 |
| U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi |
-->
For Immediate Release
For more information contact:
(415) 240-5247
San Francisco Medical Cannabis Patients Petition Congressional
Representative Nancy Pelosi
Advocates Deliver Thousands Of Signatures To San Francisco
Federal Building At 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 2, 2012, Urging The Halt Of
Federal Crackdown
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – May 1, 2012. The Patient Advocacy
Committee of the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Task Force has gathered
thousands of signatures from San Francisco voters urging Congressional
Representative Nancy Pelosi help end the federal assault on medical cannabis
cooperatives. Patient advocates will deliver several thousand signatures to the
Congressional Representative’s office at the San Francisco Federal Building, 90
7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 2,
2012, in response to the recent closures of regulated medical cannabis collectives
and the five additional collectives slated to close their doors mid-May due to
federal action.
“Thousand of Pelosi’s constituents are being affected by
this federal attack including our veterans and HIV/AIDS patients and many
others. She has the authority to
help stop this assault on the patients and the will of the voters and these
signatures are urging her to do so,” states Shona Gochenaur, member of the
Patient Advocacy Committee of the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Task Force, a
committee largely made up of low-income and disabled medical cannabis patients.
San Francisco Board of Supervisor David Campos has voiced
concern for the civil rights and safety of the city’s disabled patients. “San
Francisco has a regulatory system with neighborhood input and government
oversight. It is misguided and wrong that US Attorney Melinda Haag would choose
to target a well-implemented system and force disabled patients into a criminal
arena for legal medicine.”
The San Francisco Health Department, which oversees the
city’s medical cannabis program, is on public record stating that “no
complaints” have been filed from the host neighborhoods of established and city
permitted medical cannabis collectives. However, US Attorney Melinda Haag
continues to seek closures of collectives based on “neighborhood complaints.”
“I’ve worked hard to improve our neighborhood,” states Cathy
Smith, founder of Hope.Net, a city permitted medical cannabis collective whose
landlord is threatened with asset forfeiture by US Attorneys. “I don’t want to be punished for
making it safe for children to walk down our streets.”
A recently passed San Francisco Democratic Party resolution,
spearheaded by Gabriel Haaland, protects medical cannabis patients by calling
on ALL Democratic leadership, including President Obama, Representative Pelosi,
and Attorney General Eric Holder to protect safe access and not circumvent
California State law with the US Department of Justice resources. http://www.scribd.com/doc/91783023/Resolution-of-the-San-Francisco-Democratic-Party
The Harvey Milk LBGT Democratic Club also voted unanimously
to co-sponsor the patient advocates’ petition to Representative Pelosi. “The Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club
calls on representative Pelosi and all elected officials to protect our medical
cannabis clubs and ensure access to medical cannabis for marginalized, low
income patients and demand a stop to the harassment by federal agents,” states
Glenn Hyde, President of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club.
Patient Advocacy Network supports the petition states Degé
Coutee, president of the charitable civil rights education and medical cannabis
patient advocacy organization based in Los Angeles. “If US Attorneys aren’t stopped IN San Francisco, they
aren’t going to stop WITH San Francisco.
Representative Pelosi is in such a strong position to help alter the
direction of this issue locally and nationally.”
Sponsors: The
Patient Advocacy Committee of the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Task Force and
The Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club
Co-sponsors: Axis of Love SF, Patient Advocacy Network
For more information contact:
(415) 240-5247
Link to petition:
#####
1 comment:
Dear Medical Cannabis Patients, & TRUE ADVOCATES,
the article below was CENSORED BY BAYTIMES, a local San Francisco newspaper that is read largely, by the LGBTQ community, as it reports on many important local issues as well as international LGBTQ newsbits. So why would it CENSOR such an important article that would update & inform the Medical Cannabis Patients of their community, that largely in
cludes the homeless & low income, of the current state of their own "Sanctuary City"'s rights on Medical Cannabis, and be deterred from reading about the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board to San Francisco's equivelent of other city counsels, The Board of Supervisors need for local community support? Unfortunately folks, BAYTIMES has also disappointingly SOLD OUT the San Francisco locals by REPORTING WITH PREJUDICE TO THE LOCAL DISABLED, VETERAN, POOR, DISADVANTAGED, & INDIGENOUS RESIDENTS OF SAN FRANCISCO.
Read for yourself, what THEY did not want YOU to READ.......
SF Medical Cannabis Task Force Seeks Reinstating
The SF Medical Cannabis Task Force is an advisory body created by the Board of Supervisors on May 6, 2010 to help them revise our medical marijuana laws with combined input from local low income patients, growers, city-permitted cooperatives, doctors and neighbors. It will sunset at the end of the year. The body is empowered to hold public meetings, to review medical cannabis laws – and make recommendations for changes – and to resolve conflicts and disputes within the medical cannabis community, or with neighborhood groups. At its last meeting, the 15 member Task Force was one shy of quorum, but Task Force members and the public attending agreed that the reinstating of the organization was a shared goal.
"We were unable to move our amends to law due to federal crackdown," stated Shona Gochenaur, patient advocate with a seat on the Task Force board, presently serving as MCTF chair. "Currently our legal committee is finalizing an impact report regarding our federally displaced compassion-based collectives, with an emphasis of working with the City to restore these collectives and valued patient services." She said their "work for patients in our sanctuary city is far from done."
MCTF member Stewart Rhoads added, "If MCTF is not reinstated, we will only have the business lobby influence in City Hall; so the patients, growers, doctors and neighbors will be a muted influence." The next meeting is Dec. 3, 1pm, room 421.
Story by Dennis McMillan
Post a Comment