Take Action to Help OC Patients!
Law enforcement officials in Orange County have a dismal track record when it comes to respecting California's medical marijuana laws. But, fortunately, an opportunity is coming up to improve protections for Orange County patients. On July 17, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will be voting on whether to implement California's medical marijuana ID card program. Because the ID cards are easy to verify, they will reduce the chance that patients will be wrongfully detained.
Although qualified patients and caregivers are not required to participate in the confidential program, the county is required, by law, to make the program available. Please take a few minutes of your time to take the following actions in order to help protect Orange County's medical marijuana patients:
1. Visit
www.safeaccessnow.org/OCIDcardaction to send an e-mail to the
Board of Supervisors, urging them to vote to implement the medical marijuana ID card program
2. Please write a letter to the editor of the Orange County Register expressing your support for the ID card program. The Register has already taken a favorable position on medical marijuana but it is important to show that the public agrees that local patients must be protected from arrest. Feel free to use the talking points at the end of this message when composing your letter.
Letters should be 200 words or less and must include your name, address and phone number (contact info will not be published). E-mail letters to
letters@ocregister.com .
3. Mark your calendar and plan to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, July 17 in downtown Santa Ana. It's important that as many patients and supporters as possible show up to this hearing to support safe access to medical marijuana and the implementation of the medical marijuana ID card program in Orange County.
Further details on the meeting will be sent later this week. If you wish to become more involved in our local efforts, please contact Safe Access Now's Aaron Smith at:
SafeAccessNow@gmail.com or (866) 287-6792.
Once the program is implemented, Orange County patients and caregivers
will be able to obtain the ID cards through the county's Health Services Agency. The ID program works to protect cardholders from unnecessary arrest, detainment or seizure of their medicine by state and local law enforcement.
Thank you for supporting the Safe Access for Orange County medical marijuana patients. Please, don't forget to take action today. After that, please pass this alert on to friends, family members, and coworkers in Orange County.
Please feel free to use the following talking points when addressing
your county supervisor or writing a letter to the editor:
- The ID card protects patients and caregivers from lengthy
detainment, arrest, seizure of property or unnecessary court
proceedings. Although cases involving legitimate medical marijuana
patients are consistently dismissed, this situation poses as an undue
hardship on some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
- The ID card program will greatly assist law-enforcement in
distinguishing patients with legitimate medical marijuana
recommendations from people who are using false or counterfeit
documentation.
- The county has a legal responsibility to implement the program, as a
requirement of Senate Bill 420, passed into law in 2003 and later
upheld by a San Diego Superior Court ruling in December 2006.
- The majority of California's counties have already implemented the
program; there is no reason for our county to be lagging so far behind
on this important issue.
- The Department of Health will not incur any additional costs by
implementing the ID card program because the county is allowed to set
its own fees to recoup the start-up and operating costs.
- Voters' support of safe and legal access to medical marijuana has
only grown stronger since Orange County voters approved the
Compassionate Use Act (Prop. 215) in 1996. According to an independent
field poll conducted in 2006, three out of four Californians now
support implementation of the state's medical marijuana laws.
P.S.: Orange County ASA is hosting a meeting this Wednesday to help
prepare for the Board of Supervisors meeting.
All are welcome attend:
When: July 11th @ 7:00pm
Where: Law Offices of WENTWORTH, PAOLI & PURDY, LLP
4631 Teller Avenue, Suite 100
Newport Beach, CA 92660