from Lanny
reply-to Lanny
date Aug 1, 2007 6:29 AM
subject Obtaining MMJ focus of Sun. Aug 5 MAPP meeting
Hi Everyone,
July has been a whirlwind month for medical marijuana and at the
Sunday, August 5 MAPP meeting, you can get a total update on it all
and how it will affect you – especially regarding obtaining
medicinal marijuana which will be the focus of the discussion.
There have been a number of high profile raids in southern California
including the raid on the Healing Nations Collective in Corona.
Although the dispensaries in the Coachella Valley are still operating,
patients need to develop other avenues for obtaining their medicine.
Due to a recent statement by William Mitchell, Deputy Riverside County
DA for the desert cities, that small coops are legal, we are
cautiously optimistic that collective operators may be able to obtain
the same protection from arrest that individual patients now have. But
this is going to take some effort on our part to make this happen and
that means your involvement is critical.
At the end of this email, I have included the proposal about small
collectives I submitted to the Palm Springs Medical Marijuana Task
Force. The city has taken the proposal seriously and, by exempting
small collectives from their planned ordinance, they pave the way for
them to flourish once we get the county to establish the documentation
I discuss in the proposal at the end of this email. I think you will
find the proposal intriguing, so come to the meeting and find out all
about it.
We will also be discussing the recent defeat of the Henchy/Rohrbacher
amendment and other federal legislation and court cases.
So come to the meeting and rub shoulders with other patients and
activists and show your support for all that is happening and will
happen. The meeting is this Sunday, August 5 at 3 p.m. at the
Cathedral City Library, 33520 Date Palm Drive. This will be the last
meeting on Sundays. Due to the library wanting to use the community
room for their own programs, beginning in September, MAPP will be
meeting on the first Saturday of the month at 3 p.m. instead. The
meeting will still be at the Cathedral City Library and the usual
after meeting activities will continue – having them on Saturday
evening may even be an added advantage. I hope this change fits into
your schedule. So come on out to this Sunday’s meeting and celebrate
seven years of first Sunday MAPP meetings.
We have a half dozen patients showing up to help make the TV
commercial to publicize our upcoming seminars on the health and
medical benefits of marijuana, but it would be great if a few more
patients could participate. If you are a patient and would like to be
on the commercial, please be at the Cathedral City Library on Sunday,
August 5 around 1:30 p.m. and you will achieve your five seconds of
fame.
There are two great events coming up in L.A. and they are both on the
same day – one during the day and the other in the evening – and
you won’t want to miss either one. The events are on Saturday,
September 15. The first event, sponsored by the L.A.County Medical
Marijuana Task and L.A. Chapter of Americans for Safe Access, is the
2nd Annual L.A. County Medical Marijuana Exposition and Patient
Festival running from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the West Hollywood Park
Auditorium, 647 N. San Vincente Blvd. It is billed as a full day of
music, special guest speakers and medical cannabis exhibitors. Those
who went last year say it was a great hit and well worth the drive
into L.A. They ask for a $5 donation at the door. More info can be
obtained at www.LAMedMJExpo.org or by calling 323-464-7719.
The other event is in the evening and each year definitely qualifies
as one of the best party/celebrations in southern California. It is
L.A. NORML’s Annual Fall Kickoff held at the law offices of Bruce
Margolin, 8749 Holloway Drive. You will hear and meet many of the
mover and shakers of the medical marijuana and law reform movements
with great food, refreshments and entertainment. It all begins at 7
p.m. and runs till midnight with a special awards ceremony at 10 p.m.
There is no specific admission charge, but they do ask for a donation
at the door and if you go, I trust you will make a generous donation
to help cover the cost of the party and to aid L.A. NORML in their
tireless efforts on behalf of marijuana law reform. More information
can be obtained by calling 310-652-8654.
For those of you up in the High Desert (and for those of you who love
our meetings), the High Desert branch of MAPP continues to meet on the
2nd Wednesday of every month. The next meeting will be on Wednesday,
August 8 at 6 p.m. at the Joshua Tree Community Center at 6171
Sunburst Ave. in the lovely town of Joshua Tree. Run by Red Toph, the
meetings are always chock full of info as we try to get San Bernardino
County to recognize state law and stop hassling and start protecting
patients.
Don’t forget to watch and tell your friends about our TV show –
Marijuana – Compassion and Common Sense. It is seen on Time Warner
Cable in the Coachella Valley on channel 99 every Tuesday, Friday and
Saturday night at 10 p.m. and in the High Desert from Morongo Valley
to 29 Palm s on cable channel 6 every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday
nights at 9 p.m. I am not sure what is showing up in the High Desert
right now, but the show currently showing in the Coachella Valley
features interviews with Angel Raich, Dr. David Bearman and a segment
with Rodney Dangerfield speaking about his use of marijuana on the
Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
That’s it for now. If you need info or got questions, send me an
email or give me a call at 760-799-2055. I look forward to seeing you
at this Sunday’s meeting.
