Pubdate: Thu, 31 May 2012
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: David Downs

SACRAMENTO SURGE

After Laying Low, Patients and Dispensary Owners Get Political

Sacramento lawmakers got an earful from California medical-cannabis 
patients last week when some 300 pissed-off voters flooded the 
Legislature's halls. Some called it a historic day of lobbying to 
support bills ensuring safe access to the drug.

The effort came in advance of a vote on San Francisco Assemblyman Tom 
Ammiano's Assembly Bill 2312, which would set statewide rules on 
dispensaries in an attempt to end a seven-month federal crackdown on 
the billion-dollar California medical-cannabis industry.

Ammiano has proposed to create a new state regulatory body to license 
dispensaries in an attempt to emulate the more tightly controlled 
medical-cannabis system of Colorado.

The lobbying blitz capped a three-day unity conference in Sacramento, 
when at least five busloads of patients arrived from San Francisco, 
Berkeley, San Jose, Riverside and West Hollywood. Hundreds networked, 
received training on lobbying messages and listened to videotaped 
messages from Congress members.

Monday at noon, state Sen. Mark Leno (D-Marin) and Ammiano spoke 
before a crowd of several hundred on the lawn in front of the 
Capitol. The freak flag was not flying at the event, though: Male 
attendees wore suits and ties or polo shirts, while women wore dresses.

Organizers and Capitol police had agreed to a strict no-smoking rule.

Americans for Safe Access spokesman Jonathan Bair said registered 
attendees received specific lobbying assignments that corresponded to 
their localities. They worked in groups and tried to hit up each and 
every legislative office during the blitz.

"It's a diverse group, too," Bair said. "We have people whose only 
experience with politics is they need their medication and they've 
been thrown into the political system, all the way up to 
sophisticated labor organizers."

The federal crackdown is galvanizing the industry. This despite many 
dispensaries being deliberately apolitical before it began, noted 
Matthew Witemyre, who organizes dispensaries and workers in Northern 
California for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5.

"A lot of attorneys, frankly, were telling dispensaries not to be 
engaged in the political process, as it might draw attention to 
them," Witemyre said. "We're really starting to see why that's not 
the way to do this."

Today, even the most unpolitical operators worry federal officials 
won't stop after putting the competition out of business.

"They're going to continue to pick us apart one by one if we don't 
come together in solidarity," Witemyre said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom