Landmark medical marijuana bill clears California legislative committee

Marijuana Policy Project

Marijuana Policy Project Alert: Calif.
April 30, 2008

Yesterday, California's medical marijuana patients and caregivers
were dealt a victory when the Assembly Committee on Public Safety
passed A.B. 2743. The bill, authored by Assembly Member Lori Saldaña
(D-San Diego) and spearheaded by MPP, would direct state and local law
enforcement officers not to assist in federal raids on medical
marijuana patients and providers. The 4-3 committee vote to allows the
bill to continue on to the appropriations committee.

Thanks to all of you who took action by writing or calling members of
the committee in support of this legislation. Your participation is
crucial to our efforts to provide further protections for
California's medical marijuana patients.

This victory is significant because local and state officials have
assisted the federal war on patients and providers in more than
three-dozen cases, including by calling in federal agents. Despite
intense opposition from some segments of the law enforcement
community, seriously ill and injured patients prevailed when the
committee voted to move the bill forward.

Our efforts to improve protections for patients and caregivers are
funded entirely by our supporters. MPP has retained a skilled lobbying
firm in Sacramento and has a full-time California organizer. If you
are able to, please make a donation today to help fund this effort by visiting:

http://control.mpp.org/site/R?i=G4LNaGIr5u2lGKuudVUokQ..


The committee heard testimony from MPP's Aaron Smith; raided
dispensary operator Addison DeMoura; Deborah Pottle, a disabled former
corrections officer who received her medicine from DeMoura's
collective; and Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband Dale Schafer, who have
both been sentenced to five years in federal prison for medical
marijuana. Several patients and caregivers from the Sacramento area
also attended to show their support for the bill.

This legislation is supported by MPP, the American Civil Liberties
Union, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), California Public Defenders
Association, Californians for Tax Reform, the Drug Policy Alliance,
and the Lambda Letters Project.

A.B. 2743 is now in the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. Please
watch for future alerts on how you can help make sure state money
isn't spent to undermine state law and to imprison patients and
providers.

If you want to get more involved in our efforts in California, contact
MPP California organizer Aaron Smith at asmith [at] mpp.org.

Sincerely,

Karen O'Keefe
Assistant Director of State Policies
Marijuana Policy Project



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