[ASA Field]

*Weekly Roundup*

1) Dustin Costa Sentenced to 13 Years, New CA Discussion Lists & ASA
Conference Materials Online
*
Take Action!

*2) Mon-Sun, February 12th-18th: Take Action During Medical Marijuana Week
3) Tell Governor Schwarzenegger to Stop the MMJ ID Card Fee Increase
*
**ASA Chapter & Affiliate Meetings*

4) Sunday, February 11th, Birds Landing: Solano Patients' Group Meeting
5) Tuesday, February 13th, San Diego: SD ASA Meeting
6) Tuesday, February 13th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting
7) Thursday, February 15th, Fullerton: North Orange County ASA Meeting
8) Saturday, February 17th, Hollywood: Los Angeles ASA Meeting
9) Wednesday, February 21st, Newport Beach: South Orange County ASA Meeting
10) Thursday, February 22nd, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting

*City & County Hearings*

11) Tuesday, February 13th, Placerville: El Dorado County Supervisors to
Consider MMJ ID Card Program
12) Tuesday, February 13th, Santa Rosa: Patients Testify Against 500
Patient Limit Per Dispensary
13) Tuesday, February 20th, Sebastopol: City Council to Vote on
Dispensary Regulations

*Court Support*

14) Monday, February 12th, San Francisco: Pretrial Hearing for Ed Rosenthal
15) Wednesday, February 14th, Burbank: Hearing for Peter Keyes

*Special Events*

16) Monday, February 12th, Berkeley: Cannabis Action Network Meeting
17) Every Monday-Friday in February, San Francisco: Volunteer for Juror
Education!

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*Weekly Roundup*
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*1) Dustin Costa Sentenced to 13 Years, New CA Discussion Lists & ASA
Conference Materials Online*

/Dustin Costa Sentenced to 13 Years, Judge Constricted by Mandatory
Minimums/

From Kris Hermes, ASA Legal Campaign Director:

It is with sadness I report that medical marijuana patient and president
of the Merced Patients Group was sentenced by Judge Anthony W. Ishii in
Fresno federal court today for a total of 13 years. While Judge Ishii
commented on Costa's contribution to the community, he said he was
forced to give him to the mandatory minimum sentences devised by
Congress. Costa was convicted by a jury in federal court on November 22,
2006 for cultivation, possession with intent to distribute, and
possession of a firearm, after the County of Merced turned the case over
to the feds when it realized it might not be able to convict in state
court. Costa was the first patient convicted at trial since the
/Gonzales v. Raich /decision in June 2005.

Judge Ishii, however, also commented that, because Costa was caught
between conflicting state and federal laws, he would make special note
of these circumstances for the purpose of his appeal. Costa fully
intends to file an appeal and will likely seek release on bail pending
that appeal.

Please write to support Dustin Costa in jail using the following address:

Dustin Robert Costa
Jail ID: T00229755
DOB: 10/11/46
Fresno County Jail
P.O. Box 872
Fresno, CA 93712

He will eventually be moved to a federal facility, but for now use the
address above. We'll keep folks posted as to his new address when we know.
*
*/
ASA Creates 4 New Discussion Lists to Facilitate Regional Communication/

After the extensive regional planning sessions at ASA's 2007 state
conference, "Implementation = Victory: Preparing for the Next 10 Years,"
ASA decided to create several new discussion lists to facilitate
regional communication.

There are new ASA lists for:
- Inland Empire
- Orange County
- Central-Coast
- Sacramento Area

We will also continue to maintain lists for:
- San Diego
- Los Angeles
- Central California
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Northern California

If you're interested in joining any of these lists, please visit
www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/EmailLists
/

Materials from ASA State Conference Now Available Online/

Many of you have been asking about materials from the conference. All
the materials included in the conference notebook are now available as a
PDF on ASA's website
<http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/ASA_CA2007_notebook_web.pdf>.
If you didn't attend the conference, I encourage you to download these
materials, as you will find many of them to be useful tools for
organizing. If you did attend the conference, print out a packet for a
friend!
*
*
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*Take Action!
*
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*
2) Mon-Sun, February 12th-18th: Take Action During Medical Marijuana Week*

To celebrate ten years of safe access to medical cannabis in California
and growing access throughout the country, Americans for Safe Access
(ASA) has organized Medical Marijuana Week 2007
<http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/MMJWeek>. This will be the fifth
annual Medical Marijuana Week, held during the week of 2/15 to
commemorate the passage of Proposition 215, California's medical
cannabis law.

