Take Action to Protect Orange County Patients!

Participation in the program would be entirely voluntary for qualified
patients and caregivers; however the county is required, by law, to
make the program available.

If the program is implemented, Orange County patients and caregivers
will be able to obtain the ID cards through a confidential program
administered by the county's Health Services Agency. The ID program
works to protect cardholders from unnecessary arrest, detainment or
seizure of their medicine by state and local law enforcement--which
conduct 99% of marijuana arrests.

Law enforcement officials in Orange County have a dismal track record
when it comes to respecting California's medical marijuana laws. This
is why it is imperative that the ID card program be implemented
without further delay.

In order to gain a victory for OC patients, we need your help.

If you live in Orange County, please take a few minutes of your time to
take the following actions in order to help protect Orange County's medical
marijuana patients (if you do not live in OC, please forward this message to
someone who does):

1. Please visit: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/OCIDcardaction to send
an e-mail to the Board of Supervisors, urging them to vote to
implement the medical marijuana ID card program

2. Write a letter to the editor of the Orange County Register
expressing your support for the ID card program. The Register has
already taken a favorable position on medical marijuana but it is
important to show that the public agrees that local patients must be
protected from arrest. Feel free to use the talking points at the end
of this message when composing your letter.

Letters should be 200 words or less and must include your name,
address and phone number (contact info will not be published).
E-mail letters to: letters [at] ocregister.com

3. Mark your calendar and plan to attend the Board of Supervisors
meeting on Tuesday, April 17. It is crucial that as many patients and
supporters as possible show up to this hearing to support safe access
to medical marijuana and the implementation of the medical marijuana
ID card program in Orange County.
Further details on the meeting will be sent next week. If you wish to
become more involved in our local efforts, please contact Safe Access
Now's Aaron Smith at: SafeAccessNow [at] gmail.com or (866) 287-6792

Talking points supporting California's medical marijuana ID card program:

- The ID card protects patients and caregivers from lengthy
detainment, arrest, seizure of property or unnecessary court
proceedings. Although cases involving legitimate medical marijuana
patients are consistently dismissed, this situation poses as an undue
hardship on some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

- 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 has a legal responsibility to implement the program, as a
requirement of Senate Bill 420, passed into law in 2003 and later
upheld by a San Diego Superior Court ruling in December 2006.

- The majority of California's counties have plans to implement the
program very soon and there is no reason for our county to be lagging
so far behind on this important issue.

- The Department of Health 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.

- Voters' support of safe and legal access to medical marijuana has
only grown stronger since Orange County voters approved the
Compassionate Use Act (Prop. 215) in 1996. According to an independent
field poll conducted in 2006, three out of four Californians now
support implementation of the state's medical marijuana laws.

F. Aaron Smith
Safe Access Now
phone: (707) 575-9870
fax: (866) 204-1341
e-mail: fa_smith [at] yahoo.com