Back to LA City Hall… Again! – Wednesday, December 9
Tell Councilmembers to Reject Last Minutes Changes!

We need medical cannabis supporters back at Los Angeles City Hall again on Wednesday, December 9, to make a last minute stand against unreasonable restrictions on safe access. The City Council approved amendments today requiring that medical cannabis patients’ associations be located 1,000 feet from a laundry list of sensitive uses – including any property used as a residence. That could exclude virtually all of the city’s commercial zones! Despite significant progress in improving the city’s draft ordinance, this surprise change could make it nearly impossible to establish a legally organized and operated collective in the city!

What:  Los Angeles City Council Meeting

When:  10:00 AM * Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Where: Room 340, City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles 90012

Please forward this message to your friends and loved ones who care about safe access. Everyone should arrive early to complete a public speakers card. There are numerous paid parking lots around City Hall, or you can get public transit information at http://www.metro.net/index.asp

Speakers should tell Councilmembers: “The amendment requiring medical cannabis collectives to be 1,000 feet from sensible uses, including residences, will eliminate most of the city’s collectives. That is leaves patients without the access to medicine on which they rely, and that is not what the voters want. Repeal this amendment and ask the city staff to study the issue more.”

This poison pill provision is an unfortunate development in a process that has seen steady improvements in the draft ordinance. City Councilmembers have twice rejected a proposed ban on buying medicine at collectives, abandoned plans to require all medicine be grown at one site, and removed unreasonable restrictions on possession of plants and medicine. That is great progress. Now we need to be sure the location requirements are not so onerous as to prevent lawful collectives from finding a suitable home.

We need a lot of support in City Council chambers on Wednesday, but you can still help out if you can not make it downtown. Type your address in the box labeled “My Neighborhood” at http://www.lacity.org/index.htm to locate your representative on the Los Angeles City Council and his or her contact information. Then call your representative as soon as possible with the message above. Do this now. You may only have a few hours to be heard!

Many of you have worked hard to push this issue so far over the years. Please help finish this work by showing up on Wednesday, December 9, or calling your City Council Representative right away.

The City Council may finally vote on the draft ordinance on Wednesday. You can be proud that you have helped Americans for Safe Access (ASA) stop a ban on legal sales of medicine and unworkable cultivation restrictions already. With your help, we will keep fighting after the vote to make whatever improvements we need to protect patients’ access.

We need you to help us carry on the fight. Please mark your calendars for two important dates in our ongoing campaign:

Special LA-ASA Meeting with Executive Director Steph Sherer – Saturday, Dec. 19
http://www.AmericansForsafeAccess.org/December

Community Forum on Medical Cannabis – Saturday, January 16
http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/LAForum


Read More at Americans for Safe Access!