The San Jose City Council rejected calls from law enforcement to ban medical cannabis patients’ collectives, opting instead to enact a moratorium on new facilities while the city develops regulations. A majority of Councilmembers rejected arguments by law enforcement and some of their colleagues that sales of cannabis – even at medical cannabis collectives – are illegal. Councilmembers are wise to reject the “no sales” mantra, which is being aggressively promoted by medical cannabis foes like Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley and the California Narcotics Officers Association (CNOA). Cooley and the CNOA hosted a series of trainings for law enforcement and prosecutors in 2009 on how to “eradicate” medical cannabis.
Unfortunately, the San Jose City Council jumped on the taxation bandwagon at Monday’s meeting. Councilmembers voted to place a tax of up to 10% on medical cannabis on the November ballot. Voters there should be suspicious. Taxation on medicine is ethically wrong, and rarely results in the real legal protections and social acceptance for which proponents hope. Fees calculated to cover the cost of local access programs are reasonable, but voters should reject a “sin tax” on doctor-recommended medical cannabis. Patients already pay sales tax. We should not put an additional burden on some of the most vulnerable citizens. Let’s hope citizens in San Jose see it that way when they vote next year.
From ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer on the ASA blog –
“Like most of the country, we had mixed feelings about the mid-term elections. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, there were gains and concessions, reliefs and disappointments. But there was one race that changed everything—one election that leveraged our movement so greatly things will never be the same.
If you don’t live in California you may not have heard much about the race for Attorney General. Steve Cooley was running for AG with the most blatant anti-patient platform this country has ever seen. Hand picked by the cops and funded by rightwing political strategist Carl Rove, Cooley made no small effort to let voters know that if he were elected he would do everything in his power to eradicate medical marijuana for California…”
“More than three weeks after he declared victory in the race for state attorney general, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley conceded defeat Wednesday as he trailed by more than 50,000 votes in one of the closest statewide races in California history…”
It has been a roller coaster ride for medical cannabis patients following the race for California Attorney General. Medical cannabis opponent Steve Cooley claimed victory on Election Day, only to see pro-medical cannabis candidate Kamala Harris take the lead on November 3. The numbers have been up and down since then – making this one of the closest races in California history. Mathematical analysis by the Punditty Project now indicates Harris will win the race by 13,000 votes! That is great news for legal patients, who fear Cooley’s extreme views on medical cannabis.
