Renew your commitment to the fight!

Hello ASA Supporters,

Well, now it is official! We have four more years of Bush... and four more
years of uncertainty and delay for those who need safe and legal access to
medical cannabis. We are waiting for the Supreme Court to decide whether or
not the federal government has the jurisdiction to arrest individual medical
marijuana patients and their caregivers for growing medicine legally under
state law. We are waiting for the department of Health and Human Services
to review the rescheduling petition and to release their answer to our
petition under the Data Quality Act. And, we are waiting to see if our
return of property campaign will slow the arrest of legal patients and
confiscation of medication by local police in California.

But, we are not waiting to move forward in the Americans for Safe Access
(ASA) campaign to defend medical cannabis rights! Over the past two and half
years, ASA has worked hard to protect the rights of patients, and the next
year will be no different.

We are on the right track, and if we can keep up our diligence, we will win!

Here is just some of what we are working on in 2005:

National Strategies:

1) Organize briefing for the new Director of the US Department of
Health and Human Services by supportive congressional members and scientists
concerning medical cannabis and the current petitions

2) Continue organizing around the Data Quality Act and Rescheduling
petition through traditional lobby efforts such as postcard campaigns, call-
in days, sign-on letters from medical organizations, letters to Congress,
celebrity recruitment, and media campaigns

3) Continue to build support for ASA's Emergency Response Plan which
includes rallies across the country, same-day tele-press conference, and
call in alerts in the event of renewed federal raids

4) Create presentations to accompany the eight new condition-based
booklets http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=135 for
advocates to use to as lobbying tools for medical associations,legislators,
and condition based advocacy organizations

5) Work with doctors in Southern California to create the very first
medical cannabis curriculum for medical schools

State Strategies:

1) Continue to carry out proactive lawsuits further ensuring the
rights of patients, this includes a suit against California Highway Patrol
for illegal polices that pertain to medical cannabis procedures

2) Create "How to Defend Medical Marijuana Patients" manuals for the
other states with medical cannabis laws

3) Create "How to Defend Medical Marijuana Patients" manuals for key
non-medical cannabis states

4) Conduct "How to Defend Medical Marijuana Patients" trainings for
public defenders

5) Work with California Attorney General's office to get statement
defining law enforcement's roll in following state law over federal law

6) Create and coordinate law enforcement sensitivity trainings

All of that is in addition to our already ambitious campaign to defend your
right to medical cannabis.

ASA has been instrumental in building the grassroots movement for medical
cannabis in the last two and a half years. Your support has made us the
largest and most effective advocacy organization working solely on medical
cannabis in the country. This is no time to slow down. The upcoming
decisions by the US
Supreme Court and the Department of Health and Human Services will present
us with new challenges and new opportunities.

Your ongoing commitment to ASA will ensure that we are ready to overcome
challenges, take advantage of opportunities, and make a real change for
patients and caregivers.

Take a moment right now to renew your membership and make a special donation
to ASA. Together, we are going to make 2005 the best year for medical
cannabis yet! We MUST sign up 2000 dues paying members to fulfill our
mission this year.

Please renew your membership and make a donation at
http://safeaccessnow.org/modinput2.php?modin=16 or send a check or money
order to 1700 Shattack Ave #317 Berkeley, CA 94709.

Thank you for support in the fight for Safe and Legal access,

Steph Sherer
Executive Director
Americans for Safe Access http://www.safeaccessnow.org
1700 Shattuck Ave. #317
Berkeley, CA 94709
phone: 510-486-8083
fax: 510-486-8090

Join the fight for medical marijuana rights!
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