Action Alert: Congress to Vote on Medical Marijuana! and more

CALL CONGRESS TODAY ABOUT KEY MEDICAL MARIJUANA VOTE

From: DPAlliance
{mailto:alerts [at] actioncenter.drugpolicy.org}
Subject: Call Congress Today about MMJ
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006

Congress will vote on an amendment this week (as early as Tuesday
night) that would protect cancer, AIDS and other patients who use
marijuana for medical reasons from federal prosecution. Make sure
your Representative votes the right way: call him or her as soon as
possible, and forward this alert to everyone you know.

What to Do: Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to
speak to your Representative. If you're not sure who represents you,
the operator can tell you. You can also look up your Representative
at http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=3764476&l=126327
{http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=3764476&l=126327} by
entering your zip code at the top of the page.

What to Say: Once the operator transfers you to your Representative's
office, give the person that answers the phone the following message:
"Hi, I'm a constituent. I'm calling to urge my Representative to vote
for the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment to the
Science-State-Justice-Commerce spending bill, which will be voted on
this week. This issue is very important to me." (Hinchey-Rohrabacher
is pronounced Hinchee - Roy Bocker.)

Then forward this alert to friends, family, etc.

More Information:
Responding to the growing conflict between the states and the federal
government over the issue of medical marijuana, Rep. Maurice Hinchey
(D-NY) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) will offer an amendment to
the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill that would
prohibit the U.S. Justice Department from undermining state efforts
to provide terminally ill and chronic pain patients access to
doctor-recommended medical marijuana. The amendment would prohibit
the Justice Department from spending any money on arresting or
prosecuting medical marijuana patients in states where medical
marijuana is legal. 161 members of Congress voted for a similar
amendment last year.

11 states have enacted effective medical marijuana laws - Alaska,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode
Island, Vermont and Washington. The U.S. Justice Department, however,
continues to spend millions of dollars arresting medical marijuana
patients and their caregivers - even in states where medical
marijuana is legal. At a time when violent drug cartels remain at
large and threats of terrorism continue to emerge, it is
irresponsible for the Justice Department to jeopardize public safety
by wasting scarce law enforcement resources conducting raids on
hospice centers and medical marijuana patients.

The Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment would not prevent
the Justice Department from arresting people using, growing, or
selling marijuana for recreational use. Nor would it prevent the
Justice Department from arresting medical marijuana patients in the
states that have not approved the drug for this use. It simply
prevents the federal government from arresting cancer, AIDS and MS
patients that use marijuana for medical reasons in states that have
adopted medical marijuana laws.

Substantial majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents
support medical marijuana. A 2001 Pew Research Center poll found that
73% of Americans support medical marijuana. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found
that 80% of Americans support it. The Institute of Medicine has
determined that nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety "all can be
mitigated by marijuana." Allowing cancer, AIDS, and MS patients legal
access to medical marijuana is supported by the American Nurses
Association, American Public Health Association, American Bar
Association, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente, among
other groups.

Please urge your U.S. Representative to support the
Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment to the Justice
Department spending bill by calling the Capitol Switchboard at
202-224-3121.

Thanks to the Drug Policy Alliance for providing this action alert!
http://www.drugpolicy.org/ {http://www.drugpolicy.org/}

***************************************************************

Central Valley Patients Coalition Meeting: July 1st
Central Valley patients and supporters met in Modesto, CA on Saturday
to plan and strategize for the defense of patients rights in
Stanislaus County, Merced County, and beyond. Current president of
the Merced County Patients Coalition(MCPC), Nick Osborne, announced
that he will be moving to the Aloha State, and Stanislaus/Merced
patients are stepping up to build upon the progress made by the MCPC.
Patients in Stanislaus and Merced Counties are joining together, and
the MCPC will become the "Central Valley Patients Coalition"(CVPC), a
chaper of The Compassionate Coalition.

