ASA Activist Newsletter
In the July 2020 Issue:
- Congress Pushing Cannabis Research
- Louisiana Expands Medical Cannabis Program
- Medical Cannabis Measures to Appear on State Ballots
- Free Webinar on Medical Cannabis Journaling
- ASA Improves Membership Program
- What’s in a Name? Marijuana, Cannabis, and Hemp
- Activist Profile: Erik Range, Orlando, Florida
- In Memoriam: Lester Grinspoon, M.D.
- Action Alert: Complete the State of the States Patient Feedback
Survey
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Congress Pushing Cannabis Research
Bipartisan support in both the House of
Representatives and Senate is propelling new federal measures to
support medical cannabis research.
The House approved an infrastructure bill last month that includes
a provision that directs federal agencies to develop ways to allow
researchers in all 50 states to obtain cannabis from licensed
commercial businesses. The INVEST
in America Act directs the Department of Transportation to work
with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of
Justice to develop recommendations for allowing interstate transport
of the research cannabis everywhere in the U.S. The agencies would
have two years to develop a plan for creating a “national
clearinghouse” of cannabis strains and products for research study.
Their report is also to address the “statutory and regulatory barriers
to the conduct of scientific research.”
In the Senate, the language from the Cannabidiol
and Marihuana Research Expansion Act has been introduced as an
amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. Sponsored by the
Republican and Democratic leaders of the Judiciary Committee, Sens.
Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), with co-sponsorship
by Brian Schatz (D-HI), the provision would remove barriers to
cannabis research, as well as provide explicit protections to
physicians who recommend it to their patients.
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Louisiana Expands Medical Cannabis Program
What has been a highly restrictive medical cannabis program in
Louisiana is being expanded with a trio of new laws. Lawmakers
approved a bill that will allow physicians to recommend cannabis to
treat any “debilitating” medical condition as of August 1. Cannabis
businesses may also be able to access more financial services, as
separate legislation was enacted that prohibits state banking
regulators from penalizing banks and credit unions for working with
the industry. Lastly, physicians and medical centers will be
explicitly protected by state law for recommending cannabis or working
with patients who use it.
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Medical Cannabis Measures to Appear on State Ballots
COVID-19 has presented substantial problems for activists gathering
signatures to qualify state initiatives, but voters in several states
that currently have very restrictive cannabis laws will have the
chance to decide them, nonetheless.
In Nebraska, one of the most restrictive states in the nation on
cannabis law, activists with Nebraskans
for Medical Marijuana filed initiative petitions with 182,000
signatures last month. To qualify, 121,669 signatures need to be
verified as registered voters by the secretary of state. If the constitutional
amendment makes the ballot and voters approve, physicians would be
able to recommend cannabis for any “debilitating condition” and
qualified patients would be allowed purchase and cultivate cannabis.
State lawmakers have been stymied in their attempts to pass similar
legislation, so they have helped take the question to voters.
In South Dakota, activists with New
Approach South Dakota qualified a medical cannabis initiative back
in December 2019. If enacted, the law would allow licensing of
dispensaries and personal cultivation of three plants by qualified
patients, as well as recognizing out-of-state patients. Activists are
currently encouraging supporters in the state to file for absentee
ballots to ensure they have a chance to vote on IM
26 in November.
In Mississippi, voters will decide on two medical cannabis
initiatives. Mississippians
for Compassionate Care qualified a medical cannabis initiative in
January that, if enacted, would allow patients to qualify under 22
serious medical conditions, including chronic pain and PTSD. In March,
state lawmakers put a more restrictive measure on the ballot to
compete with it. The legislature’s initiative would not enact a
program but merely direct lawmakers to take up the matter in 2021.
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Upcoming: Free Webinar on Medical Cannabis Journaling
ASA is partnering with Mindbuzz
and Tetragram to host a free webinar on July 10th at 10 am PST/1 pm
EST called “Take Control of your Medical Cannabis Journey with
Journaling.” The webinar will include a behind-the-scenes look at Tetragram’s
new journaling app, as well as two medical cannabis patients
sharing their journeys and conversation with a panel of experts,
followed by a question and answer session.
Panelists are Dustin McDonald, ASA’s Interim Policy Director;
Connor Sheffield, champion of Connor’s Courage Law in Maryland who was
profiled in ASA’s February 2020 newsletter; Janice Knox, MD, MBA,
cannabis therapeutics expert from The Doctors Knox; Charles Smith,
retired Prince George’s County, Maryland, police officer; Otha Smith
III, Managing Member at Tetragram; and Walt Rampata, President and
Co-Founder of Mindbuzz.
Registration for this free webinar is available at bit.ly/CannabisJournaling.
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ASA Improves Membership Program
Did you know ASA membership can be as low as $5 a month or $35 a
year? Membership dues keep Americans for Safe Access running, and
ASA’s chapters and volunteers help us make a national impact.
We want to do our best to demonstrate
our gratitude to our members and supporters. That’s why we’ve recently
adopted a few improvements to our membership
program. The tag line “I am essential: I am an ASA member!” is now
on every new card, because without our members, we could not do the
important work we do to keep cannabis viewed as an essential medicine
across the country.
