Election and Ethics Complaints Filed Against Scott Chipman and Others Involved in Anti Marijuana Campaign and Other Political Committees

Election and Ethics Complaints Filed Against Scott Chipman and Others Involved in Anti Marijuana Campaign and Other Political Committees

Jul 18, 2011

SAN DIEGO – Formal complaints against principal officers of Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana (CALM CA) and ‘Safe Beaches San Diego Yes on D’ have been submitted to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ Public Integrity Unit, and the City of San Diego Ethics Commission. The complaints document a...

San Diego City Council to Consider Repeal of Medical Marijuana Ordinance on July 25 – 2pm

San Diego City Council to Consider Repeal of Medical Marijuana Ordinance on July 25 – 2pm

Jul 14, 2011

By: Eugene Davidovich, San Diego Americans for Safe Access On April 12, 2011 the San Diego City Council passed an ordinance that would have forced all currently operating medical cannabis dispensing centers in the city to shutter their doors. Only a small handful would have been allowed to open after they came into compliance with one of the most restrictive...

Verified Petition Signatures Effectively Block City Ban on Collectives Patient Care Association Urges Rescission

Source: Patient Care Association of California (PCA) Media Contact: Stephen McCamman, mccamman@gmail.com, 619-246-5564 or Cynara Velazquez, cynara@pcaca.org, 619-208-0567 Date: July 13th, 2011 SAN DIEGO, CA The Citizens for Patient’s Rights (CPR) and the Patient Care Association of California (PCA) are proud to announce that San Diego’s City Clerk has...

There’s Still Time to Double Your Impact

Dear ASA Members and Friends, The response to Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps’ matching gift has been amazing – thank you to everyone who has donated so far. However, time is not up if you haven’t had the chance to donate yet. Dr. Bronner’s is matching all online donations through Friday at midnight. Don’t miss this opportunity to double the impact of your...

DA Bonnie Dumanis Pushes on with Prosecution of Legal San Diego Medical Marijuana Collective

By: Terrie Best, San Diego Americans for Safe Access Legal cannabis patient Dexter Padilla was in court last week in front of Judge Albert T. Hartunian III as he and his attorney, Michael J. McCabe, of the Davidovich victory, fought it out with Prosecutor Ramin Tohidi over whether there was enough prosecutorial evidence to bind the case over for trial. The...

First Permitted Dispensary Receives Final Permit from San Diego County Sheriff

First Permitted Dispensary Receives Final Permit from San Diego County Sheriff

Jul 3, 2011

By: Eugene Davidovich, San Diego Americans for Safe Access On July 1, 2011, Mother Earth’s Alternative Healing Cooperative Inc. received their final permit the “Medical Marijuana Collective Operations Certificate”, signed by Sheriff Gore himself, allowing the coop to operate in full compliance with the law. Located at 8157 Wing Avenue, El Cajon, CA 92020,...

Medical Marijuana Community Decries Federal Threats Against Public Officials

Justice Department policy “clarification” pushes legal patients into unregulated, illicit markets Washington, DC — Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole issued a controversial memorandum Wednesday in an apparent attempt to clarify federal policy with regard to medical marijuana. Calling marijuana “a dangerous drug,” Cole’s...

Faulty Search Warrant Upheld; Attack on Patient Cultivation Continues

Faulty Search Warrant Upheld; Attack on Patient Cultivation Continues

Jun 28, 2011

By: Terrie Best, San Diego Americans for Safe Access Monday, June 27, 2011 in San Diego Superior Court, the faulty search warrant obtained by a misleading affidavit was upheld in the medical cannabis case of Jason and Sarine Gastrich. All morning, Deputy DA Ramin Tohidi and attorneys for the defense argued the legitimacy of the warrant which led to felony...

Protect Local Access – Oppose SB 847

Protect Local Access – Oppose SB 847

Jun 26, 2011

The California Assembly Committee on Local Government will vote on a bill that will make it much more difficult to establish a legal medical cannabis patients’ cooperative or collective on Tuesday, June 29. Senator Lou Correa’s (D-Santa Ana) SB 847 will require that all cooperatives and collectives be located at least 600 feet from residential zones or use...

Operation Green Dope; Bonnie Dumanis’ Medical Marijuana Eradication Effort Takes on New Name

Operation Green Dope; Bonnie Dumanis’ Medical Marijuana Eradication Effort Takes on New Name

Jun 23, 2011

By: Terrie Best and Eugene Davidovich Co-defendants Jason and Sarine Gastrich, recent victims of Bonnie Dumanis’ fierce fight to eradicate medical marijuana in San Diego, were in court this week for their preliminary examination in Judge Hanoian’s courtroom. On the prosecution side was Deputy DA Ramin Tohidi and for the defense on behalf of Sarine was Public...

Imperial Beach to Ban Collective Cultivation; City Council Refuses to Implement State’s Medical Marijuana Laws

Imperial Beach to Ban Collective Cultivation; City Council Refuses to Implement State’s Medical Marijuana Laws

Jun 13, 2011

By: Eugene Davidovich and Marcus Boyd Imperial Beach, CA – On June 15, 2011 at 7pm, the Imperial Beach City Council will discuss and vote to enact an outright ban on medical marijuana dispensaries and all collective cultivation efforts in the City of Imperial Beach. Although the staff report compiled for the June 15th meeting states, “the ordinances...

Imperial Beach City Council Shifts Course on Dispensaries from Regulation to Eradication

Imperial Beach City Council Shifts Course on Dispensaries from Regulation to Eradication

Jun 7, 2011

*UPDATE* June 9 – After publishing the following in this article: “At the conclusion of the meeting, Kiwanis members voted informally 10 to 1, in support of medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits.” we found out there was in fact no vote taken, formal or otherwise during that meeting. We apologize for the incorrect information...

First Permitted Medical Marijuana Coop to Open in San Diego County Unincorporated Area

First Permitted Medical Marijuana Coop to Open in San Diego County Unincorporated Area

Jun 5, 2011

By: Eugene Davidovich Mother Earth’s Alternative Healing Cooperative Inc., the first medical marijuana dispensing center officially permitted by San Diego County and in full compliance with the County Ordinance adopted almost a year ago, will open its doors in July 2011. In order to truly grasp the importance and magnitude of the first permitted Coop opening...

Delay on SB 129 means more time to build support

Delay on SB 129 means more time to build support

Jun 4, 2011

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has been working since 2006 to protect medical cannabis patients from workplace discrimination. We represented medical cannabis patient Gary Ross in his appeal to the California Supreme Court in Ross v. Rangingwire Telecommunications. When the court failed to protect patients like Gary Ross from discrimination, we sponsored...

North County SD ASA Meeting – Tuesday 5/31 – 7pm

North County SD ASA Meeting – Tuesday 5/31 – 7pm

May 30, 2011

Patients, friends, advocates, Join us in Oceanside on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 from 7-9pm at the Fish Joint (514 South Coast Hwy Oceanside, CA) for our chapter’s monthly North County Americans for Safe Access meeting. That evening we will be discussing the City of Oceanside’s plan to ban medical marijuana collectives as well what the community is doing to...