Lanny's MAPP Newsletter, March 3, 2013

Lanny's MAPP Newsletter
March 3, 2013

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[/align] Last week I attended the Americans for Save Access National Unity Convention in Washington DC. It was a total blow-out and just not because of my presentation on the Brownie Mary Democratic Club.

The first day was all about science and medicine with the likes of Dr. Marc Ware, Dr. Donald Abrams, Dr. David Bearman, Dr. Jahan Marcu, Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, MaryLynn Mathre RN and various researchers national and international. Of special interest was the keynote presentation by Dr. John Schwartz, considered by many as the father of String Theory. Other than the fact that String Theory explains how everything in existence works at the most nitty-gritty of levels, including marijuana, Dr. Schwartz was there because his wifeâ??s life was restored and made whole through her use of marijuana and he believes all scientists must stand up for marijuana because to not do so would be to allow ignorance to override scientific fact and the scientific method.

Being at the conference Friday was a vivid reminder of why what we are doing is so important not only to our own personal health and the health of our families, but also the health of our communities and frankly the world.

From the sanity and rationality of science Friday, it was a roller coaster ride into the world of politics on Saturday and Sunday. Movement activists, health professionals, patients, labor organizers, drug law reformers and legal professionals of many different stripes from all over the country and from a surprising number of other countries made presentations and networked on advancing medicinal marijuana and assuring patients safe, reliable, local and affordable access to medicinal marijuana.

The grand conclusion came on Monday when over 100 medical marijuana patients and advocates descended on our nationâ??s capital to lobby their members of congress on behalf of two bills introduced on that very same day to advance the cause of medicinal marijuana and protect the rights of medical marijuana patients in states that have allowed its use when recommended by a physician. I have attached a group picture taken on the day of lobbying.

U.S Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)was featured at a 9:30 a.m. press conference where he spoke on his bill HR 689, the Statesâ?? Medical Marijuana Patients Protection Act, which would allow states to implement their medical marijuana laws unmolested by the federal government.

The other bill presented at the press conference was HR 6134, the Truth in Trials Act. Introduced by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) this critical piece of legislation would allow evidence of an accusedâ??s reliance on state law allowing for the use and distribution of marijuana at federal trials where such evidence is not currently allowed.

If passed, it would be all but impossible for federal prosecutors to get a medical marijuana collective operator convicted. It could also open the possibility that federal prisoners denied a medical marijuana defense in federal court would have grounds to request a new trial in order to introduce the evidence that was not allowed at their original trials.

I personally visited the office of Dr. Raul Ruiz, my representative in the U.S, House where I live in the Coachella Valley. I didnâ??t meet with him but I did meet with two of his staffers who took my literature on the two bills as well information on the Brownie Mary Democratic Club of Riverside County (large portions of Riverside County make up most of his House District).

I asked if a meeting could be arranged with him and constituent patients when he was in town. I was given the name and contact information for his local scheduler. I spoke with his District Chief Greg Rodriquez and have an appointment with his district chief of staff on Tuesday, March 19 to hopefully arrange for an eventual meeting with Dr. Ruiz. More information on this meeting will be provided in upcoming email newsletters.

I also attended meetings with staff members of both California Senators â?? Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.

Feinstein, who sits on the all-important Judiciary Committee, has never been a friend of medical marijuana (although she begrudgingly admits that it may have some medical uses) was a central focus with an early afternoon meeting attended by over 30 patients and advocates. The staff members stated they would bring our concerns to her attention. We donâ??t expect that much will come out of it, but if we donâ??t make our concerns vigorously known to her, then she will hear nothing in opposition to law enforcementâ??s never ending reefer madness drumbeat.

The meeting with Senator Boxerâ??s staff came late in the afternoon with about a dozen in attendance. Boxer is known to be much friendlier to our cause and we asked that she consider sponsoring companion legislation in the U.S. Senate to HB 689 and HB 6134.

With the introduction of the two house bills plus two other bills introduced previously dealing with out and out legalization, our national legislature is taking notice that we are serious players and that ASAâ??s day of lobbying shows that we are playing this all-too-serious game professionally.

I also left with the staff members in Representative Raul Ruiz and US Senators Boxer and Feinstein offices information on the Brownie Mary Democratic Club as well let them know that I had been elected as a delegate to the California State Democratic Convention. Although I am the first to admit that this is very small potatoes, it lets them know that we are team players and that our concerns deserve their consideration.

The National Day of Unity Conference and Lobbying Day is an important first step in obtaining the legal recognition and protections that patients need and deserve. With public opinion polls showing overwhelming support for medical marijuana and marijuana law reform, the momentum is on our side but the only way we are going to make it happen is when we get politically involved. That is why ASAâ??s day of action was so important, but that was only a beginning.

Taking it further and beyond the beginning is what the Brownie Mary Democratic Club is all about. At the ASA convention I networked with several Californians who are interested in starting BMDCs in their counties. Along with current people working in Orange, Los Angeles and a couple of other counties, we now have at least six different counties in which BMDCs are beginning the initial steps of organization.

If you would like to get involved with the BMDC and meet and work with local, state and national elected officials, check out the BMDC website at www.browniemaryclub.org or send me an email and I will send you some information. This is an exciting, rewarding and truly fun way to get involved.

I would like to thank Terry, Jim, Kaylee and Victoria for their donations to cover my expenses to attend ASAâ??s National Unity Conference. Their donations covered about three-fourths of my expenses in getting to and while at the convention/lobbying day. If anyone else out there would like to help out, you still can by going to the MAPP donation page by CLICKING HERE.I appreciate whatever support you can provide.

[HR] [align=center] [/align] [align=left] What effect will the much fretted over SEQUESTRATION have on medical marijuana policy? Could the loss of funding result in a decrease in federal raids and prosecutions of medical marijuana providers?

It has been estimated by the Office of Management and Budget that the Drug Enforcement Administration will lose $166 million from its $2.02 billion staffing and appropriations budget returning the Department to the reduced funding of 2002-2003 when the DEA began its crusade against medical marijuana dispensaries.

Itâ??s just not the DEA that is getting cut â?? it is the entire War on Drugs federal establishment that is getting cut. Hereâ??s some examples:[/align]

• DOD's Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities budget of $1.6 billion will be reduced by $157 million
  
• DOJ's Interagency Crime and Drug Enforcement budget of $528 million will be reduced by $43 million
  
• The DEA Diversion Control Fee Account budget of $335 million will be reduced by $25 million
  
• The Office of National Drug Control Policy budget of $25 million will be reduced by $2 million
  
• The High-intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program budget of $239 million will be reduced by $20 million

[align=left] Other Federal Drug Control Programs," with a total budget of $100 million, will undergo $8 million in cuts.[/align]

• It is interesting to note that in the laundry list of federal agencies President Obama cited as being severely affected by Sequestration and that will negatively impact on the public, the War on Drugs was never mentioned. Maybe the President realized that a lot of people would welcome the Sequestration of that money.
  
• Unfortunately it was estimated by former ONDCP advisor John Carnevale that the sequester would most affect prevention with about78 percent of the total $1.7 billion requested for prevention feeling the full effect of a sequester.
  
• Law Enforcement, treatment, and international programs would have 41 percent of their $2.1 billion international budget, 35 percent of the $9.5 billion domestic law enforcement budget, and 32 percent of the $9.0 billion treatment budget will be directly affected by sequestration.
  
• Interdiction is the least affected with about11 percent of the $3.9 billion allocated to interdiction directly affected by a sequestration.
  
• Of course the entire $85 billion shortfall could easily be made up by eliminating the $50 billion yearly cost of the War on Drugs and go way beyond that amount with the government taxing, regulating and tightly controlling the distribution of drugs. Of course the drug cartels would not like this and neither would the cops.

[align=left] Sequestration will definitely put a small dent on marijuana prohibition law enforcement, but it is not going to make that big a change so that we can all start breathing a little easier. That will only come when we have the political clout to get our elected officials to sequester the entire War on Drugs budget.What effect will the much fretted over SEQUESTRATION have on medical marijuana policy? Could the loss of funding result in a decrease in federal raids and prosecutions of medical marijuana providers?

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[align=left] Time to circle the dates on your calendar for the March 2013 MAPP meetings.[/align]

• Riverside â?? Wednesday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Presto Quality Care Medical Center (formerly THCF Medical Clinic), 647 Main St., Riverside 92501.

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[align=center] Marijuana Compassion & Common Sense
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[align=center] Award Winning Radio Show[/align]
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Famed attorney Robert Raich and the founder of an online cannabis university are the featured guest on the 6 p.m. Monday, March 4 broadcast and simulcast of our award winning radio show Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.
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Attorney Raich will provide insight on the outdoor growing ordinance of Tehama County which was recently upheld by the 3^rd District Court of Appeals in a lawsuit filed by irate patients. The effect of this ruling will impact patients across the state and Attorney Raich will explain what to expect.

He will also examine what appears to be a slow-down in federal medical marijuana raids and prosecutions and explain why it is happening and what the slow-down portends for the future.

Our second guest is Evan Erickson, founder and director of Green CulturED, an online educational website formed to provide quality training and education in medical marijuana, natural health and the cannabis industry. With a wide range of classes from cultivation to legal, Evan will explain how their website provides cannabis educational training in the privacy and convenience of your own home with both domestic and commercial applications.

Join Robert Raich, Evan Erickson, Uncle Ronnie, Kali Smith and myself this Monday at 6 p.m. and every Monday at 6 p.m. for Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense, the show that tells you the truth about marijuana broadcast on IE Talk Radio KCAA1050 AM and simulcast on the Internet at www.kcaaradio.com. Past shows can be accessed by scrolling on the home page to Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense and then clicking on Podcast.
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[align=center] GET INVOLVED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The Brownie Mary Democratic Club
JOIN US[/align] [align=center] [align=center]Start a local chapter by you - Republican, Libertarian & Green Party[/align][/align] [HR] [align=center] Please take a moment to go to our website, www.marijuananews.org, and make a donation.[/align] [/align]
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[align=center] WATCH my latest videos HERE or click icon above.[/align]
[HR] [align=center] MISS THIS WEEK'S RADIO PROGRAM? No problem, click HERE to access the latest Marijuana Compassion & Common Sense Radio Program.[/align] [align=center] [/align] [/align]
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[align=center] The Human Solution
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[align=center] Because no one should go to jail for a plant - Joe Grumbine
www.the-human-solution.org[/align]
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