SF Board of Supes Vote on Resolution for Medical Cannabis Sanctuary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shona Gochenaur 415-240-5247
axisoflovesf [at] gmail.com

San Francisco Supervisors Take Lead in Safe Access Crisis,

Birthplace of Medical Marijuana Prop215-Defends Sanctuary Status Against DEA

Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 2 pm, San Francisco Board of Supervisors'
Chambers

The DEA has sent letters to property owners who rent to dispensaries in San
Francisco -- and all over California -- threatening them with property
seizure unless they evict the dispensaries operating there. The San
Francisco safe access community has unified behind a resolution to include
the landowners in the city's sanctuary status for medical cannabis that the
Board of Supervisors will vote on this Tuesday, February 12 (resolution
080152 http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_page.asp?id=74605). The
resolution calls upon Mayor Newsom to stand in solidarity with Mayor Dellums
of Oakland, who has issued a public statement in support of Chairman of the
congressional Judiciary Committee John Conyers Jr. Congressman Conyers
called for an investigative hearing to examine DEA attempts to block safe
access for suffering patients, and their undermining state law.

Far from symbolic - this resolution sets the tone for political resolve and
directs action from all local and state legislators to oppose intimidation
measures lodged by the DEA against sick, disabled, and dying Californians
seeking medical cannabis as a treatment. Thus far San Francisco, the
medical cannabis model for the nation, remains resilient and steadfast -- no
medical cannabis co-op has shut its doors based solely upon these
terrorizing letters. Patient advocates of San Francisco are keeping their
eyes on the prize by emphasizing the need for Congressional hearings to
protect safe access in all twelve states that have compassionate use laws.

The resolution was introduced by Supervisor Chris Daly and co-sponsored by
Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi Jake McGoldrick, and Tom Ammiano. The Harvey
Milk Democratic Club, the San Francisco Green Party, and local patient
advocacy group ASA SF have endorsed this resolution.

This follows a similar resolution passed by the Democratic Central Committee
(http://www.sfdemocrats.org/sfd/resolutions.html), and a joint resolution
introduced in the state legislature by Senator Carole Migden (
http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/SJR_20.pdf). as political
bodies and individual politicians add their names to the growing list of
those actively in opposition of the DEA's attacks on the medical cannabis
community.

Despite strong statements of support for medical cannabis patients from the
Berkeley City Council and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, who issued a statement
(http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/Dellums_Statement.pdf) and also sent a
letter of concern to Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (
http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/Dellums_Letter_to_Conyers.pdf), San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has been relatively quiet on the issue, only
mentioning through his spokesperson, Nathan Ballard, that he's concerned
medical cannabis patients may lose their access to their medicine with the
DEA tactics.

"We are grateful the San Francisco Supervisors are taking a legislative
stand in support of safe access for medical cannabis patients," says Mira
Ingram of the Marijuana Offenses Oversight Committee and Axis of Love, "but
we're disappointed that Mayor Newsom hasn't publicly affirmed support for
property owners being included in the city's sanctuary status, nor has he
come forward in support of Congressman John Conyers Jr. call for an Judicial
Committee investigation into DEA harassment of sick and disabled people.''

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