[hopeunlimited]

NEXT WEEK TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 16TH the hope Group will be addressing
city council during the 10am public comment
come support Hope Unlimited we have signs made you can hold up-LETS FILL THE CITY COUNCIL LET EM KNOW WE ARE BACK!
:slaugh:


We will be reading the Letter in Support of Hope Unlimited and San Diego Cannabis Patietns
from State Assemblywoman Lori Saldana (Attached please find the letter)

EACH MONTH HOPE WILL CONTINUE TO PLAN AND PARTICIPATE IN two forms
of civic protest/education. We have put the mayor on notice.
Now it is time for San Diego City Council to learn about our support from the State Rep

The hope group has made it very clear we WILL NOT STOP UNTIL WE GET ID CARDS
in San Diego
WE WILL NOT STOP until there is safe and affordable access to Medical Cannabis for San Diego patients
and caregivers-


peace
Hope Unlimited



June 6, 2008


Councilmember Donna Frye

202 C Street, MS #10A

San Diego, CA 92101

Dear Councilmember Frye,
I am writing to you on behalf of medical cannabis patients in San Diego. I recently met with members of Hope Unlimited, a local organization of patients, caregivers and supporters of medical cannabis. They shared their frustrations with me regarding San Diego's medical cannabis regulations.
On May 22, 2001, the San Diego City Council voted to adopt a resolution establishing the Medical Cannabis Task Force. This vote followed the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, when California voters overwhelmingly approved the "Compassionate Use Act" making California the first state to enact a modern medical marijuana law. California law allows eligible patients and providers to grow and possess marijuana, and it allows dispensing collectives and cooperatives. Despite this State law, local governments throughout the State, including the San Diego City Council and San Diego County Board of Supervisors, continue to persecute medical cannabis patients by participating in federal raids of dispensaries and refusing to issue medical cannabis identification cards. Additionally, San Diego Police Department officers confiscate legally prescribed cannabis from patients during routine traffic stops and residential visits.
Members of Hope Unlimited and countless other medical cannabis patients live in fear that their medication will be confiscated and that they will face criminal charges or jail time while trying to manage various illnesses. It has been brought to my attention that members of Hope Unlimited have attended many City Council meetings hoping to have their voices heard on the agenda or during public comment. They tell me they have consistently been ignored or moved to the bottom of the agenda.
Medical cannabis patients deserve to have the same opportunity to have their voices heard by the City Council as any other citizens of San Diego. I strongly encourage you to insist that they be added to the City Council agenda at the next possible opportunity. I also urge you to reconvene the City's Medical Cannabis Task Force to address the concerns of medical cannabis patients.
So long as medical cannabis use is legal under State law, patients should not have to live in fear of government action against them. Please reconvene the Task Force, and allow representatives from Hope Unlimited to speak to the Council as part of the public comment period.
Sincerely,




Lori Saldaña

Assembly Member, 76th District
LS:mc

CC: San Diego City Council Members













August 7, 2008

Aaron Klein, Founder

Hope Unlimited San Diego

C/O The Old Mill Café

3949 Ohio Street

San Diego, CA 92104

Dear Friends:

I am writing to express my support for your organization, members and families during

the aftermath of the federal raids of medical cannabis dispensaries that took place

throughout San Diego this week. Although Proposition 215 and the court system support

the rights of medical cannabis users, San Diego County continues to be a place where

patients live in fear of federal raids and arrests.

When someone who is obeying state law is taken into federal custody, the community

loses their contributions to our society at a time of economic crisis when they may be

needed more than ever. These people are needed to help pay household bills, look after

children or seniors, attend school, and go to work. They also may be suffering from

chronic illness or pain, and jail time can exacerbate their health concerns.

When cannabis dispensaries are raided, a significant amount of local tax dollars are spent

in the raids. This money could be spent on services and programs that are suffering

during the current economic downturn. I will be asking the District Attorney's office for

a full accounting of their costs associated with these investigations, arrests, trials and

imprisonments.

The real tragedy and damage to our state is not patients' use of medical marijuana. It is

their arrest and incarceration for what federal authorities deem to be crimes at this time of

need for so many of our State's residents.

Sincerely,

Lori Saldaña, Assembly Member

76th District

LS:mc

STATE CAPITOL

P.O. BOX 942849

SACRAMENTO, CA 94249-0024

(916) 319-2024

FAX (916) 319-2124

DISTRICT OFFICE

1557 COLUMBIA STREET

SAN DIEGO, CA 92101

(619) 645-3090

FAX (619) 645-3094

LORI SALDAÑA

ASSEMBLYMEMBER, SEVENTY-SIXTH DISTRICT

CHAIR, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

COMMITTEES:

CHAIR, HOUSING AND

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

ELECTIONS AND

REDISTRICTING

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

NATURAL RESOURCES

VETERANS AFFAIRS

SUBCOMMITTEES:

CHAIR, BASE CLOSURE AND

REDEVELOPMENT