ASA CA Weekly Alert

**ASA Chapter Meetings
**
1) Saturday, July 22nd, Modesto: Central Valley Patients Coalition Meeting
2) Tuesday, July 25th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting
3) Wednesday, July 26th, Oakland: East Bay ASA Meeting
4) Thursday, July 27th, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting
**
City & County Hearings
**
5) Tuesday, July 25th, San Diego: Patient Community to Demand the City
Council End the Raids!
6) Tuesday, July 25th, Folsom: City Council to Vote on Banning Dispensaries
7) Tuesday, July 25th, Oroville: Advocates to Encourage Butte Co. Board
of Sups to Adopt MMJ ID Card Program
8) Tuesday, August 1st, Redondo Beach: City Council to Vote on Extending
Dispensary Moratorium
**
Court Support
**
9) Monday, July 31st, Fresno: Court Support for Joe Fortt

*Special Events*

10) Thursday, July 27th, Los Angeles: From The Frontlines: Law
Enforcement And The War On Drugs
11) Friday, August 11th, Los Angeles: Monte Carlo Night Fundraiser for ASA
**
**
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*ASA Chapter Meetings*
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*1) Saturday, July 22nd, Modesto: Central Valley Patients Coalition Meeting*

Hello all,
I just wanted to send out a bit of a more detailed reminder for the
meeting on July 22, at 1:00pm for the CVPC. The location for the meeting
will be held at 4213 McHenry Ave #F in Modesto, CA 95354.
We would like to go over local and current issues at the meeting, one
of the most important being the safety of our patients, and getting one
of our areas best fighters for compassion and patients rights, our
acting-President, Michael O'Leary. As our publicist Shirley Cox
mentioned in a previous email, we will also be discussing and going over
rough drafts to start a "Letters To the Editor" campaign. The CVPC would
like to encourage those that are able, willing and that have the drive
and desire to do so, to please bring a copy of your own letter and/or
some ideas to add to ours. After the discussion and review, there will
be a vote to choose which 2 or 3 "templates" to send and what papers to
send them to. Shirley will be making and sending the copies.
The CVPC will also be setting up our goals for the year, as well as
way to implement those strategies. Some of these will include short-term
goals, ie: ways to help to re-open The Healthy Choice (THC) and that
it's owners and volunteers are not wrongfully prosecuted. As well as the
long-term goals; securing the safety of patients rights in our area and
continuing the membership and growth of the CVPC.
Finally, we will be discussing ways to ensure support for Michael and
the THC for his court date on August 15th, 2006 between 1-1:30pm at the
Modesto Superior Courthouse.
We do hope that those patients that can and are able, do make it out
to Modesto to attend our meeting on the 22nd.

Best regards and wishes to all,

Darian Burnham
Secretary CVPC
Modesto, CA
JollyD_CA [at] yahoo.com <mailto:JollyD_CA [at] yahoo.com>

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*2) Tuesday, July 25th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting*

It's more important than ever that San Francisco patients join together
to ensure regulations that protect patients' access, rights and privacy.
Join SF ASA to plan for the future of medical cannabis in San Francisco.

7:00 p.m
San Francisco Woman's Building
3543 18th Street #8
Room B

For more info, call Tony: (415) 283-7404

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*3) Wednesday, July 26th, Oakland: East Bay ASA Meeting*

Join East Bay ASA to make strategic plans for the rest of the year to
ensure safe access in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties! We will be
distributing complaint forms aimed at Oakland to change the city's
dispensary ordinance and discussing follow-up steps for this campaign.
Advocates who will have attended the El Cerrito hearing on dispensaries
will report back on the meeting, and we will be discussing the new
Alameda County ID card program. As always, we welcome you to add further
issues effecting patients to this agenda.

Please join us and make your voice heard! Refreshments will be served.

* Wednesday, June 28th @ 7 pm*

Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative
1734 Telegraph (back entrance), Downtown Oakland
Just a couple blocks from the 19th Street BART station!

For more information or to get involved, contact Rebecca:
Rebecca [at] SafeAccessNow.org or 510-251-1856 x 308

Please spread the word and pass this on to your East Bay neighbors!

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*4) Thursday, July 27th, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting*

Sacramento ASA has begun meeting again and they're busy strategizing on
ways to effect local, state and national policies.

The Sacramento medical marijuana community was once extremely active
with Americans for Safe Access. Sac ASA met regularly, organized a huge
rally for Bryan Epis at the Capitol, and did all they could to protect
patients' rights.

Patients and advocates in the Sacramento area are coming together again
to reinvigorate ASA. Please join them at their bi-weekly meetings:

Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
Capitol Wellness Collective
2400 14th Street, Sacramento

Patients and non-patients are welcome. This is a great opportunity to
get involved with ASA and to work on both local and national campaigns.

For more information, please call 916-325-9000.

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**City & County Hearings**
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*5) Tuesday, July 25th, San Diego: Patient Community to Demand the City
Council End the Raids!*

Earlier today, DEA agents visited all of the remaining dispensaries in
San Diego, demanding they shut down immediately. All access has been cut
off for San Diego patients, and it's time to take action to protect safe
access!

On Tuesday, San Diego ASA and the patient community will be gathering to
demand the City Council pass a resolution to end DEA and local law
enforcement raids of dispensaries. Please join us to call on the city to
take action!

