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| Volume 2, June 1, Summer 2010
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| Volume 1, March 15, Spring 2010
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| Volume 2, Number 4, Winter 2010 Press Run 127,000 copies printed
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| Volume 2 Number 3,
Autumn 2009 • 122,000 copies
Three Voter Initiatives Filed fopr California 2010 Ballot
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| Volume 2 No. 2,
Summer 2009 • 115,000 copies
US Supreme Court:
State Cannabis Laws Stand
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| Volume 2 No. 1 Spring 2009 • 85,000 copies
Ending Medi-Marijuana Raids "Now American Policy"
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| Volume 1 No. 4,
Winter 2009 • 72,500 copies
Election Brings New Hope for Reform in 2009
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| Volume 1 No. 3,
Autumn 2008 • 65,000copies
Flurry of Court Rulings Boost Medical Rights
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| Volume 1 No. 2
Summer 2008 • 50,000 copies
California High Court Stands by State Law to Return Medical Marijuana
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| Volume 1 Number 1
Spring 2008 • 35,000 copies
San Francisco Adopts Medical Marijuana Sanctuary Ordinance
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Daryl Gates, the notorious Los Angeles Police Chief who oversaw the LAPD dur- ing the Rodney King beating and the bloody riots that erupted when the racist attitudes that permeated his department were revealed, died April 16. Gates had a drug addicted son, but in 1989 told a US Senate committee that “casual marijuana smokers should be taken out and shot.”
He co-founded the D.A.R.E. program on the premise that it is too dangerous to tell children the truth about cannabis because it is not scary enough, so the cur- riculum was based instead on lies.
Attorney Irwin Ravin, 70, who challenged the boundaries of Alaskan law in 1973 when he forced police to arrest him for cannabis and made the case at trial that banning possession in a person’s home of small amounts of cannabis was an unconstitutional invasion of privacy, died April 11. In the groundbreaking Ravin v Alaska (1975), the Alaska Supreme Court agreed that adults having small amounts of cannabis is a private issue, and outlawing it violates one’s rights. The ruling stands after over 35 years of legal battles. In 1982, the Alaska legislature decided that less than four ounces was a personal amount. In 2006, the legislature passed a new ban, claiming that cannabis was much stronger than it used to be, but it is unclear whether this is in conflict with the Ravin ruling.
“The Ravin decision in 1975 was then, and remains still today, 35 years later, the most
Read More: Ravin’s 1975 privacy case legalized pot in Alaska
By Ellen Komp veryimportantpotheads.com Author Christopher Hitchens, who was at Oxford at the same time as Bill Clinton, purports to explain in his forthcoming memoir why Clinton said he didn’t inhale. “When I was in England I experimented with marijuana a time or two — and didn’t like it — and didn’t inhale and never tried inhaling again,” Clinton said while cam- paigning for the presidency in 1992.
Hitchens writes, “He preferred, like many another marijuana enthusiast, to take his dope in the form of large handfuls of cookies and brownies.”
This information bolsters that in Edward Klein’s book The Truth About Hillary, which says our Secretary of State met her future husband at a commune called Cozy Beach, where her Yale Journal of Law and Social Action co-editor Kris Olson lived. According to Klein, Cozy Beach was affiliated with Ken Kesey’s Oregon Hog Farm, and the Magic Bus riders were said
Read More: Shared pastime links Clintons with sports figures
 By John Thomas Ellis Mainstream media have finally awoken to discover that cannabis is hip. From Showtime to HBO to ABC-Disney, televi- sion and film have brought marijuana into the mainstream. Whether it’s Meryl Streep and Steve Martin getting reacquainted with the joys of smoking in It’s Complicated, or John Noble of Fringe firing up a bong to focus himself before he reorganizes his office, they have one thing in common: They’re just ordinary citi- zens using a little herb. It’s about time.
The Simpsons, Family Guy, Parks and Recreation, SNL, Parenthood, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Gossip Girl and Glee have all joined the discussion. No longer is it neces- sary for networks to impose the negative consequence of police action.
Cable TV has ramped up its support as well. Stalwarts like Bill Maher and Jon Stewart have expanded their conversations with guests. In Maher’s interview with Green Day’s Billie Joe
Read More: A matter of image … and why image matters
By William Dolphin Americans for Safe Access Medical use activists from across the coun- try participated in the April 17-18 launch of Americans for Safe Access’s new National Strategy to achieve comprehensive access by 2013. The Warwick, Rhode Island work- shop followed the Sixth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, sponsored by Patients Out of Time.
Members of the ASA national staff led activists through a series of trainings and discussions on everything from strategic planning to lobbying and media training, all focused on building a much stronger national grassroots base.
Small groups discussed anticipating and resolving issues around safe access. Activists from Maryland, Michigan, California, New Jersey and Maine dis- cussed what is and is not working with each other and with representatives from states lacking patient protections, such as Tennessee and Florida.
The guided process — facilitated by Executive Director Steph Sherer, Legal Coordinator Lauren Payne, and Elizabeth Mewhiney and Caren
Read More: Americans for Safe Access launch new national campaign to challenge Feds on medical use
By Andrea Tischler Big Island ASA* Roger Christie is on a mission to liberate cannabis for religious use. His THC Ministry is located in the Moses Building in the bayside community of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai’i, where he serves as an ordained Cannabis Minister. Christie has provided sacrament and services for almost 10 years to his “practitioner” members and to cannabis patients. He also helps newcomers in an education and ordainment process to exer- cise a lifetime right to cannabis spirituality and (usually) to perform weddings.
Over the past 24 years, the affable hemp/cannabis activist has garnered the respect of most government officials and local police. However, on March 10, 2010, his ministry was visited by 13 federal agents from the DEA, IRS, US Postal Inspector’s Office and the INS. They took the sacrament, cash, and some records (not member lists) from the premises and
Read More: THC Ministry raided, yet wins new legitimacy
By Erik Miller Trading card afficionados now have a new deck to play with, and it’s loaded. Patients Care Collective (PCC), a Berkeley dispen- sary, has introduced the first 10 of its strain- specific cannabis collector cards.
The cards debuted April 17 at the San Francisco Cow Palace Arena’s International Cannabis and Hemp Expo and were shown the next weekend at the THC Expos? at the LA Convention Center. They were a big hit at both events.
The cards feature beautiful photos, taken at PCC, with genetic, flavor, effect, and medicinal use info showcased for each strain and distinctive foil stamping that sets the cards apart as individual works of art. Among the Top 10 featured strains are OG Kush, Jack Herer, Grand Daddy Purple, Afghani Goo, Cheese, Head Band, Strawberry Kush, Blue Dream, Romulan, and Sour Diesel. Cards 11 through 20 are already in the works.
“The trading cards were designed as
Read More: Trading cards teach about medical strains, effects
 igrow
The iGrow garden stores Grand Opening made news Jan 28 as being the first superstore of medical marijuana, although the shop near Oakland airport does not provide cannabis. Rather, it caters to the patient gardener by requiring a doctors approval to
get advice specific to the medical cannabis grower.
 cheech-chong
Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin were honored with the Trailblazer Award at the Marijuana Policy Project’s 15th Anniversary Gala in Washington DC on Jan. 13, 2010. The comedy duo are currently on tour. See cheechandchongtour.com. Chong wears a teeshirt supporting Canadian entrepreneur Marc Emery in his struggle against deportation to the US on charges of selling cannabis seeds. Photo by The Grasshopper.