The newly-formed Central Valley Patients Coalition will meet again
this Saturday to elect new officers, and make plans to defend safe
access in the area. Please join us on Saturday July 1st at 1:00 PM at
4213 McHenry Ave, Suite F, Modesto California, 95354. For additional
information, contact Nick Osborne at 209-261-8324 or
nick [at] CompassionateCoalition.org
{mailto:nick [at] CompassionateCoalition.org}

***************************************************************

Thunder Rector Court Support: June 27th
Fresno Hydroponics, tattoo and piercing entrepreneur, and Northern
Lights Church Reverend Thunder Rector will be in court facing judge
Wanger on Tuesday, June 27th, at 1:30pm, at the Fresno Federal
Courthouse, 2500 Tulare, department 3, floor 7, in Fresno,
California. On July 18, 2005, Thunder was arrested in a sting that
allegedly netted 235 lbs. of pot. Thunder maintains that most of the
weed was leaf. He is facing charges of conspiracy and manufacturing
cannabis with intent to distribute. Rev. Rector spent time in the
Fresno county jail, then at a halfway house called Nirvana. He is now
out, but wears an electronic monitoring device. He still runs
Thunder's Hydroponics, Tattoo and Piercing in Modesto, California,
and is an officer in the central valley based Medicinal Cannabis
Patients Coalition. Please support this passionate supporter or
medical marijuana rights in court on June 27th.

Thanks to Peter Keyes for providing this report, and keeping us
up-to-date on the case. For more information contact Peter at:
petergkeyes [at] hotmail.com {mailto:petergkeyes [at] hotmail.com}

***************************************************************

Solano County Board of Supervisors Meeting: June 27th
SPG is planning to visit the County Board of Supervisors on June
27th, 2006. The meetings are held at 8:30am at the Solano County
Government Center 675 Texas Street in Fairfield, California.

This meeting is going to be one of the most important meetings that
SPG will attend this year. We are asking ALL patients and supporters
to please join us at this meeting. I have been told by the Health
Department in Fairfield that the Medical Marijuana Card Program has
not and won't be given a time line or put into effect because the
County Board of Supervisors want to wait for outcome of the San Diego
case before they make any decisions. Our plan is to go out there and
educate them on the state mandate law and let them know how local
patients are being harassed, arrested, and even terrorized. If anyone
wants to speak before the Board, please contact us so that we may get
organized before hand. We hope those who have the time can come out
and join us on this very important day.

Thank You
Linda Jimenez, Secretary/Treasurer
Solano Patients' Group
http://www.solanopatientsgroup.org/
{http://www.solanopatientsgroup.org/}
http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/node/3778
{http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/node/3778}

***************************************************************

Solano Patients' Group Meetings: June 27th
Hello All Activists, as most of you know, SPG has had a lot of
activities and events happening in our county. We have decided to add
an extra meeting this month so that we may get organized in our
strategies. Please join us on June 27th at 7:00PM at 2145
Collinsville Road in Birds Landing, CA 94512. If you have any
questions, please call us at 707-635-3752.

Thank You,
Linda Jimenez, Secretary/Treasurer
Solano Patients' Group
http://www.solanopatientsgroup.org/
{http://www.solanopatientsgroup.org/}

***************************************************************

Laura & Galen Lawton Court Support: June 29th
Readiness conference at 1:30 PM at the Vallejo Superior Courthouse,
321 Tuolumne St., Vallejo, CA. More info: Linda Jimenez:
linda4spg [at] CompassionateCoalition.org
{mailto:linda4spg [at] CompassionateCoalition.org}

