Pubdate: Thu, 03 Jan 2013
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

MARIJUANA'S SHORT GAME

Forget 2014 or 2016: What's Going to Happen With Cannabis Next Year 
in California?

While "wait and see" seems to be the prevailing attitude when it 
comes to sweeping cannabis-law reform in California, leaders in the 
state's marijuana industry say 2013 will be a year of action.

In Sacramento County, the Committee for Safe Patient Access to 
Regulated Cannabis recently presented a petition to the board of 
supervisors to allow 22 medical-cannabis collectives to open for 
business. And next year, local activists will look to put continued 
political pressure on the county.

"It is in the county's interest to place well-regulated dispensaries 
into play," Sacramento-based Crusaders for Patients Rights' Lanette 
Davies argued. "It is foolish and bigoted to deny patients safe 
access and deny the county residents much-needed jobs and tax revenue."

This fight may be a bit uphill, as the county has shown no sign of 
lifting its moratorium on dispensaries. And local initiatives to 
overturn bans in San Diego County failed at the ballot box, showing 
that the medical-cannabis movement still has a tough time delivering 
enough votes to spur real action.

Amanda Reiman, California policy director with legislative-advocacy 
outfit the Drug Policy Alliance, said her organization will continue 
to work on improving and developing "state-level medical-cannabis 
regulations" as a "blue print" for how things work in the pot 
business. "Additionally, we will be working to reduce [or] eliminate 
the civil sanctions associated with marijuana convictions, such as 
loss of employment, housing and financial aid for college," she said.

When it comes to legalization, however, the DPA and others are 
looking at 2016 for a ballot measure. "It takes about $10 million to 
run a successful initiative in California," Reiman said during a 
panel at The Emerald Cup in Humboldt County in December 2012. "We 
know California has the deep pockets, we just need to get the 
initiative right." She added that she hopes to talk to more small- 
and large-scale cannabis farmers to get an understanding of what they 
would like cannabis-law reform to look like.

The ranks of unionized marijuana workers also likely will grow in 
2013. Over at the United Food and Commercial Workers, the director of 
the Medical Cannabis and Hemp Division, Dan Rush, anticipates "5,000 
new members in the door by May 2013."

He added that he hoped to announce a few more major clubs joining the 
union early this year, and the UFCW will also work on fixing the mess 
that is medical-cannabis regulation in Los Angeles, as well as 
working on regulations for "sun-grown" (that's the new fancy 
appellation for outdoor weed) medical marijuana.

Medical-cannabis advocacy group Americans for Safe Access plans to 
continue the fight for patients' rights. "We will continue to work 
toward ending housing and employment discrimination toward 
medical-cannabis patients," said California director Don Duncan.

Within the city limits, matters seem to have smoothed out, and some 
dispensaries are re-emerging. Florin Wellness Center has reopened 
after a brief hiatus, although it isn't accepting any new members, 
and a few new clubs and delivery services also have opened in recent 
months. Activists say they hope to bring clarity and a few changes to 
the city's outdoor-growing ordinance as well.

Meanwhile, some California activists are becoming impatient with the 
state falling behind others when it comes to full-on legalization.

"Four years?!" one activist shouted during the panel at The Emerald 
Cup. "That's four more years of people going to jail, of people 
losing their houses and children, four more years of wasted taxpayer 
money and resources!"
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom