Aug 2, 2024

The San Diego chapter of Americans for Safe Access invites the public to meet San Diego City Council candidate Coleen Cusack on August 24th, 2024 at Golden Hill Community Park. Coleen, a long-time resident of District 3, offers a fresh perspective and is running against Stephen Whitburn.

Jul 8, 2024

By Coleen Cusack, Esq. This letter was written in response to San Diego ASA blog post: Running on Empty Promises: How Todd Gloria and Stephen Whitburn Ashed the City’s Cannabis Social Equity Program “Actions may speak louder than words but patterns scream the loudest.”― Christine E. Szymanski With Gloria and Whitburn a pattern has...

Jul 8, 2024

San Diego’s planned cannabis social equity program, designed to benefit communities disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs, failed due to political inaction and budget cuts. Despite initial support and funding, Mayor Todd Gloria and Councilmember Stephen Whitburn undermined the initiative, prioritizing other interests, leading to the program’s indefinite halt.

Jun 3, 2024

Community Budget Alliance calls on City Council to fully restore ALL equity-focused budget cuts

Apr 27, 2024

Take action to save social equity programs in San Diego.

Apr 1, 2024

By Shelby Huffaker, MPH | San Diego Americans for Safe Access Co-Chair In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom took a significant step towards supporting medical cannabis patients by signing Senate Bill 34: The Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act into law. The legislation provided a lifeline to those reliant on medical cannabis by exempting donated...

Feb 5, 2024

While some progress has been made on the City’s cannabis social equity program, much is left to be desired.

Jan 1, 2024

Happy New Year San Diego ASA members! 2023 was a busy year for cannabis, with many wins and challenges. National WHERE WE’VE BEEN: On the national level, Biden issued additional pardons for those with cannabis-related convictions and granted clemency to 11 people with disproportionately long jail sentences. The Department of Health and...

Jan 30, 2018

Once again the Latino American Political Association has endorsed a candidate proven to be harmful to Latino families. Former DA Bonnie Dumanis joined Summer Stephan as a LAPA choice in the 2018 election. Stephan is running for District Attorney after being appointed by Dumanis when Dumanis left the office to run for County Supervisor Dist. 4. LAPA’s logo...

Jan 14, 2018

Dear Friends, As many know, former San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is running for County Supervisor District 4. Dumanis has been cruel to medical cannabis patients since she took office in 2003. She and her cross-deputized Narcotic Task Force are responsible for numerous raids on patients. And, in the courts she has used the most punitive and...

Nov 21, 2016

By Terrie Best – San Diego Americans for Safe Access San Diego, CA – The James Slatic family sat in San Diego Civil court Monday, November 15th, along with an impressive group of supporters, to listen to testimony on just why The San Diego District Attorney confiscated each of the family of four’s checking and savings accounts and has refused to give...

Jun 16, 2016

By Terrie Best – San Diego Americans for Safe Access June 16, 2016 San Diego, CA- The thin-as-air manufacturing case against medical cannabis patient and collective operator, Shaun Smith swept so quickly through trial that before we knew it, Attorney Michael Cindrich had queued up his third cannabis-related not guilty verdict in four months. The Cindrich...

Jun 9, 2016

June 9, 2016 Terrie Best – San Diego Americans for Safe Access San Diego, CA – The Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulations held a hearing today as is required when crafting commercial regulations in the State of California. The trio of women who currently make up the bureau had already held events in Oakland, Humboldt and Riverside among other places....

Apr 28, 2016

April 28, 2016 By Terrie Best – San Diego ASA San Diego, CA  – The County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday to vote on staff recommendations to extend a moratorium against new medical marijuana activity in San Diego County. The 45 day moratorium was put in place on March 16 and was largely a knee-jerk reaction to a group of community members...

Mar 4, 2016

  March 4, 2016 By Terrie Best – San Diego Americans for Safe Access San Diego, CA – It is hard to say exactly when the San Diego District Attorney’s Office lost their cannabis extraction case against legal patient John Mazula. His friends would say it was when the DA chose John to victimize; many activists say it was when John hired brilliant...