ACTION ALERT: Calaveras County to Vote on MMJ on 3/27

Dear Medical Marijuana Supporter,

Next Monday, March 27th, the Calaveras County Board of
Supervisors will be voting on the implementation of
the medical marijuana ID card program. The ID cards
would be voluntary for patients and caregivers to
obtain through the county and serve to further protect
them from detainment, arrest or seizure of their
medicine by state and local law enforcement. If the
program is approved by the board, the Calaveras County
health agency will begin accepting applications for
the cards on April 3rd.

Three county supervisors (Claudino, Callaway and
Erickson) are either sitting on the fence or are
generally opposed to medical marijuana. It is critical
that we put pressure on them to follow state law and
protect patients from arrest. Please find your county
supervisor on the list below and take a few minutes to
e-mail and/or call, politely urging them to support
the medical marijuana ID card program. Even if you do
not live in one of these three districts, your phone
call or email will still make a difference.

Contact information for target supervisors:
*District 1, Supervisor Bill Claudino
(Representing the communities of San Andreas, Valley
Springs, Campo Seco, La Contenta, Commanche, Burson
and Wallace)
Email: bclaudino [at] co.calaveras.ca.us
Phone: (209) 754-3754

*District 3, Supervisor Merita Callaway
(Representing the communities of Tamarak, Arnold and
the Ebbetts Pass area down to, but not including
Murphys)
Email: merita9 [at] comcast.net
Phone: (209) 728-3800
*District 5, Supervisor Victoria Erickson
(Representing the communities of Copperopolis, Rancho
Calaveras and Jenny Lind)
Email: verickson [at] co.calaveras.ca.us
Phone: (209) 754-6866

You can view the Calaveras County supervisorial
district map here:
http://www.co.calaveras.ca.us/districts.asp

It’s also very important that we fill the board
chambers with patients and advocates backing the
program. If you are interested in speaking at your
county’s board meeting, please contact me at
fa_smith [at] yahoo.com or (707) 291-0076.

Board Meeting Time and Location:

Monday, March. 27th – 9:00am

CalWORKs Building, Sequoia Room
509 East St. Charles Street
San Andreas, CA 95249
(Large building on the corner of Hwy 49 & Mtn. Ranch
Rd.)

Map:
http://www.co.calaveras.ca.us/departments/welfare.asp#cw_map

Here are some talking points that you can use when
addressing your county supervisor on the ID card
issue:

* The ID card protects patients and caregivers from
lengthy detainment, arrest, seizure of property or
unnecessary court proceedings. While patients are not
required to participate in the ID card program, many
choose to because they cannot afford the personal risk
of wrongful prosecution that those without ID cards
face.

* 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-administered ID program
clarifies the current patchwork of patient
documentation and frees our law enforcement and
judicial system to focus on genuine criminal activity.

* Voters’ support of safe and legal access to medical
marijuana has only grown stronger since the passage of
the Compassionate Use Act (Prop. 215) in 1996.
According to an independent field poll conducted in
2004, 74% of Californians believe that patients should
not be arrested for using marijuana as medicine. The
statewide Medical Marijuana ID card program simply
provides additional protection to qualified patients
and further solidifies our state law and the will of
the voters.
Please send a copy of any e-mail messages to me so
that I can gauge the impact we have in each county.

* The county 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. For example, the Oregon Medical
Marijuana Program, implemented in 1999, was able to
realize a $986,000 budget surplus after two years of
operation. This also allowed the state to
significantly reduce the fees imposed on patients.

* The county has a legal responsibility to the State
of California to implement the program.

Thank you for your support of this important program.
Once implemented, not only will it reduce patients’
risk, it will also further strengthen California’s
decade-old medical marijuana law.

Sincerely,

F. Aaron Smith
Safe Access Now
fa_smith [at] yahoo.com
Ph: (707) 291-0076
Fax: (866) 204-1341
http://www.safeacccessnow.com