[ASA Field]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASA Header
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASA California Weekly Alert: October 26, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Make Sure We Stay On Top of It:* If you wish to have a medical cannabis event, meeting, federal trial, and/or city or county hearing listed in the ASA CA Weekly Alert, please send information to Sonnet@AmericansforSafeAccess.org no later than Thursdays by 3:00pm.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Weekly Round-Up*
1. Live from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Conference in Dallas!

*ASA Chapter and Affiliate Meetings*
2. Thursday, November 1, Santa Rosa: Sonoma County ASA Meeting
3. Tuesday, November 6, Sacramento: Sacramento ASA Meeting
4. Wednesday, November 7, Sacramento: Solano Patients' Group Meeting

*City and County Hearings
*5. Monday, October 29, San Luis Obispo: County Permit Hearing for Medical
Marijuana Dispensary*

Court Support
*6. Wednesday, October 31, Fresno: Pre-trial Hearing for California Healthcare
Collective
7. Tuesday, November 6, Sacramento: CA Supreme Court Oral Arguments in /Ross
vs. Ragingwire/

*Special Events*
8. Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, San Francisco: Wonders of Cannabis
Festival and Expo
9. Saturday, October 27, Sacramento: Evolution: Halloween Festival and ASA
Fundraiser!
10. Save the Date! Tuesday, November 13, San Francisco: SF ASA's "Save Our
Friends" Fundraiser and Party
*
*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly Round-Up California

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*1. **Live from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Conference in Dallas!*

This week, ASA Executive Director, Steph Sherer, Government Affairs Director,
Caren Woodson, and I traveled to Dallas, Texas to attend the annual National
Multiple Sclerosis Society's 2007 National Conference in an effort to continue
to build a coalition of condition-based groups and expand ASA MS Patients'
Union. We staffed our educational outreach exhibit and discussed safe access to
marijuana with a receptive audience of people living with MS, their
family-members, caregivers, and advocates. We also were afforded the opportunity
to broaden our knowledge about both the National MS Society and the innovations
in Multiple Sclerosis research and treatment.

The overall reception from conference participants has been very encouraging.
Many people remembered us from last year's conference. Others were introduced to
medical cannabis as treatment for symptoms associated with MS for the first
time. Building on the momentum generated from an article published earlier this
year by /InsideMS/, "Considering Cannabis
<http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=HOM_LIB_imsjune07_consideringc annabis>,"
We have been introducing several MS Society chapter leaders, members, and staff
to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis and it's ability to treat several
symptoms associated with MS.

Read the full story on our blog by clicking here.
<http://safeaccessnow.org/blog/?p=29>

ASA Chapter and Affiliate Meetings Chapter Meetings
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*2. Thursday, November 1, Santa Rosa: Sonoma County ASA Meeting

*Over the past month, safe access has fallen under attack in Northern
California. If you support medical marijuana please come out and find out what
you can do to protect medical marijuana patients and providers. Please be sure
to attend the meeting as it is the only scheduled November meeting. We hope to
see you there!*

*When: Thursday, November 1st, 5:00-7:00pm
Where: South City View Room
Department of Public Health
625 5th St., Santa Rosa, CA (Between Humboldt and Mendocino)*
*
For more information, contact Sonnet@AmericansforSafeAccess.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*3. Tuesday, November 6, Sacramento: Sacramento ASA Meeting*

Join the Sacramento Chapter as we discuss upcoming court support, the ID card
program, and other pressing local issues.

When: Tuesday at 7:00pm
Where: Crusaders Hall
320 Harris Ave. Suite H in Sacramento

For more information, contact Lanette: cannacare@earthlink.net
<mailto:cannacare@earthlink.net>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*4. Wednesday, November 7, Sacramento: **Solano Patients' Group Meeting*

Solano Patients' Group has decided to combine our meetings with our Sacramento chapter on the first Wednesday of the Month. We will be working on pressing medical cannabis issues.

When: Wednesday, November 7 at 7pm (every first Wednesday of the month).
Where: River City Patient Center located at 1512 C El Camino Ave, Sacramento.

For more information, contact Linda: Linda4SPG@compassionatecoalition.org.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City and County Hearings Hearings
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*5. Monday, October 29, San Luis Obispo: County Permit Hearing for Medical
Marijuana Dispensary*

On Monday, the County Planning Commission will be considering a conditional use
permit for North County Resource Center, a proposed dispensary. Please come out
and show your support for safe access!

