ASA CA Weekly Alert from 1/26

*Weekly Roundup*

1) January 22nd Los Angeles Protest Draws Hundreds; Solidarity Actions
Held in Several Cities
*
**ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings*

2) Thursday, February 1st, Santa Rosa: Sonoma ASA Meeting
3) Saturday, February 3rd, Modesto: Central Valley Patients Coalition
Meeting
4) Tuesday, February 6th, San Diego: SD ASA Meeting
5) Tuesday, February 6th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting
6) Thursday, February 8th, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting
7) Saturday, February 10th, Birds Landing: Solano Patients' Group Meeting

*Court Support*

8) Monday, February 5th, Fresno: Sentencing Hearing for Dustin Costa
9) Monday, February 12th, San Francisco: Pretrial Hearing for Ed Rosenthal

*Special Events*

10) Thursday, February 1st, San Francisco: THC Comedy Tour Benefit for ASA

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*Weekly Roundup*
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*
1) January 22nd Protests Draw Hundreds - Pill Bottles Dumped in Several
Cities*

/LA Report from Chris Fusco:/

On Monday, ASA led a demonstration of more than 500 protesters who
gathered at the Federal Building in Downtown Los Angeles to protest the
DEA's assault on patients last week. As the people gathered in front of the
DEA's offices, scores of motorists and pedestrians voiced their own
support for Safe Access in Los Angeles. Holding signs and banners, the
crowd let the DEA know they are not welcome in this city. As patients
spoke to the enormous crowd to share their own outrage for the DEA's
actions, we dropped our empty pill bottles at the base of the base of
the building to show they had taken all our medicine.

Once we were done at the Federal Building, the crowd marched to City
Hall to thank the LA City Council and the Mayor for the support they
have shown patients so far. We also let them know that their words were
nice, but it is time for action. The demonstration at City Hall was so
big it was impossible to keep patients out of the streets, but because
the LAPD sensed our cooperation they let us peacefully assemble out
front. While we demonstrated in front of City Hall, a group of 30
patients and advocates launched the LA ASA Heat Campaign. They went
from door to door to the offices of the LA City Council to deliver
signed letters from patients and voice support for regulated collectives
in Los Angeles. The large group attracted the attention of numerous
local media so keep an eye out for that. Thanks so much to all the
patients in Los Angeles and the providers who have helped keep Safe
Access alive in LA. Be safe and we will see you all at future
demonstrations.

If you missed this action, please watch video coverage on the local Fox
News website
<http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2144398&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1>.
/
Solidarity Demonstrations Held in Several Cities & Advocates Statewide
Call on Congress to Stop Raids/

Activists in Denver, Sacramento & San Francisco demonstrated in
solidarity with patients in Los Angeles on Monday and Tuesday.
Throughout the week, thousands of patients and advocates statewide
called their congressional representatives to urge them to stop the DEA
raids. Several supporters took their activism to the next level and set
up meetings with their congressional representatives.

If you have not taken action yet, it is not too late to set up a meeting
with your congressional representatives. Please read ASA's ABCs of
Citizen Advocacy <http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/ABCs> for tips
on setting up and executing meetings. Congressional staff continues to
tell us that they have never met a medical cannabis patient and that
they believe nobody in their district cares about this issue. That is
why it is so important to visit your representative NOW to make your
voice heard. If you have the opportunity to meet with a staffer, explain
to the staffer why medical cannabis is important to you. You can also
relay to them a story or two from
<http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/ASA_congressional_news.pdf>ASA's
congressional newsletter
<http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/ASA_congressional_news.pdf>
<http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/ASA_congressional_news.pdf> and use
these stories to highlight the current problems with federal medical
cannabis policy.

To find out who represents you, visit the House of Representatives
website <http://www.house.gov/> and the Senate website
<http://www.senate.gov/>. Type in your zip code to find your
representatives, and then visit their contact page to find information
about their local offices.

Please let us know if you need help setting up a meeting or have
successfully set up a meeting by contacting Barbara Camille, legislative
affairs assistant: BCamille [at] SafeAccessNow.org
*
*
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*ASA Chapter Meetings*
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*
**2) Thursday, February 1st, Santa Rosa: Sonoma ASA Meeting*

When: Thursday from 5pm-7pm
Where: Department of Public Health, 625 5th Street (at Mendocino Avenue)
in Santa Rosa

Please join Sonoma's chapter of American's for Safe Access. Patients,
supporters, caregivers and friends are
welcome to come share their opinions on what should happen locally,
statewide, and nationally. More info 707-332-6556

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*
3) Saturday, February 3rd, Modesto: Central Valley Patients Coalition
Meeting*

Please join central valley patients and supporters to help plan and
strategize for the defense of patients rights in Stanislaus County,
Merced County, and beyond! The CVPC meets on the first Saturday of each
month, at 9:00 AM. New Location: These meetings will now be held at
1009 Bingham Dr., Modesto, CA, 95350. For additional information,
contact Shirley Cox, Public Relations Officer for the Central Valley
Patients Coalition: shirley [at] CompassionateCoalition.org

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*4) Tuesday, February 6th, San Diego: SD ASA Meeting*

Our San Diego chapter of ASA has been busy lately and needs you to get
involved. It is time to get involved and protect safe access!

