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|marijuana|bud) field.

Details here!

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Colorado lawmakers trying to regulate (cannabis|marijuana|bud) dispensaries are asking the U.S. attorney general to stop raids of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) 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 (cannabis|marijuana|bud) patients and growers from working with them on proposed regulations.

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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 (cannabis|marijuana|bud) 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 (cannabis|marijuana|bud) 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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In the wake of new federal raid activity, U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA-16) has added her name to the growing list of cosponsors on the Truth in Trials Act.  For those of you who are counting: that brings the total to 30 (and she is also the 8th member of the House Judiciary Committee to provide support)!!

What about your Congress-critter?  Has s/he joined as a cosponsor of Truth?  If you have 2 minutes, please call to your U.S. Representative’s office and ask for his or her co-sponsorship of H.R. 3939, The Truth in Trials Act. You can reach the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. For ideas about what to say when you call, check out ASA’s Action page (and follow-up with an email while you’re there!).



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One plaintiff talked with reporters from the Los Angeles Times about the lawsuit:

The suit alleges the city ordinance violates state law, and it seeks a court injunction and restraining order to stop the measure from being enforced. In the suit, dispensary operators object to the “onerous restrictions” of the law that is scheduled to take effect March 14, such as a rule that gives them only seven days to relocate to 1,000 feet away from schools, parks and places of worship but does not provide maps to show where they are allowed under the law.

“We want to work with the city to comply with its regulations, but such unreasonable requirements make compliance impossible,” Yamileth Bolanos, operator of the PureLife Alternative Wellness Center, said in a statement.

ASA will keep fighting for patients in court and at City Hall. We have already scored big victories by persuading Councilmembers not to ban collectives or sales of (cannabis|marijuana|bud). Now we have more work to do to make this ordinance work. I hope all of you will join me in asking City Councilmembers to make some big improvements in the ordinance in the weeks and months to come.

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One plaintiff talked with reporters from the Los Angeles Times about the lawsuit:

The suit alleges the city ordinance violates state law, and it seeks a court injunction and restraining order to stop the measure from being enforced. In the suit, dispensary operators object to the “onerous restrictions” of the law that is scheduled to take effect March 14, such as a rule that gives them only seven days to relocate to 1,000 feet away from schools, parks and places of worship but does not provide maps to show where they are allowed under the law.

“We want to work with the city to comply with its regulations, but such unreasonable requirements make compliance impossible,” Yamileth Bolanos, operator of the PureLife Alternative Wellness Center, said in a statement.

ASA will keep fighting for patients in court and at City Hall. We have already scored big victories by persuading Councilmembers not to ban collectives or sales of (cannabis|marijuana|bud). Now we have more work to do to make this ordinance work. I hope all of you will join me in asking City Councilmembers to make some big improvements in the ordinance in the weeks and months to come.

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In the letter, Rep. Polis wants to know “whether [DEA] Agent Sweetin’s comments that DEA will ‘arrest everybody’ remains United States policy.”

In comments on the website Squared State, where Congressman Polis publicly shared his letter, he referred to the DEA agents involved as “rogue agents:”

The DEA must do more to stop their rogue agents from harassing and raiding our medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) dispensaries, which are legal under state law.

The full letter:

February 23, 2010

Attorney General Eric Holder
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

As you know, the voters in my state legalized (cannabis|marijuana|bud) for medical use, and placed it in the Colorado Constitution, Article XVIII § 14, the Supreme Law of Colorado.

The Department of Justice is to be commended for issuing formal written guidelines on October 19, 2009, clarifying that federal resources should not be used against people in compliance with state law in states that have legalized (cannabis|marijuana|bud) for medical use.  When drug czar Gil Kerlikowske was in Colorado recently, I thanked him for taking this step and respecting our state law.

Despite these formal guidelines, Friday, February 12, 2010, agents from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided the home of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) caregiver Chris Bartkowicz in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.  In a news article in the Denver Post the next day, the lead DEA agent in the raid, Jeffrey Sweetin, claimed “We’re still going to continue to investigate and arrest people…Technically, every dispensary in the state is in blatant violation of federal law,” he said. “The time is coming when we go into a dispensary, we find out what their profit is, we seize the building and we arrest everybody. They’re violating federal law; they’re at risk of arrest and imprisonment.”

Agent Sweetin’s comment that “we arrest everybody” is of great concern to me and to the people of Colorado, who overwhelmingly voted to allow medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud).  Coloradans suffering from debilitating medical conditions, many of them disabled, elderly, veterans, or otherwise vulnerable people, have expressed their concern to me that the DEA will come into  medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) dispensaries, which are legal under Colorado law, and “arrest everybody” present.  Although Agent Sweetin reportedly has backed away from his comments, he has yet to issue a written clarification or resign, thus the widespread panic in Colorado continues.

On May 14, 2009, Mr. Kerlikowske told the Wall Street Journal: “Regardless of how you try to explain to people it’s a ‘war on drugs’ or a ‘war on a product,’ people see a war as a war on them,” he said. “We’re not at war with people in this country.”  The actions and commentary of Mr. Sweetin are inconsistent with the idea of not waging war against the people of the State of Colorado and are a contradiction to your agency’s laudable policies.

On Saturday, February 13, 2010, local Attorney Robert J. Corry, Jr. submitted a formal complaint regarding the raid and subsequent comments by Sweetin to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, which is tasked with investigating “waste, fraud, abuse, or misconduct” from Justice officials.  I ask you to instruct the Inspector General to respond promptly to Mr. Corry’s complaint.

