Battle Plans for Future

[denverbear]

So.....................
What are the populace (us) going to do for future election's etc.....
is it too early to get our voices heard and when does any info for future voting have to get started on...
with 100,000 medical card holders in the state we DO have a lot of voting power and I don't think it's too early to start making plans.

I would be very interested to get involved as a patient and card holder and am not afraid to knock on doors.

denverbear Reviewed by denverbear on 06-10-2010. Battle Plans for Future So..................... What are the populace (us) going to do for future election's etc..... is it too early to get our voices heard and when does any info for future voting have to get started on... with 100,000 medical card holders in the state we DO have a lot of voting power and I don't think it's too early to start making plans. I would be very interested to get involved as a patient and card holder and am not afraid to knock on doors. Rating: 5

[GratefulMeds]

So.....................
What are the populace (us) going to do for future election's etc.....
is it too early to get our voices heard and when does any info for future voting have to get started on...
with 100,000 medical card holders in the state we DO have a lot of voting power and I don't think it's too early to start making plans.

I would be very interested to get involved as a patient and card holder and am not afraid to knock on doors.

Our website This Web site coming soon should be up by the end of the week, and this is exactly what we want to do. Support those who support us and Target those who don't!:thumbsup:

[donnadanko]

So.....................
What are the populace (us) going to do for future election's etc.....
is it too early to get our voices heard and when does any info for future voting have to get started on...
with 100,000 medical card holders in the state we DO have a lot of voting power and I don't think it's too early to start making plans.

I would be very interested to get involved as a patient and card holder and am not afraid to knock on doors.

I would like to see more people speaking out for the very sick people who can't afford to take away their pain anymore, it was hard enough before. I haven't heard much concern for them and I think they need our support.

I would be willing to help out here anyway I can, I just need direction.

[michaelnights]

If the mmj community does not take fast action the vast majority of Colorado will be void of legal access to medical cannabis. The banning of dispensaries, grow-ops and infused product mfgers from townships, cities and counties has begun and the mmj community isn't doing anything about it.

Worse than not doing anything . . . Aurora, one of CO's largest communities, is preparing a mmj ban and members of the mmj community are spearheading an all-out fight in Aurora against (drum roll please) wait for it -- a fashion statement! ug

The Municipal League of CO Cities is meeting next week and the hot topic for councilmen is going to be, it's on their schedule, "what's the best way to ban mmj - should our council ban it, or should the voters?"

There could be a hundred or more bans on the November ballot in CO and there is NO means available to campaign against them all. We don't have the man-power or the cash to throw into even a small number of these political campaigns.

The press in the past 9 months, together with the Gold-domers (the General Assembly,) have ravaged and destroyed the reputation of the mmj community. They changed the face of medical cannabis from the images of AIDS patients and grandmothers with crippling arthritis to cartoon-like money-hungry dispensary owners, with flashing neon green pot leaves, who are supplying the neighborhood kids with pot, stocking up for their weekend ski trips - ug.

Voters, who intellectually support the seriously ill and dying using cannabis with their doctors recommendation, will now be far less inclined to also support allowing dispensaries and can be easily influenced with well organized and financed local campaigns to ban dispensaries. Not In My Back Yard!

If a ban gets on a ballot it will be extremely difficult to defeat. . . unless

There are 100K + mmj patients in CO multiplied by their families and friends. Estimates suggest upwards of 20% of CO residents used pot recreationally in the past year = 1,000,000 (one million.) Together, their purchasing power is in the billions.

Imagine councilmen at next week's meeting sharing emails they received; thousands of ill mmj patients, shut-ins, unable to work but are right now working the www with messages to boycott (name of your city goes here.) Don't buy eggs, milk, bread, gasoline, autos, real estate, etc. in (name of your community goes here.) Instead, spend those funds in the neighboring mmj friendly community of (name of city goes here.)

Because of the economy, these communities are already hemorrhaging red ink, laying of employees, cutting back programs, closing rec centers, etc. They can't afford even a slight fraction of a % in further tax revenue loses.

Viral boycott emails sent to local businesses in the targeted communities will be forwarded to councilmen with dire warnings not to do anything that could cause their business to be boycotted.

As the www goes world-wide, if a community derives a portion of their income from tourism, like Vail, a boycott could cause mmj friendly tourists in NJ to book a ski resort in Utah instead.

A well orchestrated boycott of communities that elect to ban dispensaries, hell even the threat of a boycott on this scale, should be enough to cause councilmen to not only think twice when the issue comes before them, it should be enough to roll out the red carpet for dispensaries.

The time to contact mayors and councilmen is NOW. Tell them about the rumored boycotts and how badly that could impact their community if they ban dispensaries.

Talk to your friends in the mmj community, urge them to contact councilmen and mayors in communities contemplating bans and tell them about the up-coming boycotts.

Urge mmj community leaders to issue public statements in support of boycotts of communities that support bans.

Just don't do something, talk about it - a lot - don't spend your money in communities that ban dispensaries.

