Getting To Know Patient Advocacy Network

Patient Advocacy Network has made a number of new friends recently that have questions about our work and in what direction we want to go.  Despite our long history in the medical cannabis movement, we know that there are many that are not familiar with our work.  We are excited to be engaging new friends.

PAN has relaunched the Compassion Flower Report as a show on Youtube.  President Degé Coutee did the Compassion Flower Report as a segment on the Hollywood Hemptress Hour with Tere Joyce, an online live radio show and podcast, until that show ended.  

In the inaugural episode of the relaunched show Degé talks about the history of the organization, the state of medical cannabis now and next steps.  The show will be posted by or before 4:20 p.m. PST on Fridays each week.

Compassion Flower Report - Inaugural Episode

https://youtu.be/JgDCNpi36sI

Some of PAN's new friends have asked for a flyer they can circulate among their colleagues.  We ask that you please share this flyer with your social networks.  There is a tremendous amount of work to be done to reform these detrimental policies. The more outreach and support helps us be more effective and move swiftly.  

A Message From Degé Coutee - Vote NO On Proposition 64

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

This November so-called ‘legalization’ will be on the ballot in California, and I write to encourage you to vote NO on Proposition 64 aka AUMA (Adult Use of Marijuana Act).  Here’s why, with links and more information below:

None of the money generated by all the new taxes and fees will benefit California.  All of the money stays in Sacramento to pay for a large bureaucracy and enforcement.

Taxes, taxes and more taxes, even on medical.  Excise tax.  Sales tax.  Gross receipts tax.  Use tax.  Cultivation tax.  Flower tax.  Leaf tax.  All of this is expected to raise the cost of cannabis by at least 40%.  This doesn’t include all the licensing fees.

In addition to the significant expense for patients, Prop 64 ‘consolidates’ medical and ‘nonmedical’ cannabis into one system.  It interferes with the patient-doctor relationship and outlaws compassion programs.  A significant portion of AUMA works to overturn Proposition 215. 

The initiative is funded by interests in Monsanto, Big Pharma and Big Tobacco.  George Soros is a major partner in Monsanto and funds the Drug Policy Alliance, the authors behind Prop 64.  Billionaire Sean Parker, Napster founder, former CEO of facebook, CIA recruit, and good friend of Lt Gov. Gavin Newsom, is also funding Prop 64.  Weedmaps is also a significant funder with CEO Justin Hartfield supporting a big tobacco model for adult recreational use.

Prop 64 contains a lot of misleading language.  This 62-page initiative promises many lofty things in the first two pages.  For example, it claims to prevent DUI’s, stop the polluting of waterways, crackdown on cartels – all of which sounds great, except that there are already laws on the books in California that do this and these issues are not mentioned again in the rest of the initiative. 

The rest of Prop 64 is an expensive and convoluted regulatory scheme that absorbs authentic medical cannabis operations and favors mega corporations, and puts California’s unique cannabis heritage in jeopardy. 

If I thought this initiative would be good for patients, California, and the cannabis industry, I would applaud this effort and be helping in every way.  However, myself and a grassroots coalition of many thousands of cannabis advocates are reaching out to make sure everyone we know understands the implications of Prop 64 before the billionaires start dropping deceptive advertising.

Here’s the good news:  It’s quite easy to defeat Prop 64; we all simply need to vote NO on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.  We will then move forward to get the right legalization on the ballot.  Please join me on Election Day to protect Prop 215 and say NO to the hostile corporate takeover of California’s #1 cash crop.  Please forward this letter to your friends, family and colleagues.  Also, for you convenience I’ve attached a window sign and flyers you can print out and display at your home or office. 

Here’s the other good news:  There are already good legalization initiatives drafted by the Cannabis Community with the input of good lawyers, that have received analysis from the Office of the Attorney General.  These complimentary initiatives take into account the California single-subject rule, which stipulates that proposed legislation can only take on one issue.  By having complimentary initiatives we aim to ensure that medical marijuana patients are protected, to end bans on medical operations, to have fair permitting and taxes for all types of cannabis businesses - from patient non-profits to large for-profit companies, to release prisoners, expunge records, protect genetics and more. 

The proponents of these complimentary initiatives made the choice last fall to suspend our campaigns to focus on defeating Prop 64 and then promptly refiling our initiatives for 2018.  We knew that with billionaire players like Soros and Parker it would be impossible to raise the money we’d need to gather those 500,000 signatures. 

Please help me defeat this horribly flawed initiative so we can work together to establish the best laws for California in 2018, because California deserves better.  I thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours Truly,

Degé Coutee

Patient Advocate & Cannabis Activist

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Some Links:

AUMA Full Text - https://www.oag.ca.gov/system/files/initiatives/pdfs/15-0103%20(Marijuana)_1.pdf

AUMA Analysis by Attorney Letitia Pepper - http://marian0280.wixsite.com/4pepper

AUMA Analysis by 151 Farmers - http://151farmers.org/2016/08/19/prop-64-aumaanalysis/

AUMA Analysis by The Weedly News - Prop 64 – AUMA Legalization for the 1% - http://theweedlynews.com/2016/08/01/prop-64-auma-makes-marijuana-legal-only-for-the-1/