When: Meeting begins at 8:45 a.m., but item not expected to be heard until
1:30 p.m.
Where: Board of Supervisors Chambers, County Government Center
1055 Monterey Street, Room D170, San Luis Obispo

Download ASA talking points <http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2717>
on dispensary regulations, moratoriums and bans. For more information on the
hearing, read the County's staff report
<http://slocounty.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&event_id=35&meta_id=68607 >.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Court Support Court Support
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*6. Wednesday, October 31, Fresno: Pre-trial Hearing for California Healthcare
Collective*

Pre-Trial hearing at 1pm before Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill in U.S. District Court
(E.D., CA)
<http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&newFL=Use+Address+Below&ad dr=2500+Tulare+Street&csz=fresno%2C+CA+95814-7300&country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map>,
2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA. After the City of Modesto failed to shut down
the California Healthcare Collective by banning dispensaries, it called in the
DEA. On September 27, 2006, the DEA raided the collective and arrested four
people (owner-operators Luke Scarmazzo and Ricardo Montes and two staff members)
on charges of distribution of marijuana and conspiracy to distribute. Scarmazzo
and Montes were also charged with possession of firearms and money laundering.
Later, an additional five people were indicted, bringing the total to nine
people being prosecuted by the federal government. In the raid, the DEA
allegedly seized more than 100 pounds of marijuana, one thousand plants,
multiple firearms, and more than $200,000 in cash. The raids were the result of
a 15-month investigation between the DEA and the Modesto Police Department.

All defendants have been released on bail pending trial, with the exception of
Monica Valencia, who was recently imprisoned on a misdemeanor state charge and
may be held until her federal trial. More recently, Bradley Heinmiller, Bradley
Wickliffe and Stephen DeMattos have pled guilty to avoid trial, and only six
defendants remain. For more info, see Vanessa Nelson's article
<http://www.medicalmarijuanaofamerica.com/content/view/155/1/>.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*7. Tuesday, November 6, Sacramento: CA Supreme Court Oral Arguments in */*Ross
vs. Ragingwire*

/Oral Arguments at 9am before the California Supreme Court at the Stanley Mosk
Library and Courts Building 914 Capitol Mall
<http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory =&searchtab=home&formtype=address&popflag=0&latitu de=&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&cat=&address=91 4+capitol+mall&city=sacramento&state=ca&zipcode=>
in Sacramento. Americans for Safe Access Chief Counsel Joe Elford will argue an
appeal of the discriminatory decision of September 7, 2005, when the Court of
Appeals for the Third Appellate District denied a qualified medical marijuana
patient any remedy for being terminated from his/her employment simply for
testing positive for marijuana. In /Ross v. Ragingwire Telecommunications,
Inc./, the court relied on federal law to defeat Gary Ross' state law causes of
action for wrongful termination in violation of public policy and employment
discrimination in violation of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act.

Hoping to overturn this discriminatory published decision, ASA joined the
lawsuit as co-counsel, and on November 30, 2005, the California Supreme Court
granted review. ASA filed the opening brief on February 7, 2006 and on July 25,
2006, allies filed three /amicus/ (support) briefs on behalf of Ross: a
medical-based brief filed by ten local, state, and national organizations,
including the American Nurses Association; a legislative-based brief filed by
all of the original authors of SB 420; and a disability rights brief filed by
two prominent disability rights groups. Important issues of federalism and
employment discrimination are at stake in this case. For further explanation and
links to the legal briefs, go to ASA's Brief Bank page on Ross v. RagingWire
<http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=4407>.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Events Events
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*8. Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, San Francisco: Wonders of Cannabis
Festival and Expo
**
*Come out to this entertaining and educational event in San Francisco! Be sure
to stop by and visit the ASA booth at the expo.

*Wonders of Cannabis- Festival, Concert, and Expo*
Where: Golden Gate Park-Hall of Flowers, San Francisco, CA
When: 11am to 7pm, October 27th and 28th
Featuring: Tommy Chong, JGB w/ Melvin Seals, Los Marijuanos, RY Kihn Band, and
Bluesetta.

For more information on the event visit: www.WondersofCannabis.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*9. Saturday, October 27, Sacramento: Evolution: Halloween Festival and ASA
Fundraiser!

*This exciting festival and benefit for ASA features music, psychics,
Ghost-busters, political activists, writers, fire dancing, candle magic, food,
and much more! All are encouraged to wear costumes that fit into the theme of
evolution (i.e. cavemen, dolphins, robots, aliens, Atilla the Hun, etc...)

When: Saturday October 27th from 10:00am-10:00pm
Where: Urban Wellness Collective,
2116 Northgate Blvd. Sacramento, CA

Tickets are $5.00 (or 2 for $8.00); Seniors and teens are $3.00

Fore more information, visit www.HolisticLivingExpo.com or call 916-925-8837.
See you there!
*
*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*10. Save the Date! Tuesday, November 13, San Francisco: SF ASA's "Save Our
Friends" Fundraiser and Party

*Mark your calendars for the San Francisco ASA chapter's fundraiser and party.
The "Save our Friends" event is a fundraiser for the San Francisco chapter and
will feature local patient talent including live music, comedians, and other
exciting events.

When: Tuesday, November 13th starting at 7:30pm
Where: El Ricon at the corner of 16th and Harrison in San Francisco
(Just 5 blocks from the 16th and Mission Bart stop!)

For ticket information and questions about the event, contact Alex:
aaafranco@yahoo.com