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| The Late Richard Kearns speaks before LA City Council |
The magnitude of LA’s upcoming ban appears to be sinking in with some. PAN is receiving numerous inquires from concerned patients wanting to know how to stop this ban. Below we try to best answer your questions.
What’s Going On? -
The resolutions to ban LA’s
collectives are quickly moving through Council committees and will be up for a
vote by the full Council as early as next week.
See:
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2011/11-1737-s1_mot_11-23-11a.pdf
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2011/11-1737_MOT_10-12-11.pdf
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2008/08-0923-s17_mot_5-9-12.pdf
The final committee hearing
is Friday, June 8, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. at Van Nuys City Hall - 14410 Sylvan St.,
Van Nuys, CA 91401. The resolution
is being heard by the
Council’s Public Safety Committee and will move on to the full Council for a final vote soon after, potentially next Tuesday's Council meeting or ANY meeting thereafter.
Council’s Public Safety Committee and will move on to the full Council for a final vote soon after, potentially next Tuesday's Council meeting or ANY meeting thereafter.
See:
http://ens.lacity.org/clk/committeeagend/clkcommitteeagend2777497_06082012.pdf
City Hall is only required
to give 72-hour notice before any committee, commission or Council hearing or
vote on a matter. Patients and
their advocates must remain poised and informed in order to participate in
these public hearings. LA City Council meets three days per week: Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Fridays. The City
posts agendas and supplemental agendas daily.
What Can
Patients/Advocates Do To Stop The LA Ban? * –
It is always critical for as
many patients and advocates to sign up to speak as possible anytime medical
cannabis is on the agenda here in LA. Not just the same people at every meeting
- new faces all the time.
This participation takes
place during the ‘public comment period’ of the meeting. The public’s right to be notified and
allowed to speak at official meetings affecting public policy is protected by
the Brown Act.
See:
http://ag.ca.gov/publications/2003_Intro_BrownAct.pdf
There are ‘speaker cards’
available in the hearing room. You
will need to provide some basic personal information on the speaker card. Street address is not necessary but
including your LA neighborhood or zip code is very helpful. You will need to indicate on the
speaker card if you support or oppose the agenda item. You will need to include the agenda
item number and ‘council file number.’
For the sake of this Public
Safety Committee hearing, patients are concerned with agenda item 6, council
file number(s) 11-1737, 11-1737-S1 and agenda item 7, council file number
08-0923-S17. Please refer to the
link to the agenda above for details.
Speaker cards are turned
into the meeting’s clerk at the beginning of the meeting and names are called
at the appropriate time. Brown Act
allows for up to two minutes for each person to speak. However, because other bodies have
heard these resolutions already, it is likely speakers will only get one minute
to speak at the hearing on Friday.
Speakers need to provide
their name and neighborhood of residence at the beginning of their
comments. It is best to write down
your comments, practice them and time yourself. One minute goes very fast.
PAN has received many
inquiries as to what patients should say.
It is most important that patients speak from the heart but remain
courteous, concise and accurate. Some
of the things patients might include in their comments are: being a register voter; being a
patient, veteran, cancer survivor; stating how important your collectives are
to you, quality, safety, affordability, not wanting to turn to the black
market, etc.
Here is an example script
that patients can make unique and personal which is important to elected
officials. Not all of this info is
necessary but just ideas on things patients can touch on when speaking.
“Good morning council
members, my name is…. I live in…”
“I am a (medical cannabis
patient/[ailment] sufferer/survivor, war veteran, disabled, low-income, in
government housing/a care home, can’t grow my own…).”
“I am a (your professional
area of expertise – teacher, doctor, lawyer, collective staff…).
THE ASK – “I urge you to
(delay any ban; look at the regulations working in other cities such as West
Hollywood, San Francisco, Oakland; follow State law; protect patients’ rights;
“Don’t take away my right to
safe, affordable access.”
“Don’t send me to the black market.”
“I vote.”
“I thank you… for your time
and attention.”
You do not have to speak the
full time allotted to you. You can
simply state your name and neighborhood and that you support or oppose the
ban. You can state that you agree
with comment already made by others.
If public speaking is truly not your thing, you can fill out a speaker
card and check all the correct boxes and waive your time when you are
called. The clerk will still
record your speaker card stating your support or opposition.
How Many Patients Need
To Show Up To Make A Differnce? ** –
Typically, when items are
agendized at LA City Hall, they become law. If the current participation by a
hand full of patients is the status quo, then the L.A. ban will definitely
pass.
If 500 - 1,000 advocates
(patients/operators/attorneys/doctors, etc.) sign-up for public comment on day of the final Council vote
while 5,000 - 10,000 patients peacefully rally outside City Hall, that may get
enough of City Council's attention to consider amendments, tabling the vote,
looking at alternatives...
These numbers are not
arbitrary: 500 will fill the Council Chamber; 1,000 will require the fire
marshal to put out the ropes in the hallway and safely line up all of the other
speakers; 6,500 - 12,000 is the average range of votes that each council member
received to win their current seat. For example, Tony Cardenas received 4,788
votes in the last City election while Paul Krekorian received 12,692.
Patients can sign-up for
email updates from PAN to learn when LA City Council will hold its final vote.
Contact PAN to learn more about organizing your group.
* Should the ban pass, collectives are encouraged to seek
legal counsel.
** Should the ban pass,
patients are encouraged to participate with Patients For Compassionate Use
Policies, PAN’s sister Political Action Committee, in a local voter initiative
to overturn the ban and put enforceable, workable regulations in place. Contact director@compassionatepolicies.org
to get involved.