On Tuesday, February 17, 2010, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado David Gaouette announced his office’s intention to criminally charge Mr. Bartkowicz in federal court.  In order to ensure a fair trial for Mr. Bartkowicz, it is essential that the confusion about administration policy caused by the actions of Agent Sweetin be resolved ahead of jury selection in this case.  A response to Mr. Corry’s complaint would serve as point of clarity.

I again applaud your policy.  Treating drug policy as primarily an issue of public health, as opposed to an issue of criminal justice, is both practical and compassionate and it has been and will continue to be supported by the voters of Colorado.  Please clarify for me in writing whether Agent Sweetin’s comments that DEA will “arrest everybody” remains United States policy.  Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jared Polis
Member of Congress

cc: President Barack Obama

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Mr. Epis was arrested, investigated, tried, sentenced, imprisoned, retried, and resentenced over the past 12 years.  In that length of time, medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) advocates have forged ahead with state-based victories across the country; meanwhile, federal law has remained unchanged and federal policy is creeping forward at a snail’s pace.

Federal policy, according to the headlines, has changed for the better, but consider this:  while roughly a quarter of our nation’s population lives in a state that recognizes the medical value of (cannabis|marijuana|bud), there are over 100 federal defendants who are currently facing pending charges.  In addition, the complacency driven by incomplete, inaccurate reporting and coverage of federal policy just fuels the fire.  Federal lawmakers no longer feel a sense of urgency, due in part to the memo from the U.S. Deputy Attorney General, and due in part to promises made by U.S. Attorney General Holder.  Mr. Epis’ imprisonment highlights that this fight is nowhere near over, and the raids on laboratories in Colorado make it clear that while the tactics and targets may be changing, federal policy is FAR from changed.

Take your outrage & fear and turn them into action.  Call your U.S. Representative’s office to urge his or her co-sponsorship of H.R. 3939, The Truth in Trials Act. You can reach the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. For ideas about what to say when you call, check out ASA’s Action page (and send an email while you’re there!).

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“reasonable evidence [exists] that (cannabis|marijuana|bud) is a promising treatment in selected pain syndromes caused by injury or diseases of the nervous system, and possibly for painful muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.”

Given that some of the studies have already appeared in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as Neurology, the report was not really news to many who are fighting to get federal recognition of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud). In fact, the CMCR data can simply be added to the already-existing scores of studies conducted around the world that clearly show (cannabis|marijuana|bud)’s medical efficacy. In addition to observing the obvious, we should be asking why the federal government continues to resist further medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) research. Why is CMCR the only entity conducting such research and why has it taken 20 years to come this far? Learn more about the government’s obstruction to medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) research here. It’s long past time to break the federal logjam on research and to invest in the promise of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud).

In other news, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy (IBP), by its actions today has undoubtedly brought us closer to the goal of expanded research and the reclassification of (cannabis|marijuana|bud). In a unanimous vote, the IBP recommended that the state move (cannabis|marijuana|bud) from a dangerous drug with no medical use (Schedule I) to one with medical benefits (Schedule II). The IBP also called for the formation of a task force, made up of patients, medical professionals, and law enforcement officers, to develop a medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) law for Iowa.

The IBP vote was not an accident, but a planned and well-executed campaign by advocates that included a lawsuit forcing the Board to address the issue. According to the Des Moines Register, “The board last fall held a series of hearings around the state, at which most speakers spoke in favor of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud).” That support was put into concrete terms this week with a Register poll that found, “64 percent of Iowans support allowing patients to use (cannabis|marijuana|bud) if their doctors approve.” It looks like Iowa is well on its way to adopting one of the next medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) laws.

California and Iowa, both trendsetters in their own right, have set the stage and provided us all with a sensible direction on medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud): conduct more research and use the research that already exists to reclassify (cannabis|marijuana|bud) as a medicine.

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“reasonable evidence [exists] that (cannabis|marijuana|bud) is a promising treatment in selected pain syndromes caused by injury or diseases of the nervous system, and possibly for painful muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.”

Given that some of the studies have already appeared in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as Neurology, the report was not really news to many who are fighting to get federal recognition of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud). In fact, the CMCR data can simply be added to the already-existing scores of studies conducted around the world that clearly show (cannabis|marijuana|bud)’s medical efficacy. In addition to observing the obvious, we should be asking why the federal government continues to resist further medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) research. Why is CMCR the only entity conducting such research and why has it taken 20 years to come this far? Learn more about the government’s obstruction to medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) research here. It’s long past time to break the federal logjam on research and to invest in the promise of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud).

In other news, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy (IBP), by its actions today has undoubtedly brought us closer to the goal of expanded research and the reclassification of (cannabis|marijuana|bud). In a unanimous vote, the IBP recommended that the state move (cannabis|marijuana|bud) from a dangerous drug with no medical use (Schedule I) to one with medical benefits (Schedule II). The IBP also called for the formation of a task force, made up of patients, medical professionals, and law enforcement officers, to develop a medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) law for Iowa.

The IBP vote was not an accident, but a planned and well-executed campaign by advocates that included a lawsuit forcing the Board to address the issue. According to the Des Moines Register, “The board last fall held a series of hearings around the state, at which most speakers spoke in favor of medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud).” That support was put into concrete terms this week with a Register poll that found, “64 percent of Iowans support allowing patients to use (cannabis|marijuana|bud) if their doctors approve.” It looks like Iowa is well on its way to adopting one of the next medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud) laws.

California and Iowa, both trendsetters in their own right, have set the stage and provided us all with a sensible direction on medical (cannabis|marijuana|bud): conduct more research and use the research that already exists to reclassify (cannabis|marijuana|bud) as a medicine.

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