Don and Yami developed the MCC 136 Seminar for the specific purpose of providing information to Collective or Cooperative Operators that will support the protection of medical cannabis facilities and the improvement of operations and patient member services. Additionally, they will take participants completely through the process of setting up a collective or cooperative. The course covers the nuts and bolts of how to do this correctly, and the political and government hurdles that must be overcome to establish and maintain a medical cannabis facility.

The seminar is designed specifically for those who might be in interested in becoming Collective and Cooperative Operators, existing operators who want to know more about the process, or professionals such as lawyers, doctors, and accountants who want to be at the forefront in the advancement of healthcare services under California’s Medical Marijuana Program.

This is an historic occasion. It’s the first time this sort of class has been taught by seasoned activists. Don is the co-founder of Americans for Safe Access, and Yami founded the first and oldest trade association for Medical Cannabis Collectives in the United States, The Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance. Both have operated medical cannabis facilities for many years, and are some of the most seasoned and respected collective operators in Los Angeles.

Registration & course Syllabus: http://www.mccdirectory.org/medical_cannabis_training.lasso?-token.classid=136

See you Tuesday!

Other panelists at tonight’s meeting included City Manager Leslie Keane, Dr. Bill Schwied, nurse and medical cannabis patient Margo Bouer, and recently retired O.C. County Superior Court Judge Jim Gray. Judge Gray is a leading spokesperson for cannabis and medical cannabis law reform. His eloquent comments drew loud applause from the crowd of almost 200 seniors.

The ordinance in Laguna Woods is an important historic development, but it is also in need of improvement. The single collective authorized may only serve residents of the city between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. The ordinance also requires the still hypothetical collective to be located 1,000 feet from a very broad range of uses, including a “youth oriented establishment” – a hopelessly subjective term that could apply to a 7-11 store, shopping mall, or pizza parlor.

Even regulations adopted for a city of only 18,000 senior citizens can have unanticipated impact on implementation in other cities and counties. Observant advocates will recognize many of the provisions of the Laguna Hills ordinance in recommendations for permanent regulations sent to the full City Council by the Los Angeles Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee this week.

Read the entire post on the ASA blog – Medical Cannabis: Voices from the Frontlines.

Councilmember Steve Cohn

Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn told the Sacramento Bee that the City Council may vote to adopt a moratorium on new medical cannabis collectives and cooperatives as soon as June 2. “It’s not that we don’t want any marijuana dispensaries,” the Councilmember told reporter Ryan Lillis, “What it means is, we already have quite a few in the city, and we want to take a timeout and see where we’re at.” Advocates in Sacramento have expected a moratorium since the number of patients’ associations mushroomed in that city over the last year.

Lanette Davies, the Sacramento coordinator for Americans for Safe Access (ASA), and other local advocates have been talking with elected officials there about adopting sensible regulations and preventing the kind of public backlash that the proliferation of storefront collectives and cooperatives generated in other cities. Improving local regulations is an important goal of ASA’s California Campaign, and research shows that sensible guidelines reduce crime and complaints around facilities.