Recent events promise to bolster the importance of decentralized but locally regulated medical marijuana dispensaries. U.S. Attorneys have sent letters to officials in at least ten states that have been trying to implement centrally regulated supply systems. These letters urge caution, reminding the governors and their legislatures that the federal government will “vigorously” prosecute those involved in the manufacturing and distribution of marijuana, even if they are in compliance with state law. An implication of this federal action is that small-scale privately run dispensaries, operating in the shadow of federal law, will continue to be the most viable source of medical marijuana. Our work aims to inform the debate on local approaches to regulating this market.

Download a copy of the RAND Corporation report and look for more analysis here soon.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Executive Director Steph Sherer and I are visiting eleven cities in California between August 19 and September 1. You can see when we will be near you online and download fliers to help spread the word. Our goal is to educate, empower, and mobilize the grassroots base of support for medical cannabis! We will be hosting free trainings and  stakeholders meetings in each city. We will also be meeting with organizers, community members, and elected officials to push the local, state, and federal agendas forward. Make plans to see us this month!

Medical cannabis providers all over the United States are worried about a memo released by US Deputy Attorney General James Cole on June 29. The memo seeks to clarify the Department of Justice (DOJ) position on medical cannabis in states where it is legal, but advocates contend it ups the ante by rattling sabers at legal providers, public officials, and others. Read what Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has to say on its blog (here and here) and in its press release to get more background and analysis on the memo.

The memo is intimidating for those in the field of medical cannabis and those looking to join. Federal law has not changed. Medical cannabis is illegal under federal law, even in states where it is legal. Providers can still be raided, arrested, and prosecuted. It is unlikely we have seen the last American convicted in federal court and imprisoned for a medical cannabis crime. That sad fact should be enough to make medical cannabis professionals weigh the costs and benefits of their actions very carefully.

Medical cannabis professionals who are willing to taking a personal risk to get medicine to people who need it must make changing federal law a part of their business plan. Players with money and professional skills are looking at the field of medical cannabis more than ever before. They will be spending money on real estate, renovations, labor, marketing, new taxes, and much more. But that investment may be in vain if they do not also spend money on federal reform. We must succeed in harmonizing federal law with state medical cannabis laws if we hope to establish this field as a legitimate, regulated health care industry.

I invite medical cannabis professionals, old and new, to join me in making support for ASA a part of your business plan. I have been a monthly donor since 2002, through good times and bad. I believe ASA is the organization that is positioned to change federal law. But they need the resources to do it. Read more about ASA, and then consider how much effective federal advocacy, strategic media work, legal support, and impact litigation are to you.

Get your tickets now for ASA’s Summer Solstice Banquest & Bash on Friady, June 17, in San Francisco. It’s going to be an amazing event. The venues are fantastic: a house modeled after the Starship Enterprise that has a beautiful rooftop patio overlooking downtown San Francisco; and SPARC, one of the city’s finest patients’ collectives, has won several interior design awards and was featured in the NY Times Style section. There will be fire spinners, dance performers, DJs and other musical guests. And dinner will be prepared by celebrity chefs. Get your tickets now. this will sell out. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact kathry@safeaccessnow.org for more information. Not in San Francisco that weekend? This event will be worth a trip, but you may also want to be in the city that weekend for Dealflow Media’s Marijuana Conference.