[TurboALLWD]

You failed to mention the growers, or caregivers. The patients are losing big time because they can't get the meds direct anymore. They could boycott the dispensaries and show the state how much their losing in taxes, maybe then they would find a way to tax the caregivers instead of trying to put them out of business. I guess they'll make more money busting the caregivers that are just trying to make a living than they would taxing them. Money is almost always the motive so it wouldn't surprise me if thats the angle their taking.

[michaelnights]

Information- CML On the issues

Check this out - on schedule - for next week's CML meeting - not for the faint of heart.

This is real - this is the future of MMJ in CO - the CML is teaching councilmen how to ban dispensaries - time for action is NOW ! ! !

We must spread the word - BOYCOTT - communities that ban mmj.

[hizeman]

First, people only care about themselves. Showing images of sick people won't change anyone's mind.

It's our job to make sure that bad drug busts, shooting pets, the cost of prisons, courts and police, etc. are publicized.

It's our job to make sure the public has to make an A or B choice:

A. Give the tax revenue to the State of Colorado and the profits to local business people.

B. Give the money to drug cartels.

And these are the only two options. This decision needs to be hammered home, over and over and over. We need to start pointing the finger at THEM for endangering OUR society, highlighting the violence, border wars and gun trade associated with illegal drugs.

Explain how taxes on pot and money saved from not imprisoning pot smokers can be spent putting violent criminals away, and not releasing them early due to "over crowding".

Each person should have a list of reasons, ready to recite whenever needed.

These topics should be blogged about, tweeted, etc. Press releases can be written and published online for free. Every story and event that that benefits our position needs to be publisized as much as possible. Local news medias must be notified each time.

People need to fear the crime. They need to feel the financial loss during this recession. They need to be reminded of friends and family that have had their lives ruined by the courts, simply because someone had a bad of weed in the car.

Second...We don't fight these bills with a hope of compromise. This is politics and business. You set the line way beyond what we have now. We go for full legalization. The compromise will be legalization with regulations similar to alcohol.

Third...I'm not sure the dispensary model is really the best for most smokers. It keeps prices way to high. MJ isn't meant to be grown indoors. It's too expensive and takes way too much energy.

Fourth...You understand that Chris Romer honestly feels he's right. You're making a big mistake if you feel he thinks the way he does because he's been bribed or for political reasons. The biggest mistake one can make when fighting a war is not understand the true motives of a person.

Chris Romer's job is not to protect MMJ patient rights, it is to do what he feels is the best for all Coloradans, with respect to our state constitution.

We may disagree with him, even strongly. But the only way you will change his mind is if you can convince him it's in the best interest of Colorado, and not just your own.

What Romer sees is a bunch of people pretending to be sick, when the law says it's only for sick people. We need to change the law so anyone over 21 can smoke weed, and I think you'll see a change in Romer.

The thing is, he's right. He feels people are trying to "get over". There are a lot of people with prescriptions that aren't really sick.


I say this because I know him, we went to school together as kids. Don't misunderstand your opponent. Chris Romer is one of the smartest people around.

The truth is, I really believe we can do whatever we want, if we get everyone to vote. I believe most Coloradans support legalization. But young adults just don't vote.

Can all pot smokers unite? Will there be a divide between dispensaries and smokers and are they're interests the same? Will dispensaries and caretakers support legislation legalizing pot if it will put them out of business?

Me personally, I don't want weed legal just for patients. I want it legal for anyone over 21. Do we even agree on this point?

[rightwinger]

You failed to mention the growers, or caregivers. The patients are losing big time because they can't get the meds direct anymore. They could boycott the dispensaries and show the state how much their losing in taxes, maybe then they would find a way to tax the caregivers instead of trying to put them out of business. I guess they'll make more money busting the caregivers that are just trying to make a living than they would taxing them. Money is almost always the motive so it wouldn't surprise me if thats the angle their taking.

A patient can still get their meds from primary caregivers. The problem--caregivers are now limited to 5 patients. But, if you can find one that is willing to grow for you--then list him/her as your caregiver--as a patient you can save a lot of money.

[denverbear]

Good start on the info...
now I am not that computer savoy but is it possible to start a web site for Colorado MMJ....something real easy for everyone to use like

savecommj.com....this is a name I found that no-one had taken on the web so it could be used as a rally point.

is this possible we could start a campain under that type of name where it is real easy for EVERYONE to remember and use as a gathering place for battle plans....
just a thought here....... and if anyone is computer literate to do something like this it in my opinion would be a good rallying place to post e-mail addresses, etc. so our e-mail campain could be organized by us for us and it would also be a place for the legal eagles to get involved with us to spur us in the right direction to get this done....

[HighPopalorum]

We must spread the word - BOYCOTT - communities that ban mmj.

Banning these bricks-and-mortar businesses isn't the same as banning medical marijuana. Patients can have their marijuana delivered from a dispensary in another town, they can purchase from a caregiver, (who is limited to five patients, for the moment) or of course they can grow their own.

EDIT: Interesting analysis, Hizeman.