The Compassionate Coalition

Dear Sacramento County Medical Marijuana Patients-

A brief article about Yolo County's implementation of the statewide medical marijuana ID card program ran in today's edition of the Sacramento Bee.Patients in the West Sacramento, Davis and Woodland areas will soon have access to the legal protections this program provides—but sadly, those who live in neighboring Sacramento County still have no choice but to risk unnecessary arrest, detainment or seizure of their medicine by state and local law enforcement.

If you live in Sacramento County, please take a few minutes to write a letter to the editor of the Sacramento Bee, urging the County Board of Supervisors to approve local implementation of the medical marijuana ID card program.

Letters must be less than 200 words and need to include your first and last name, address and phone number. The paper will not publish your contact info.

Send letters to opinion@sacbee.com with the words, "letter to the editor" in the subject line.

Thank you,
Aaron Smith
Safe Access Now

[b]Feel free to use some of the following "talking points" in your letter:[/b]

- Now that neighboring Yolo and El Dorado Counties are both developing plans to implement the state mandated medical marijuana ID card program, it's time for Sacramento County to follow suit. It makes no sense that patients in neighboring counties will be afforded more rights, under state law, than patients living in Sacramento.

- The ID card protects patients and caregivers from being falsely arrested and frees up valuable public safety resources

- The ID card program will greatly assist law enforcement in distinguishing patients with legitimate medical marijuana recommendations from those who are using false or counterfeit documentation.

- Counties have a legal responsibility to implement the program, as a requirement of Senate Bill 420, passed into law in 2003 and upheld by a San Diego Superior Court ruling in December 2006.

- Voter support for safe and legal access to medical marijuana has only grown stronger since the passage of the Compassionate Use Act in 1996. Today, 3-out-of-4 Californians support implementation of our medical marijuana laws.

[b]Sample letter (please do not use verbatim!):[/b]

Dear Editor-

I am pleased to see that Yolo County's leaders recently voted to implement the state's medical marijuana ID card program in their county (Erika Chavez, Mar. 2). It concerns me, however, that there seems to be no progress being made on this front here in Sacramento County.

Without the ID card program in place, legitimate medical marijuana patients risk facing needless legal hassles at the expense of local tax payers, even when they are not in violation of state law.

Now that Yolo and El Dorado counties are both planning to issue medical marijuana ID cards in the near future, this would be a good time for Sacramento County to adopt this important program. California law requires that all counties make the card program available to their qualified residents. In order for Californians to realize the full benefit of the law, it must be applied evenly in all counties.

I hope that Sacramento will follow the lead of our neighboring counties and begin issuing the medical marijuana ID cards, without further delay.