***************************************************************

Louis Fowler in Court: June 30th
Controversial medical marijuana entrepreneur Louis Fowler will be in
court facing judge Garcia on Friday, June 30th, 2006, at the
Sacramento Federal Courthouse, 501 I street, in Sacramento,
California. Louis faces an uphill battle for numerous reasons. His
dispensary purchased large ads in Sacramento News & Review, offering
free grams, and the storefront had dozens of cannabis plants growing
within sight of a common thoroughfare 24 hours a day. Louis is
alleged to have been driving with a loaded shotgun in his vehicle,
and has served time for embezzling millions from the State of
California. Giving a slight glimmer of hope to Louis' case is his
savvy, flamboyant attorney, former Deputy District Attorney Johnny
Griffin. Griffin has been in the news lately, as council for
Pakistani-American ice cream vendor Umer Hayat. Umer was accused of
lying to the F.B.I. in the infamous, "Lodi terrorist" scandal, but
was released to house arrest in May, after a jury deadlocked on his
case. Louis is currently residing in the Sacramento County Jail.

Thanks to Peter Keyes for providing this report, and keeping us
up-to-date on the case. For more information contact Peter at:
petergkeyes [at] hotmail.com {mailto:petergkeyes [at] hotmail.com}

***************************************************************

Joaquin Brand Court Support: July 7th
Joaquin Brand continues to have problems with his public defender,
who refuses to contact experts as needed. Next court appearance will
be on July 7th, at 8:30 AM in Department 8 at 2775 Richardson Drive
in Auburn, CA.

***************************************************************

Robin & Dustin Clark Court Support: July 12
Next court appearance on July 12th at 1:30 PM in Department 8 of the
Sacramento County Courthouse, 720 Ninth Street, in Sacramento, CA.
Background info:
http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5589
{http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5589}

***************************************************************

Bryan Epis Court Support: July 17th
Former cannabis cultivator Bryan Epis will be in court for an
evidentiary hearing on July 17th at 9:30am, in front of Judge
Damrell, at the Sacramento Federal Courthouse, 501 I street (I at
5th). Bryan has already served over 2 years of a 10 year sentence,
and has gotten out of the cannabis industry entirely. Bryan's case is
one of many being resentenced due to the US Supreme Court's Raich
ruling. http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4666
{http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4666}
http://207.41.18.73/wconnect/wc.dll?caedprocess~CourtRoomCalendar~&judgeID=5011&Date=2/6/2006
{http://207.41.18.73/wconnect/wc.dll?caedprocess~CourtRoomCalendar~&judgeID=5011&Date=2/6/2006}


***************************************************************

Sacramento/National CC Meeting: July 19th (July 5th meeting cancelled
due to holiday)
Please join The Compassionate Coalition for our next planning meeting
and information session! Agenda topics include: Patient meetings, news
updates, court support, elections, and business items. This group
meets the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:00PM at the
River City Patient Center, 1512 C El Camino Ave, Sacramento, CA.
Note: Any patients who wish to use their medicine at this meeting
must be registered and verified in advance by the River City Patient
Center.

For information please contact Nathan Sands at
nathan [at] CompassionateCoalition.org
{mailto:nathan [at] CompassionateCoalition.org}
http://www.CompassionateCoalition.org
{http://www.CompassionateCoalition.org}

***************************************************************

AAMC Meeting: July 29th
The El Dorado County American Alliance for Medical Cannabis will meet
on the fifth Saturday of the month, from 2:15pm until 4:20pm, at the
Garden Valley Grange, 4940 Marshall Road, Garden Valley, California.
(Note: The group will normally has meetings on the 4th Saturday of
each month)
http://www.ElDoradoCountyAAMC.com/
{http://www.ElDoradoCountyAAMC.com/}

***************************************************************
***************************************************************

The Compassionate Coalition is an all-volunteer, non-profit,
educational organization. We work to defend the rights of medical
marijuana patients and care providers, and your support enables our
work to continue. Please consider making a donation today:
http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/donate
{http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/donate}

Thank you for defending the rights of medical marijuana patients!

Nathan Sands
Chairman of the Board
The Compassionate Coalition
http://www.CompassionateCoalition.org
{http://www.CompassionateCoalition.org}
nathan [at] CompassionateCoalition.org
{mailto:nathan [at] CompassionateCoalition.org}