don duncan: update from the front lines 8-09-07

Hello, ASA members and allies.

The last six weeks have been tumultuous, so I want to make sure everyone is up to date on what is happening locally. Please make note of the dates below and forward this message to your friends and loved ones so they can attend the events, too.

ASA is working daily to stop the LAPD and DEA raids at collectives and mitigate the impact of the DEA letters to their landlords. We are also coordinating our local response with organizers statewide for a mass mobilization to Sacramento later this year. In Washington, DC, our lobbyists are working with a professional PR firm to rally our allies and champions in Congress to change federal law. Our budget was already stretched to capacity before the latest crackdown. I need your help right now more than ever. Please visit http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/donate and join today. If you can make a monthly pledge or one time contribution, it will make an immediate difference in our work here and in the Capitol.

Chris and I are settling into our new office in West Hollywood and could use some help moving some boxes to storage and other logistics. Please email me at dondduncan@yahoo.com if you can help out. The address is 7211 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800, in West Hollywood, CA 90046. The cross street is Formosa, two blocks west of La Brea. (The office is on the second floor and there is no elevator.)

Here is some of what is happening in LA right now:

• The ordinance establishing a moratorium on new collectives is waiting for the Mayor’s signature right now. It will become effective 30 days after he signs it.
• Councilmember Dennis Zine has sent a letter to the DEA asking them to stop targeting landlords and let the Council regulate collectives without further interference. This letter was read into the Congressional Record during the Hinchey-Rohrabacher debate and is now part of ASA’s lobbying effort in Washington, DC.
• Councilmember Hahn has asked LAPD Chief Bratton to appear before the City Council to explain the department’s involvement in DEA raids. Hahn and her colleagues are especially concerned about Detective Packer’s work with the DEA following his appearance in a DEA uniform inside a Hollywood collective on July 25.
• The City Council is considering a resolution of non-cooperation with the DEA on medical cannabis raids. If adopted, this resolution would be the cornerstone of a statewide effort to rally local support to influence the Governor to stand up for us.
• ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer and I appeared with Councilmember Zine on his monthly cable access show last week to discuss medical cannabis issues in LA.
• ASA lobbyists continue to meet with members of Congress in Washington, DC, to build opposition the the DEA letters and raids. We are circulating a sign-on letter to members of the House and working on a letter for Republicans in national, state, and local office in Southern California. There is so much going on with our federal campaign right now that I could not possibly list it all here. Read more about it at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=301 Remember that we must solve the federal problem to protect patients’ access. Please note – ASA is still $15,000 short on fundraising for lobbying and PR work in DC this month! You can help right now... http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/donate

Mark you calendars for these dates:

Friday, August 11 -
The “First Occasional Los Angeles Cannabis Comedy Festival”
Benefit comedy show featuring Ngaio Bealum, Greg Proops, Garrett Morris, Jefferey Peterson, Rich Chassler, Joe Bartnick and more! There will be music by the Luchadoors and DJ Ill Media! The show starts at 9:00 PM sharp at Garrett Morris’ Downtown Comedy Club located on the second floor of the historic Hotel Alexandria (the corner of 5th and Spring St.) in the heart of Gallery Row. Tickets are $15.00, and all proceeds go to ASA. Email ngaio@lamedicalmarijuana.com for information.

Wednesday, August 15 –
Women Advancing Medical Cannabis March
9:00 AM at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building located at 255 E. Temple St. in downtown LA. Invited speakers include LA City Council Member Janice Hahn and Maria Shriver (wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger). Email march@wamcla.org for information.

Saturday, August 18 –
Los Angeles ASA Meeting
1:00 PM at 470 S. San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048-4107. This meeting will have a special focus on Non-violent Civil Disobedience and strategic planning in response to the crisis in LA. Please invite your friends and loved ones. The meeting is not at a collective and the venue is 100% accessible. Visit http://www.ASAaction.org for directions.

See you all at these events!

__________________
Don Duncan
Southern California Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org <http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/>

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Join us today….www.AmericansforSafeAccessNow.org

Los Angeles Office
7211 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 800
West Hollywood, CA 90046
P: 323-464-7719 F: 323-464-7355
Cell (323) 326-6347 * AIM - DonDDLA