AMERICANS FOR SAFE ACCESS safeaccessnow.org / A patient advocacy and support network. 510-251-1856
AXIS OF LOVE SF/ Activist Resource Center Patients organizing for their rights and access 223 A 9th St, SF, 415-240-5247
BEDPC Black and Brown Equitable Drug Policies Coalition, Redstone Building, Suite #209, 2940 16th Street, SF. Spanish Hotline: 415-595-8251, street actions, support groups, incident reporting
CALIFORNIA NORML canorml.org/ Advocacy, directories, lobbying, research, news, alerts. 415-563-5858
CANNABIS ACTION NETWORK cannabisactionnetwork.org/ 1605 Ashby Ave, Berkeley. 510-486-8083
CANNABIS CONSUMERS CAMPAIGN cannabisconsumers.org/ Come out of the closet to stand up for equal rights.
CIVIL LIBERTIES MONITORING PROJECT civilliberties.org/ monitors police eradication abuses, etc, to protect civil rights in the CA northcoast. 707-923-4646
DRUG REFORM COORDINATION NETWORK stopthedrugwar.org/ drcnet.org, global support network for drug policy reformers with weekly analysis.
DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE drugpolicy.org/ DPA works on drug policies based on science, compassion, health, human rights and a just society free from prohibition.
DRUG POLICY FORUM OF CA Listserve for Cal cannabis/drug
Read More: Reform organizations of interest
Fresno ASA, second Mon/ mo., 6 PM at Full Circle Brewing Co, 620 F St., Fresno. Contact Diana at fresnocagal@sbcglobal.net
Humboldt County ASA, third Thurs/mo., 6 PM, Bayview Courtyard Senior Housing, Rec. Room550 Union St., Arcata. 707-407-8522, asa-humboldt@sbcglobal.net
LA ASA, 3rd Sat/mo., 1 PM, Patient ID Center, 470 S. San Vicente Bl, LA. Don@americansforsafeaccess.org
Sacramento ASA first and third Tues/ mo., 7 PM, Crusaders Hall, 320 Harris Ave., Suite H, Sacto. Lanette at 916-924-3455, cannacare@earthlink.net
San Diego ASA second Tue. / mo., 7 PM, International Cannabis U, 6070 Mt. Alifan Suite 202 San Diego. 4cccp@cox.net
San Diego North County ASA, first Fri./mo., 7 PM, Academy of World Martial Arts, 1050 S. Santa Fe Ave., Vista, movementinaction@gmail.com, 760-500-8868
San Francisco ASA second & fourth Tues/mo., 7:30 PM, Bowers Pizza, 371 11th St, SF. No meeting 11/10/09. Contact dcgoldman@yahoo.com
Sonoma ASA first Thurs/mo. 5 PM, Dept. of Health, So. City View Rm., 625 5th St, Santa Rosa, knock loudly.
Read More: Local and regional Americans for Safe Access meetings
Axis of Love SF, Every Tues, 4 PM, 223a Ninth St. @ Howard, SF. axisoflovesf@gmail.com
East Bay NORML, third Thurs/mo., 7:30 PM (after Measure Z Oversight Comm.), OU Student Union, 1915 Broadway, Oakland. canorml@canorml.org
El Dorado Co. American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, 4th Sat/mo., 2:15-4:20, Garden Valley Grange, 4940 Marshall Rd. Garden Valley, CA, 530-621-2874
Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project Palm Springs/ Coachella Valley Area MAPP first Sat / mo. 3 PM, 266 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs. Lanny 760-799-2055
Western Inland Empire Area MAPP/ASA, first Wed / mo., 7:30 PM, THCF Medical Clinic, 647 Main St. Riverside, CA 92501. Also hosts Friday evening seminars on Anti-aging and medical benefits of cannabis, 8 PM. 951-782-9898
High Desert Area MAPP/ ASA, third Wed/mo. 6:30 PM Castle Inn, 1388 N. Golden Slipper in Landers 92285. Lanny 760-799-2055
Medical Cannabis Safety Council /East Bay third Tues/mo. 12-2 PM, OU Student Union, 1915 Broadway, Oakland.
North Bay, 2nd Mon./mo. 6-7:30 PM, Peace
Read More: Local and regional meetings
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