This year, we are calling on advocates nationwide to take action every
day during this week. Please read on for daily opportunities to advance
safe access to medical cannabis. Celebrate Medical Marijuana Week with
us by educating your community, urging Congress to protect medical
cannabis patients, writing letters to the editor, and more!

Also, due to a high volume of requests, we are launching ASA's online
store <http://americansforsafeaccess.org/onlinestore> so you can "Gear
Up" for Medical Marijuana Week and beyond! We have made it easier for
you to get ASA's brand new line of products and literature. Check out
ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more!

*Visit www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/MMJWeek every day next week to
take action!

*
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*3) Tell Governor Schwarzenegger to Stop the MMJ ID Card Fee Increase
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/asa/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=6718>*

As you may have already heard, California's Department of Health
Services (CDHS) is proposing an enormous increase in its annual
application fee for the statewide medical marijuana ID card. The
proposed increase, from $13 to $142--or more than 1,000% per card--will
make the program too expensive for the majority of California's
patients, who already incur excessive health care costs.

Please take a few minutes today to contact Governor Schwarzenegger and
CDHS Director, Sandra Shewry to express your outrage over the proposed
fee-hike on California's sick and dying patients.

California's leaders need to know that their obligation is to protect
the state's most vulnerable citizens, not to burden them with
prohibitive costs for merely filing paperwork.

*Please visit ASA's online action center
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/asa/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=6718>
and send a message to the Governor and the CDHS today!*

Thank you for supporting affordable access to California's medical
marijuana program.

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*ASA Chapter Meetings*
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*
4) Sunday, February 11th, Birds Landing: Solano Patients' Group Meeting*

Solano Patients' Group/Compassionate Coalition National meetings will
now be held on every 2nd Saturday of the month @ 3pm. The meeting
location is at 2145 Collinsville Road in Birds Landing, CA 94512. All
members and supporters are welcome to attend these public meetings.

For more information, call (707) 635-3752.

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*5) Tuesday, February 13th, San Diego: SD ASA Meeting*

Our San Diego chapter of ASA has been busy lately and needs you to get
involved. It is time to get involved and protect safe access!

For more info about the chapter, please visit their site:
http://sdasa.4mg.com/index.html

Twiggs Coffee House
4590 Park Blvd.
In the Green Room
7:00-8:00 p.m.

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*
6) **Tuesday, February 13th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting*

The next ASA SF meeting space is 350 Divisadero, San Francisco, CA.
We're shooting for a rotating meeting schedule, allowing all the willing
dispensaries an opportunity to host ASA SF meetings periodically.

7:00 p.m.

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*7) Thursday, February 15th, Fullerton: North Orange County ASA Meeting*

Please come to discuss local law enforcement problems and campaigns to
address this and other issues!

7:00 p.m. @ 1520 W Commonwealth Ave, in Fullerton
For more info, please call ****: (949) 315-1097 or email
adamwithasa@gmail.com

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*
8) Saturday, February 17th, Hollywood: Los Angeles ASA Meeting*

Join the LA ASA chapter to plan future emergency response plans and help
to regulate dispensaries in LA City.

1pm - 3pm @ California Patients Group
6208 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038

For more info, please call LA ASA: (323) 464-7719

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*9) Wednesday, February 21st, Newport Beach: South Orange County ASA
Meeting*

The Orange County Dept of Health has been dragging its feet in the
process of issuing the SB 420 ID Card Program. Now that the Courts have
given hesitant counties the guidance they need, we need to make our
voices heard!

South OC ASA Meeting
7-9 PM
Law Offices of WENTWORTH, PAOLI & PURDY, LLP
4631 Teller Avenue, Suite 100
Newport Beach, CA 92660

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*10) Thursday, February 22nd, Sacramento: Sac ASA Meeting*

Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
!Pura Vida! (next to the Capitol Wellness Collective)
2400 14th Street, Sacramento

All are welcome. This is a great opportunity to get involved with ASA
and to work on both local and national campaigns.

For more information, please call 916-325-9000.

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*City & County Hearings*
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*11) Tuesday, February 13th, Placerville: El Dorado County Supervisors
to Consider MMJ ID Card Program*

Next Tuesday, February 13, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors
will be receiving a presentation from the County Health Officer on the
local implementation status of the statewide medical marijuana ID card
program. The Board is also likely to give direction on whether or not to
immediately move forward with the program.

The board hearing will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 9am in
Placerville. Please attend this important meeting to urge the county to
begin accepting applications for the ID cards, without further delay.

