The Compassionate Coalition

[b]Judge rules against three counties’ challenge to California’s medical marijuana law; prevent an appeal[/b]

As you probably know, in January San Diego County filed a lawsuit trying to overturn California’s compassionate medical marijuana laws, which protect sick and dying patients from being thrown in jail for relieving their suffering. Merced County and San Bernardino County later joined the unpopular lawsuit, which was rejected in court yesterday by Judge William Nevitt.

Yesterday’s lawsuit followed a tentative decision against the counties that Nevitt issued in November. Now, your help is needed to make sure that San Bernardino County doesn’t pursue its heartless lawsuit with an appeal. Please take a few minutes to call each county supervisor and Sheriff Gary Penrod to ask him or her not to appeal the ruling.

Their names and numbers are:

Supervisor Bill Postmus (District 1): (909) 387-4830
Supervisor Paul Biane (District 2): (909) 387-4833
Supervisor Dennis Hansberger (District 3): (909) 387-4855
Supervisor Gary Ovitt (District 4): (909) 387-4866
Supervisor Josie Gonzales (District 5): (909) 387-4565
Sheriff Gary Penrod (Public Affairs): (909) 387-3700

Here are some talking points to guide your call:

*A recent poll showed that 71% of Californians support our state’s medical marijuana laws. Please do not appeal Judge Nevitt’s ruling on the medical marijuana case; do not waste any more resources trying to overturn the will of the people.

*It is time for the county to follow the law rather than wasting time in a futile and cruel legal challenge.

Each of the three counties have not only failed suit, but they have all also refused to implement the medical marijuana ID card program, which patients are not required to obtain, but counties are required to implement. Twenty-three other counties followed state law and implemented ID cards.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the Drug Policy Alliance, and Americans for Safe Access all became parties opposing the lawsuit, representing several medical marijuana patients, a caregiver, and a doctor. Along with Attorney General Bill Lockyer, they argued that a state is free to exempt patients from that state’s own criminal penalties for marijuana and to issue ID cards to those patients. One of the patients, Pamela Sakuda, has since succumbed to cancer. Medical marijuana stopped her appetite loss and nausea, allowing her to continue chemotherapy treatments.

Please, don’t forget to call the board of supervisors and Sheriff Penrod. Let them know that voters expect them to find something better to do than to try to lock up sick and dying patients.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please forward this alert to other San Bernardino County residents, so that more voices for compassion will be heard.
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Provided by Safe Access Now
Aaron Smith, Statewide MMIC Coordinator
Ph: (866) 287-6792
Fx: (866) 204-1341
safeaccessnow@gmail.com
www.safeaccessnow.com