Gather @ 9:30 a.m. in front of City Hall, 220 C Street, San Diego
Speak to the council @ 10:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers.

Please look for San Diego ASA members who will be in front of City Hall
distributing talking points & copies of the proposed resolution.

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*6) Tuesday, July 25th, Folsom: City Council to Vote on Banning
Dispensaries*

The City of Folsom will be voting on permanently banning medical
cannabis dispensaries. Patients & advocates are encouraged to speak to
the City Council. Tell them how important dispensaries are to patients!

Please download ASA talking points
<http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=212> on dispensary
regulations, moratoriums & bans.

6:30 p.m.

Council Chambers
50 Natoma Street
Folsom, CA

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*
7) Tuesday, July 25th, Oroville: Advocates to Encourage Butte Co. Board
of Sups to Adopt MMJ ID Card Program
*
Dear Butte County medical marijuana supporter,

Butte County officials are not following our state's long-standing
medical marijuana laws. In addition to legitimate patients having their
medicine seized under the watch of the County's Board of Supervisors,
the County has yet to implement its voluntary medical marijuana ID card
program, as required by law.

Safe Access Now and Butte County's chapter of Americans for Safe Access
are both planning to speak out against the County's dereliction of duty
at next Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. Hopefully, you will be
able to join us at this important county meeting.

The meeting will be held at the County Government Center in Oroville on
Tuesday, July 25th. We will be speaking during the public comment period
about 1:30pm.

Public outcry at meetings such as this one goes a long way in making
progress towards our goal of securing safe and legal access to medicine
for patients in Butte County. Please attend this meeting to let your
voice be heard!

Meeting time and location:

Tuesday, July 25 -- 1:30pm
Board of Supervisors Chambers
25 County Center Drive
Oroville, CA 95965

Talking points on the medical marijuana ID card program can be found here:
http://www.aaronsmith.org/mmic_talking_points.pdf

Feel free to contact either of us for more information.

Sincerely,

Aaron Smith
Safe Access Now, safeaccessnow [at] gmail.com
(707) 291-0076
&
Eileen Farelle, nannienan2 [at] peoplepc.com
Butte County Americans for Safe Access

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*
8) Tuesday, August 1st, Redondo Beach: City Council to Vote on Extending
Dispensary Moratorium*

Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 ~ 6:30pm ~ Redondo Beach
Public Hearing
Redondo Beach City Council Meeting
415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach

Attend the Redondo Beach public hearing on the extension of moratorium
for 10 1/2 months. The city has forced the dispensary that was open to
close. Stand up for safe access! Come out to urge the city to allow
California Caregivers Association to reopen and regulate dispensing
collectives quickly.

Please download ASA talking points
<http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=212> on dispensary
regulations, moratoriums & bans.

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*Court Support*
****
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*
9) Monday, July 31st, Fresno: Court Support for Joe Fortt* *
*
Status hearing at 9:00am before Judge Anthony W. Ishii in U.S. District
Court, 5th Floor, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA. Despite Joe Fortt
closing the doors to his Bakersfield medical marijuana dispensary,
American Kenpo Kungfu School of Public Health, a day after the Gonzales
v. Raich decision, three places of cultivation were raided and he was
arrested on July 20, 2005. Allegedly, over 2,000 plants were seized and
Fortt was subsequently charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess
more than 1,000 plants. Fortt is currently incarcerated, and faces a
10-year mandatory minimum sentence if convicted.

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*Special Events*
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*10) Thursday, July 27th, Los Angeles: From The Frontlines: Law
Enforcement And The War On Drugs*

Jul 27, 2006 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Location: Drug Policy Alliance Office, 610 S. Ardmore Ave, Los Angeles,
CA 90005
Contact: Admission is free, but please register in advance by
contacting Yazmin Trujillo at (213) 201 4780

You are cordially invited to the official launch of Mike Gray's "Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition", a short video about the eponymously
named group (called LEAP for short) of patrol officers, chiefs of
police, judges and more, which works to end the US prohibition on drugs.

Join Mike Gray, who filmed and narrated the film; Jack Cole, founding
member and current president of LEAP; as well as many local drug policy
reformers, for an honest and engaging conversation.

We invite you to share dinner and a showing with us, followed by a
discussion on law enforcement's role in drug policy reform. LEAP members
have seen first hand how drug war policies do more harm than good. Not
all law enforcement are so reform-minded, however, and public health
advocates will discuss recent run-ins in the Los Angeles area.

The event is hosted by the Drug Policy Alliance and sponsored by Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition and Common Sense for Drug Policy.

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*11) Friday, August 11th, Los Angeles: Monte Carlo Night Fundraiser for ASA*

~ Friday, August 11th, from ~ 9p-1a ~

LA ASA is holding a Monte Carlo Night at the CPG! Join us to play Poker,
Roulette, Craps, 21/Blackjack & Pai Gow for valuable prizes!! We will
have free food and beverages. Tix are only $20 and you must be a patient
to attend. Dress to impress! Prizes will be given to the Best Dressed
Man, Woman and Tranny! Only 150 tickets will be sold!! Tickets are
available at CPG (323) 464-7052 & LAPCG (323) 882-6033.

Come out, have fun and support the amazing work that ASA does to protect
and advance safe access!

--
Rebecca Saltzman
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
p (510) 251-1856 x 308
f (510) 251-2036
http://www.safeaccessnow.org