El Dorado County Board of Supervisors
Tuesday, Feb. 13 - 9:00am
330 Fair Ln, Bldg. #A
Placerville, CA 95667
Map: http://tinyurl.com/2v6dkx

For more information, contact Aaron Smith at safeaccessnow@gmail.com

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*
12) Tuesday, February 13th, Santa Rosa: Patients Testify Against 500
Patient Limit Per Dispensary*
Sonoma ASA is organizing patients to speak out at the Santa Rosa City
council meeting. Join us during public
comment to urge the council to end the 500 patient limit per dispensary.
Wear a shirt with the number 501 on it to express that your access has
been denied or could be denied!

Santa Rosa City Hall
100 Santa Rosa Avenue
4:00 p.m.

Patients and advocates will be also meeting earlier in the afternoon to
make t-shirts with the number 501 on them. Join them at 2:15 p.m. at the
Department of Public Health, 625 5th Street (at Mendocino Avenue) in
Santa Rosa.

For more info, contact Sonoma ASA: 707-332-6556

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*13) Tuesday, February 20th, Sebastopol: City Council to Vote on
Dispensary Regulations*

The Sebastopol City Council will be voting on dispensary regulations.
Please speak out at the hearing and explain to the council how important
safe access is to you!

Download ASA talking points
<http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=212> on dispensary
regulations.

7:00 P.M.
Sebastopol Youth Annex
425 Morris Street in Sebastopol

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*Court Support*
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*
14) Monday, February 12th, San Francisco: Pretrial Hearing for Ed Rosenthal*
*
*Pretrial hearing before Judge Charles Breyer in U.S. District Court,
450 Golden Gate, San Francisco, CA. In October 2006, superseding
indictments were filed against medical marijuana author and cultivator
Ed Rosenthal and Rick Watts (though his felony charges were later
dismissed). In addition to being prosecuted on prior charges, stemming
from the first indictments, they also face money laundering and tax
evasion charges (which were later severed from the other charges).
Rosenthal and Watts were arrested in February 2002 after the DEA raided
the Harm Reduction Center in San Francisco. Due to not being able to
assert a medical (Raich) defense, Rosenthal was convicted in January
2003 (Watts was unable to stand trial due to injuries sustained from an
auto accident). After outrage expressed by jurors and supporters alike,
U.S. District Court Charles Breyer sentenced Rosenthal on June 3, 2003
to one day in prison. Rosenthal later got his conviction overturned
based on jury misconduct. The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
then remanded the case back to district court, where the government is
currently retrying Rosenthal.

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*
15) Wednesday, February 14th, Burbank: Hearing for Peter Keyes*

Attention LA ASA Activists,

Long-time activist and patient Peter Keyes came from Northern California
to help network with others at the January ASA Conference. On his way
back home, he was stopped and cited at Burbank airport for legally
possessing his medicine.

These are the same cops and City Attorney that were just days away from
sending WAMM founder Val Corral to jury trial for H&S Code 11357 (b)
Possession of Less than an Ounce.

Please come to his court hearing:
*Wednesday, Feb. 14th, at 8:15am
Burbank Courthouse: 300 E. Olive Ave., Room #100.*

Peter has helped support patients and providers for years. He is now
asking for your help and support when he has to appear in court. Wear a
red t-shirt with your condition on it if you can. There are no signs
allowed inside a court room.

In Solidarity,

Chris Fusco
LA County Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access

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*Special Events*
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*
16) Monday, February 12th, Berkeley: Cannabis Action Network Meeting*

Our next monthly meeting is Monday, February 12 from 7:30 to 9pm at 1605
Ashby Ave. in Berkeley.

I have much progress to report, especially on our Jury Rights Campaign
and dispensary raid response. We will also share relevant announcements
and discuss recent news.

Hope you can make it!

Danielle
Director, Cannabis Action Network
(510) 684-9414
*
*
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*
**17) Every Monday-Friday in February, San Francisco: Volunteer for
Juror Education!*

Jury Education begun this Thursday, Feb. 1 at the San Francisco Federal
Courthouse. This educational campaign is sponsored by the Fully
Informed Jurors Association, www.fija.org <http://www.fija.org>

We will flyer from 7am to 10am, Monday through Friday for most of
February and March. Thanks to ASA and Richard Lee, we will have a new
and improved flyer to pass out to everyone who enters the Courthouse.
3-4 people are needed each day we are at the Courthouse.

Sign up with Danielle at can@cannabisactionnetwork.org
<mailto:can@cannabisactionnetwork.org> or by calling 510.486.8083.

Danielle
Cannabis Action Network

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