The Compassionate Coalition

Dear medical marijuana supporter-

The Orange County Board of Supervisors will soon be making an important decision affecting local medical marijuana patients and caregivers. During their April 17 meeting, the board will be discussing the implementation of California's medical marijuana ID card program in the County of Orange.

Participation in the program would be entirely voluntary for qualified patients and caregivers; however the county is required, by law, to make the program available.

If the program is implemented, Orange County patients and caregivers will be able to obtain the ID cards through a confidential program administered by the county’s Health Services Agency. The ID program works to protect cardholders from unnecessary arrest, detainment or seizure of their medicine by state and local law enforcement—which conduct 99% of marijuana arrests.

Law enforcement officials in Orange County have a dismal track record when it comes to respecting California’s medical marijuana laws. This is why it is imperative that the ID card program be implemented without further delay.

In order to gain a victory for OC patients, we need your help.

Please take a few minutes of your time to take the following actions in order to help protect Orange County's medical marijuana patients:

1. [url=http://www.safeaccessnow.org/OCIDCardaction]Click here to send an e-mail to the Board of Supervisors, urging them to vote to implement the medical marijuana ID card program[/url]

2. Please write a letter to the editor of the Orange County Register expressing your support for the ID card program. The Register has already taken a favorable position on medical marijuana but it is important to show that the public agrees that local patients must be protected from arrest. Feel free to use the talking points at the end of this message when composing your letter.

Letters should be 200 words or less and must include your name, address and phone number (contact info will not be published).
E-mail letters to: letters@ocregister.com

3. Mark your calendar and plan to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 17. It is crucial that as many patients and supporters as possible show up to this hearing to support safe access to medical marijuana and the implementation of the medical marijuana ID card program in Orange County.
Further details on the meeting will be sent next week. If you wish to become more involved in our local efforts, please contact Safe Access Now's Aaron Smith at: SafeAccessNow@gmail.com or (866) 287-6792

Talking points supporting California's medical marijuana ID card program:

- The ID card protects patients and caregivers from lengthy detainment, arrest, seizure of property or unnecessary court proceedings. Although cases involving legitimate medical marijuana patients are consistently dismissed, this situation poses as an undue hardship on some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

- 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.

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

- The majority of California's counties have plans to implement the program very soon and there is no reason for our county to be lagging so far behind on this important issue.

- The Department of Health will not incur any additional costs by implementing the ID card program because the county is allowed to set its own fees to recoup the start-up and operating costs.

- Voters’ support of safe and legal access to medical marijuana has only grown stronger since Orange County voters approved the Compassionate Use Act (Prop. 215) in 1996. According to an independent field poll conducted in 2006, three out of four Californians now support implementation of the state’s medical marijuana laws.