**Lanny**
** SMALL COLLECTIVES**
A VIABLE SOLUTION FOR PATIENTS AND THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS
Submitted by
LANNY SWERDLOW
**Director**
Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project
Medical Cannabis Health Services
PO Box 739, Palm Springs CA 92264
760-799-2055
Small coops and collectives are the key to providing a significant
number of medical marijuana patients with their medicine. Coops and
collectives are consistent with the intent of Proposition 215 for the
state to “implement a plan to provide for the safe and affordable
distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of
marijuana.” The creation of collectives and coops by SB 420 as a
viable and legal means for patients to obtain their marijuana is one
way in which the state of California meets that particular requirement
of Prop. 215.
Local law enforcement has recognized that small coops of 6 to 8
members are legal under the law. The question is how will a law
enforcement officer coming upon a collective grow of 42 plants know
that it is a legal collective with seven members. What kind of
documentation must the collective maintain at the growing premises so
that a law enforcement officer would know that it is a legal
collective and will not arrest, cite or confiscate in the same way
that they now do for an individual medical marijuana patient
possessing and/or cultivating marijuana with the county issued state
MMJ ID card?
We are no longer debating whether patients have the right to this
medicine. Everyone, even law enforcement, recognizes that patients
have the right to medicinal marijuana. What is now under discussion is
the distribution system – how patients obtain their medicine.
Small collectives are a solution to getting a significant number of
patients their medicine.
SB 420 specifically protects small coops and collectives.
11362.775. Qualified patients, persons with valid identification
cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients and
persons with identification cards, who associate within the State of
California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate
marijuana for medical purposes, shall not solely on the basis of that
fact be subject to state criminal sanctions under Section 11357,
11358, 11359, 11360, 11366
, 11366.5
, or 11570
.
SB 420 also allows for reimbursement for expenses and time for
production of medicinal marijuana.
11362.765(c). A primary caregiver who receives compensation for
actual expenses, including reasonable compensation incurred for
services provided to an eligible qualified patient or person with an
identification card to enable that person to use marijuana
under this article, or for payment for out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in providing those services, or both, shall not, on the sole
basis of that fact, be subject to prosecution or punishment under
Section 11359 or 11360.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise has recently been running ads
encouraging people to undertake a paper delivery route with the
enticement that if they do they could earn enough money to pay off
their credit card debt. The management of the Press-Enterprise believe
that Riverside County residents will make the effort to get up
everyday at 4 a.m. and spend the next two to three hours delivering
the Press-Enterprise to home subscribers in order to pay off their
credit card debt. Since people are getting their Press-Enterprise
throughout Riverside County, there must be enough people out there
willing to do just that for the reimbursement received.
Cannabis cultivation can be achieved with an average time expenditure
of about two to three hours a day. If a person knew that they would
not get busted for growing medicinal marijuana for six to eight
patients AND they could also get enough reimbursement to cover their
costs of growing, including reimbursement for their time, small
collectives and coops would blossom. No collective grower would get
rich, but they could earn enough money to pay off their credit card
debt.
The city of Palm Springs needs to develop a policy that specifically
acknowledges the right of a person to cultivate for a small collective
in their own home. The charge that small collectives are neighborhood
nuisances is a red herring. A small collective is no more a nuisance
than a person growing a vegetable garden.
If the argument is that marijuana is very valuable and a target for
thieves then residents should not be allowed to have jewelry in their
homes or Hondas in their garage.
If the argument is that marijuana should not be in an area where
children are present, then residents should not be allowed to have
alcohol, cigarettes or collections of pornography in their homes. This
is especially true considering that cigarettes and alcohol have no
health benefits.
Patients need their medicine. The city of Palm Springs needs to be
proactive in helping patients obtain medicinal marijuana. Small
collectives are a viable option that could provide a significant
number of patients with medicinal marijuana reliably, affordably and
safely. The city of Palm Springs needs to develop a policy for its
residents and police department regarding small medical marijuana
cultivation collectives.
An organizational structure understood by patients and recognized by
Palm Spring law enforcement would go a long away in assuaging the
fears that many potential coop and collective cultivators have of
being raided by local police. Working with patients and law
enforcement, the city of Palm Springs needs to develop and promulgate
that organizational structure.
http://www.marijuananews.org
DaBronx
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