For more info about the chapter, please visit their site:
http://sdasa.4mg.com/index.html

Twiggs Coffee House
4590 Park Blvd.
In the Green Room
7:00-8:00 p.m.

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*5) Tuesday, February 6th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting*

7:00 p.m. - Location TBA

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*6) Thursday, February 8th, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting*

Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
!Pura Vida! (next to the Capitol Wellness Collective)
2400 14th Street, Sacramento

All 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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*
7) Saturday, February 10th, Birds Landing: Solano Patients' Group Meeting*

Solano Patients' Group/Compassionate Coalition National meetings will
now be held on every 2nd Saturday of the month @ 3pm. The meeting
location is at 2145 Collinsville Road in Birds Landing, CA 94512. All
members and supporters are welcome to attend these public meetings.

For more information, call (707) 635-3752.

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*Court Support*
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*
8) Monday, February 5th, Fresno: Sentencing Hearing for Dustin Costa*

Sentencing hearing at 9am before Judge Anthony W. Ishii at the U.S.
District Court, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA
<http://207.41.18.73/caed/staticOther/page_717.htm>. Medical marijuana
patient and caregiver Dustin Costa (a.k.a. "DC Greenhouse"), 60, who is
president of the Merced Patients Group, was being prosecuted on state
charges stemming from a March 2004 cultivation arrest by Merced County
Sheriffs, when the state decided to turn his case over to the U.S.
Attorney for federal prosecution. On August 10, 2005, federal agents
re-arrested Costa and on November 22, 2006, a jury convicted him on
federal charges of cultivation, possession with intent to distribute,
and possession of a firearm. Costa is currently incarcerated in Fresno.

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*
9) Monday, February 12th, San Francisco: Pretrial Hearing for Ed Rosenthal*
*
*Pretrial hearing before Judge Charles Breyer in U.S. District Court,
450 Golden Gate, San Francisco, CA. In October 2006, superseding
indictments were filed against medical marijuana author and cultivator
Ed Rosenthal and Rick Watts (though his felony charges were later
dismissed). In addition to being prosecuted on prior charges, stemming
from the first indictments, they also face money laundering and tax
evasion charges (which were later severed from the other charges).
Rosenthal and Watts were arrested in February 2002 after the DEA raided
the Harm Reduction Center in San Francisco. Due to not being able to
assert a medical (Raich) defense, Rosenthal was convicted in January
2003 (Watts was unable to stand trial due to injuries sustained from an
auto accident). After outrage expressed by jurors and supporters alike,
U.S. District Court Charles Breyer sentenced Rosenthal on June 3, 2003
to one day in prison. Rosenthal later got his conviction overturned
based on jury misconduct. The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
then remanded the case back to district court, where the government is
currently retrying Rosenthal.

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*Special Events*
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*10) Thursday, February 1st, San Francisco: THC Comedy Tour Benefit for ASA*

The THC Comedy Tour is coming to Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco on
Thursday, February 1. This hysterical comedy show is touring the country
raising awareness and money for cannabis and medical cannabis advocacy.
The San Francisco show features our native cannabis comedy hero Ngaio
Bealum! You will also laugh with Marc Norman, Doug Benson, and others.
Check out their bios below!

The show on Thursday, February 1 benefits Americans for Safe Access
(ASA). I hope you will all come out and laugh to help support the
nation's largest organization of patients, medical professionals,
scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to
cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Here are the details...

The THC Comedy Tour
Thursday, February 1 * 8:00 PM
Cobb's Comedy Club (in North Beach)
915 North Columbus Ave., San Francisco
Tickets at the box office $18. Call (415) 928-4320
Visit http://www.cobbscomedy.com/index.html for details and directions.
(18 and over only, 2 beverage minimum)

Read about Ngaio Bealum at http://profile.myspace.com/ngaio

We have the scathing, biting humor of Marc Maron, former co-host of
"Morning Sedition" on Air America Radio. Maron is known for his incisive
cultural and political commentary, mystical ruminations, and neurotic
insights into human
nature. Marc has appeared on just about every TV show that will allow
comics, from The Late Show with David Letterman to Late Night with Conan
O'Brien, where he is a special favorite.

Featuring Doug Benson, one of the stars from the hit Broadway play "The
Marijuana-Logues. Doug appears on numerous television shows, including
The Late Late Show and Premium Blend. As an actor you may have seen him on
Friends and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Also playing is Ngaio Bealum, runner
up in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition. He has
appeared MTV, Comedy Central, & BET's Comic View.

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