AUMA Analysis by Cal Growers Assoc. - Cal Growers divided on Proposition 64 - http://www.calgrowersassociation.org/proposition_64_julyconcerns

GEORGE SOROS AND BIG AGRICULTURE MOVE THE MARIJUANA MOVEMENT - http://katehon.com/837-george-soros-and-big-agriculture-move-the-marijuana-movement.html

Monsanto, Bayer, and the Push for Corporate Cannabis - http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/07/08/monsanto-bayer-and-the-push-for-corporate-cannabis/

Part II - https://ellenbrown.com/2016/07/07/the-war-on-weed-part-ii-monsanto-bayer-and-the-push-for-corporate-cannabis/

Napster founder Sean Parker announces $250 million grant to fight cancer - http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/13/technology/sean-parker-donation-cancer-immunotherapy/

How Justin Hartfield could become the Philip Morris of weed - http://moneyweek.com/profile-of-justin-hartfield/

Three Biggest Reasons Tobacco Giants Eye Lucrative $50 Billion Marijuana Market –

http://dailycaller.com/2016/01/04/tobacco-giants-eye-lucrative-50-billion-marijuana-market/

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On the radio:

Degé Coutee is the in-studio guest on KFI AM 640 with the Wayne Resnick Show; She will be explaining why she is Voting No On Prop 64.

http://kfiam640.iheart.com/media/play/27211403/

Degé Coutee, guest on LA Talk Radio with Dave 4 LA (Starts around 8 minutes into show) - http://latalkradio.com/…/def…/files/audio/Dave4la-091816.mp3

Degé Coutee calls in to Coast To Coast AM during Jesse Ventura's Marijuana Manifesto to explain the problems with Prop 64. Call starts at 1 hr:11min:25sec with Ventura's perfect lead in... "Follow the money!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaflCgmbOuY

Cannabis Activist & Patient Advocate Degé Coutee explains to reporter Jane Wells why she's leading the charge to Vote No On AUMA. The full report begins at 1hr:06min.

http://kfiam640.iheart.com/media/play/27121785/

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PAN’s Blog – Cannabis Patient Voice

The Corporate Billionaires’ Hostile Attempt To Take Over The California Cannabis Industry in 2016 – NO! California deserves better!!

http://panorg.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-corporate-billionaires-hostile.html

How The Grassroots & Independent Expenditures Can Defeat Proposition 64

http://panorg.blogspot.com/2016/08/how-grassroots-independent-expenditures.html

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Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/VoteNoAUMA/

[Video] - California recreational pot: Can Sean Parker puff puff pass recreational buddha with AUMA!? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpM_bGrV1j0

Independent Expenditure paid for by Degé Coutee – under $1,000.00.

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Please forward this message to all of your lists and social media.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  -- Margaret Mead

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Patient Advocacy Network Joins Effort To Legalize Cannabis In California In 2014

MCLR Proponents are joined by Sac NORML at the California State House

In previous elections Patient Advocacy Network has refrained from involvement in past California statewide marijuana legalization efforts, mainly because those failed initiatives lacked protection for patients and clarity with respect to collective guidelines. 

However, there became a sense of urgency leading up to the Riverside Decision and it became clear that a statewide voter initiative was needed sooner than later to protect the spirit and intent of the Compassionate Use Act.   A strong contingency of cannabis advocates also wants legal hemp and adult recreational use. 

SaveCannabis.org recognized that previous attempts to move cannabis legalization forward in California lacked transparency.  Despite multiple attempts, no California cannabis initiative has passed the voters since Prop. 215, in 1996.   Many of these initiatives were drafted behind closed doors without stakeholder input.  SaveCannabis.org did something different; they formed to start an open-source document for any member of the group to provide input on what California’s cannabis legalization initiative should look like; membership to the group is open.  What transpired was a document of agreed upon ideas by some 1,200 people with input from over 800 people including: patients, providers, cultivators, advocates, community leaders, concerned citizens, doctors and lawyers. 

PAN President Degé Coutee and SaveCannabis.org co-founder Dave Hodges reached out to as many stakeholders as possible to provide input in time to file an initiative for the 2014 California General Election.  They worked together to edit provisions together to prepare the document for final legal review before submitting it to the Secretary of State. 

Coutee states, “These are the best cannabis guidelines for Californians: patients, consumers, cultivators, and concerned citizens.  We are pleased to be involved.”  Degé Coutee is one of four proponents of the of the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act of 2014 along with John Lee, Bob Bowerman and Dave Hodges.  The full text of the initiative can be found at:  http://www.marijuanacontrollegalizationrevenueact.com/what/the-language-full-text/

Proponents expect to get a title and summary from the CA Attorney General in a few days and can begin gathering signatures immediately.  Supporters need 504,760 valid signatures in 150 days in order to qualify for the November 2014 election ballot.  PAN is taking donations for the campaign through its 501h election.  All donations are anonymous and tax-deductible.  All contributions will be used to print petitions and pay for signature gathering efforts.  Contributions directly to the campaign can be made at: http://panorg.blogspot.com/ -- click the “Legalize Cannabis Campaign” donate button; mail a check to P.O. Box 93845, Los Angeles, CA, 90093 or call (323) 334-5282.