.

Details here!

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The Associated Press reports:

Colorado lawmakers trying to regulate marijuana dispensaries are asking the U.S. attorney general to stop raids of medical marijuana operations.

The group e-mailed the request to Eric Holder on Monday, following up on a letter sent last week.  The lawmakers say the raids are discouraging dispensary operators and medical marijuana patients and growers from working with them on proposed regulations.

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Finally, nearly two weeks after Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich issued a press release announcing nuisance abatement actions against local dispensaries, Americans for Safe Access has unearthed one of at least 18 letters sent to medical marijuana providers and their landlords threatening imminent eviction.

Under the Bush Administration, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) used the similar tactic of sending letters to more than 300 dispensary landlords in California, threatening criminal prosecution and seizure of their property if they did not evict their tenants. Although this cynical tactic resulted in the closure of dozens of dispensaries across the state, the federal government’s effort to undermine the implementation of California’s medical marijuana law has thankfully failed.

That Trutanich is using the state’s “nuisance” statute to try to evict and shut down otherwise lawful dispensaries is evidence that the City Attorney’s continued use of this cynical tactic is also doomed to failure. Despite attending a training on “The Eradication of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in the City of Los Angeles,” hosted by the California Narcotics Officers Association (CNOA), the City Attorney had still not done his legal homework. If he had, Trutanich might have discovered that, according to Health & Safety Code Section 11362.775, collectives and cooperatives are exempt from the nuisance statute he cites in the eviction letter.

Sorry “Nuch,” try again!

Anyway, didn’t Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck conduct a crime study, which concluded that, “Banks are more likely to get robbed than medical marijuana dispensaries?” Beck also found that law enforcement claims of dispensaries attracting crime “doesn’t really bear out.” Not only is Trutanich manufacturing a problem that doesn’t exist, he’s using a flawed legal argument to enforce it. Certainly, the Los Angeles City Attorney has better ways to spend taxpayers’ money.

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