The Compassionate Coalition

Marijuana Reform Tops Obama Survey
From: Lanny Swerdlow of MAPP - lannyswerdlow@earthlink.net

I have written many times about President-elect Obama’s pledge to stop the DEA raids in medical marijuana states like California. If this is to happen, it is up to us to see it to that he keeps his word. We are succeeding in keeping the issue on the front burner as the number one question submitted to the Obama transition team is the legalization of marijuana.

The Obama transition team launched an Open for Questions" website that processed over 600,000 votes from more than 10,000 people on more than 7,300 questions. Voting came to a close Friday, December 12th, at 12:00 AM Eastern Time, so that the team can prepare answers to some of the most popular questions. This was the number one question:

"Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?"

To see the top 10 questions, go to: http://change.gov/page/content/20081211_openforquestions

We will have to wait and see if and how his transition teams answers this question which topped the list. It is up to us to keep the pressure on. To do this you can go to the following link and at the bottom of the page, you can post your own comment about marijuana or any other subject you wish. Here’s the link: http://change.gov/page/content/discussservice

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CALIFORNIA POLICE CHIEFS ASKED DEA TO CLOSE MEDICAL MARIJUANA CENTERS IN DISREGARD OF STATE LAW - California NORML Releease - Dec 12, 2008

The California Police Chiefs Association urged the DEA to close medical marijuana distribution centers, seize their profits and prosecute them in federal court, according to a letter to DEA administrator Karen Tandy. The letter, dated Oct 2, 2006, appears in testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.

In the letter, CPCA President Steve Krull specifically called on the DEA to "send a message to local and county governments that medical marijuana is not allowed," in disregard of Prop 215, state law SB 420, and local ordinances that authorize licensed dispensaries and patient collectives.

"This smoking gun proves that the CPCA has sought to undermine state law rather than enforce it," says California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer, a co-sponsor of Prop. 215, "The police chiefs have blatantly betrayed their public duty under the state constitution and the recent Kha decision." In the Kha decision, a state appellate court ruled that "it is not the job of the local police to enforce the federal drug laws." The decision stands as binding law, having been refused appeal by both the California and US Supreme Court.

Full Article: http://norml.net/attached/12EI2aEbx9Slk.html

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Action Alert for Sacramento County Residents: On Tuesday, December 16, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to once again take up the issue of whether or not to implement the state's medical marijuana ID card program. Please take a few minutes to call your supervisor and urge him or her to vote in favor of implementing the medical marijuana ID card program.

Call (916) 874-5411, tell the operator which city and zip code you live in, and then ask to be transferred to your supervisor. Once on the phone with your supervisor's office, briefly tell them you name and city of residence, and then politely let them know that you want your supervisor to follow state law — a law that courts have resoundingly validated — by implementing the medical marijuana ID card program. Please keep your comments limited to the ID program — not other medical marijuana issues. If you reach a voicemail system, leave a message.

You may recall that the board opposed the program by a 3-to-2 vote last time it was presented to them, back in March. The board is reconsidering the issue after the County of San Diego lost two appeals aimed at overturning the law that created the ID cards. (Not one judge — at the trial court, appellate court, or state Supreme Court level — has ruled in favor of San Diego's meritless challenge.)

In addition to calling your supervisor, please make time to attend the board's hearing next Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. in downtown Sacramento, so that we can ensure a large showing of support for California's medical marijuana law and seriously ill patients in Sacramento County.

Board of Supervisors meeting details: Tuesday, December 16 — 2:45 p.m.
County Administration Center, 700 H St. (at 7th St.), Room 1450, Sacramento, CA 95814
(This is a professional meeting; please dress and act accordingly.)

Implementing this important program will not only bring Sacramento County into compliance with the state's medical marijuana laws it will allow local patients and caregivers to obtain ID cards which work to protect them from unnecessary arrest or seizure of medicine.

Please don't forget to call your supervisor today and urge him or her to support seriously ill and injured patients by moving forward with the ID card program, without any further delay. Please forward this alert to other Sacramento County residents who support medical marijuana so that they too can call their supervisor and attend the board meeting. Thank you for supporting MPP and Sacramento County's medical marijuana patients; I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

Sincerely, F. Aaron Smith, California Policy Director
Marijuana Policy Project

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NATIONAL ACTION ALERT: Send Letters to Support Charles Lynch
From: Americans for Safe Access

President-elect Barack Obama has said his Justice Department will not interfere with state medical cannabis laws. Yet many people are serving time in federal prison or awaiting sentencing because of a Bush policy that targeted medical cannabis patients and providers.

By taking just five minutes to write a short letter, you can help one man get mercy. Charles Lynch, whose case got national media attention after being featured by Drew Carey on Reason.tv, faces up to 100 years in federal prison for operating a medical cannabis dispensary in compliance with state law and local regulation.

Please send a letter to the judge who will sentence Lynch, asking for mercy. Letters of support to " Judge Wu" can be sent to: Reuven Cohen, Federal Public Defender, 321 East Second Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012-4702.

Please visit http://www.friendsofccl.com/ for more information and sample letters, or contact George@AmericansforSafeAccess.org to get involved.

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Harborside to Begin Lab Testing of Medical Marijuana

Date: Dec 11, 2008
Place: Harborside Health Center: 1840 Embarcadero, Oakland CA 94606
Contact: Steve DeAngelo: (510) 533-0146/ (510) 467 2245

Harborside Health Center, a city-licensed medical cannabis dispensary, is pleased to announce it has begun laboratory analysis of its medical cannabis products. This effort has been developed in partnership with the Analytical Laboratory Project, which owns and operates the laboratory facility.

All medicinal cannabis products accepted for distribution to HHC will be lab tested for safety and potency. For the first time in the 3000-year history of human cannabis consumption, consumers will be provided a scientific assessment of the safety and potency of products prior to ingesting them. Testing will begin with cannabis flowers and concentrates, and later will include edibles, tinctures, capsules, etc.

The testing techniques will include gas chromatography mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, flame Ionization detection, and plate culture analysis. Over the course of the past year, SMC has developed its analytical methods in partnership with respected bio-chemists from some of the Bay Area's most prestigious institutions*. A formal method validation has been completed, which will be available early next week.

Full article: http://drugsense.org/temp/6ya3zKmrZUML.html

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Patient Meetings:

No December Compassionate Coalition Meeting: Due to the holidays, we will not be meeting in December. But we ask that you please join us tomorrow afternoon at the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting to show your support! (see above) For more information contact info@CompassionateCoalition.org or (916) 709-2483

Check out the Oaksterdam News "Cannabis Freedom" calendar for other meetings and events: http://www.oaksterdamnews.com/WebCalendar3/month.php

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Other News Updates:

More News Updates from Americans for Safe Access: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/punbb/

More News Updates from NORML: http://norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=daily_news

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Sacramento Text-Message Alert System: Want to get a text-message on your cell phone when a local raid is happening? -Then join the Sacramento Emergency Response Text-Message list! We're looking for patients and supporters to sign up for this service and show up to protest when a raid happens. Please help defend our local dispensaries and patients from DEA persecution. Sign up here: http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/erlist

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The Compassionate Coalition is an all-volunteer, non-profit, educational organization. We work to defend the rights of medical marijuana patients and care providers, and your support enables our work to continue. Please consider making a donation today: http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/donate

Thank you for helping to defend patients' rights!

Nathan Sands
Vice President, The Compassionate Coalition
1500 Oliver Road, Ste-K, P.M.B. #248 Fairfield, CA 94533
www.CompassionateCoalition.org
Email: nathan@CompassionateCoalition.org
Phone: (916) 709-2483

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