ASA Scores Victory for Patients' Rights
Donate today to protect medical marijuana patients rights' to work!
Dear ASA Supporter,
Yesterday, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) scored a victory for patients’
rights, as the California Assembly Judiciary Committee approved our medical
marijuana employment rights bill. AB 2279, authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno
and sponsored by ASA, would protect the rights of hundreds of thousands of
medical marijuana patients in California from employment discrimination.
This fight is not over – please donate today to end patient discrimination
and protect patients’ jobs!
ASA began working with Assemblyman Leno last year to write this legislation in
case of an adverse ruling from the California Supreme Court in Ross v.
Ragingwire Telecommunications. It is a good thing that we were ready, because
in February, the court ruled that Proposition 215 did not provide protection
from employment discrimination – leaving hundreds of thousands of legal
patients in jeopardy. In a show of support for working patients, Assemblymember
Leno introduced AB 2279 on the same day the court ruled.
Approval from the Committee on Judiciary was our first big legislative test.
ASA staff helped recruit important endorsements, including the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the National Lawyers Guild, and several
HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations. ASA staff also visited every member of the
committee to be sure they understood the bill and to encourage their support.
Then, we briefed and trained Supreme Court plaintiff Gary Ross to tell his
story in person to the committee. ASA's Chief Counsel Joe Elford also testified
before the committee and responded to several complex legal questions from the
committee members.
This time consuming work paid off yesterday, as the committee passed the bill
on a 6-3 vote. Assemblymember Leno and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Dave
Jones both made strong statements at the hearing in support of the bill and in
support of medical marijuana patients’ rights.
Though we’ve passed this first hurdle, we have more hurdles to clear before
AB 2279 becomes law. Next week, we’ll go before the Assembly Labor Committee.
Then it’s on to the Assembly Floor, the Senate, and finally to the
Governor’s desk.
Please donate today to help make this work possible.
We have our work cut out for us, but with your support, we can advance state
law to protect medical marijuana patients’ rights to work.
Please donate $50,
$100 or more today to support our continued efforts in Sacramento.
Thank you in advance for your generosity,
Rebecca Saltzman
Chief of Staff
Americans for Safe Access
P.S. For more information about ASA's employment rights bill, please visit
http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/AB2279.
Americans for Safe Access is the nation's largest organization of patients,
medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and
legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.