10/8/12 – LOS ANGELES - It’s been a bittersweet week for the Los Angeles medical
cannabis community. On the heels
of Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl getting the City Council to
repeal its ban on medical cannabis collectives, Rosendahl announced he will not
seek re-election to focus on his own battle with cancer.
“As most of you have heard, a few months back I
received the difficult news that I have cancer. It was a shock but, like every challenge I have faced during
my lifetime, I decided to meet it head on,” Rosendahl said in a recent written
statement announcing his intentions.
On July 24, 2012, the Los Angeles City Council
voted to replace its existing medical marijuana ordinance with a ‘gentle ban’
on any association of 3 patients or more.
The LA City Council took this vote while Councilmember Rosendahl was out
on medical leave for chemotherapy treatments.
However, on October 2, 2012, Rosendahl implored
his colleagues to repeal the dispensary ban. "This word, 'gentle ban,' is a bad word. It's not
gentle. It stops me from being able to get my medicinal use," Rosendahl
told his colleagues. A Vietnam
Veteran and openly gay politician, Rosendahl was open about using medical
cannabis for neuropathy and to cope with chemotherapy. “If I can’t get marijuana, and this is
medically prescribed, what do I do?
What do all the people who have health issues, who have been relying on
this do?”
Patient advocates argued that there was nothing
gentle about the City’s ban. The
City Council argued that the ‘City is being sued at every turn’ over the
original set of rules it put in place in January 2010. Several dozen patient collectives sued
the City and won a temporary restraining order preventing the City from
enforcing what were called ‘unconstitutional provisions.’ Rosendahl’s move forces LA’s
legislature to return to the table and create a workable set of guidelines.
Degé Coutee, president of Patient Advocacy
Network, a charitable education and advocacy organization fighting for
patients’ rights, and one the original members of the LA’s Medical Marijuana
Working Group has been advocating for sensible dispensary regulations for Los
Angeles for nearly 8 years. This
past weekend Coutee and her organization honored Councilmember Rosendahl with 2
awards during an all-day event, Kushday LA – Celebrating Cannabis With Music
& Education, featuring numerous speakers and entertainers.
“If it were not for your heroic efforts, we would
still have a dispensary ban in Los Angeles. On behalf of all patients, thank
you,” Coutee said to Rosendahl in front the Kushday audience. Presenting him with the organization’s
Spirit & Compassion Award, Coutee read, “For your endless courage and
strength, for your boundless compassion and care for others, for your
dedication to public service, for breaking stigma and bravely speaking out on
civil rights and social justice issues including medical cannabis legalization,
we are honored to present you with this award.”
Patient Advocacy Network board member Shona
Gochenaur, also the executive director of Axis of Love SF Community Center in
San Fransisco, a social service center for low-income, disabled medical
cannabis patients presented Rosendahl with a certificate from the Harvey Milk
LGBT Democratic Club. Gochenaur
read, “We wanted to reach out to personally thank you for taking a stand and
helping to promote safe access to patients. By using your voice and personal
story you have helped to challenge unproductive bans... Thank you for leading
with a true voice and a brave heart,” the certificate ends.
Rosendahl states he is ‘passing the baton’ and has
encouraged his deputy chief of staff, Mike Bonin, to run in the City election
in March 2013. However, Rosendahl
states he will not completely leave public service, “Please know that I don’t
plan to fade away. On the
contrary, once I have beaten this cancer I plan to return to public affairs broadcasting
on television or radio. I want to
create a space for honest and open dialogue on the important issues facing our
city, our state, and our country; a space where people can finish their
sentences, share their thoughts, and contribute in a positive way to the public
discourse.”
Councilman Bill Rosendahl greatest LA City Council
Speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkGlsITL4ig&feature=youtu.be
Passing the Baton
http://billrosendahl.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/passing-the-baton/
Los Angeles City Council Repeals Its Ban On
Medical Marijuana Shops
City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who is a current
cancer patient, implored his colleagues to repeal the ban
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video/7793979-los-angeles-city-council-repeals-its-ban-on-medical-marijuana-shops/
LA repeals ban on storefront medical marijuana
dispensaries
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8832809
Patient Advocacy Network
http://www.cannabissaveslives.org/