Digital
membership cards are also now delivered automatically for every
new member sign-up. Emailed cards help prevent lost cards, allow
faster delivery, and give members the ability to produce a physical
card via a home printer.
If you are not currently a member, please take a moment to check
out the new benefits and sign up to one of our new levels. (if you do
not have a membership card, you are not a member.)
ASA continues to support essential workers in the cannabis industry
with free memberships for individuals and companies.
New business members last month include: Four Green Fields, LLC,
Diehl Farms of Florida LLC, Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce,
Stillwater Laboratories Inc, National Holistic Healing
Center, Alternative Wellness Montana, Canna of Eden, Leaf Inc, gLeaf
Medical Cannabis, Holistic Caring, DarkHorse Delta Enterprises,
LLC, Ziggy'z Express Lube Inc, and Electric Marygold.
“If your business is open, no matter what you do, you and your
employees are welcome to sign up for our free membership,” said ASA
Director Debbie Churgai.
Sign up for essential workers and businesses is available at: www.safeaccessnow.org/covid-19_business or www.safeaccessnow.org/covid-19_employee.
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What’s in a name? Marijuana, Cannabis,
and Hemp
As with all things involving social controversy, dispute over what
to properly call the plant known by the botanical name Cannabis Sativa
L. comes with the territory. Check out our newest blog that explores
the history of the words marijuana, cannabis, and hemp and the stigmas
historically associated with these words at www.safeaccessnow.org/cannabis_blog.
The blog is an adapted excerpt from the award-winning book, The
Medicalization of Marijuana: Legitimacy, Stigma, and the Patient
Experience by Michelle Newhart and William Dolphin.
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Activist Profile: Erik Range, Orlando, Florida
Art was the point of entry into cannabis advocacy
for Erik Range. In 2015, after a trip to Colorado, where he saw the
expansion of the cannabis industry, Erik began wondering how, as a
minority, he could take part in the economic benefits. His solution
was Art420, a company that uses fine art exhibitions to challenge
cannabis stereotypes. He put on shows a couple of years in a row,
including one in the Florida state capitol and pop-up shows in
California.
“As I was promoting the exhibitions, I quickly realized that
minorities were not participating,” says Erik. “They weren’t at
conferences, weren’t at events, not part of the conversation.”
In his second year, he used the art shows as a platform for
outreach with a “Black Market Brunch” that brought in experts to
educate community members. While he was promoting that event, someone
who attended suggested to Erik that he connect with Roz McCarthy, who
had just started the group Minorities
for Medical Marijuana. It turns out they live in the same city,
and, in September 2016, Roz asked him to serve as chairperson of the
organization’s board.
With Florida voters soon to decide on Amendment 2, a citizen
initiative to expand medical access in the state, that became the
focus of their organizing efforts. Once it passed, they were making
the four-hour drive from Orlando to Tallahassee once or twice a week
to participate in shaping the rules for implementation in the
state.
“As much as we wanted to talk to state officials
about social equity issues, it was a nonstarter in Florida at that
time, so we focused on diversity,” Erik says. “We coauthored language
now in the law to include diversity requirements for equity, staffing
and contracts.”
After that initial success, Erik and Roz saw their organization
explode seemingly overnight. From a handful of volunteers, in just a
few months they expanded to 15 chapters nationally. Now, there are 24
U.S. chapters and ones in Toronto, Jamaica, and London.
“It was an amazing experience working with elected officials
helping to craft laws that allow minorities to participate,” Erik
says.
From there, they turned their attention to work in Black and Latinx
communities, hosting forums on medicinal cannabis efficacy and
boot-camps on licensing. In 2019, they travelled to Illinois, New
Jersey and Missouri to put on workshops on licensing and business
practices for sustainability. Since the onset of COVID-19, they’ve
switched to virtual events, with one scheduled for the end of this
month for Massachusetts, which for the next two years will only offer
delivery licenses to social equity applicants.
“We’re working to help Black and brown communities overcome
barriers,” says Erik. “We’re bringing attention to the lack of
diversity in many areas of the industry, training suppliers and
educating businesses on closing that gap.”
Some barriers are structural, Erik notes, pointing to the
differences in how Florida regulates medical cannabis and hemp. Erik
serves on Florida’s industrial hemp committee.
“Florida’s medical licenses are limited in number and require
vertically integrated operations from cultivation to manufacturing and
transport, which cuts people out who don’t have the experience or
capital to cover all operations,” he says. “It’s a night-and-day
difference on the hemp side -- the state has taken an open-market
approach, with no cap on licenses and no application fee. If you meet
the requirements, you get a license.”
Achieving social equity is more than just giving a license to
operate to members of communities that have borne the brunt of
cannabis prohibition. The community outreach and education Erik has
been engaged in is aimed at addressing the underlying social
effects.
“We’ve got to expand our view of equity and create structures for
success in Black and brown communities,” Erik says. “That means
affordable legal services, access to low interest loans and capital,
and using taxes to rebuild the infrastructure that supports
communities.”
In Erik’s view, that work starts with education, bringing trusted
sources to speak with stakeholders to build community and political
capital.
“To reframe the conversation, we have to recognize the stigma,”
Erik says. “We need to recognize how close people are to the war on
drugs, how many ills it has created.”
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In Memoriam: Lester Grinspoon, M.D.
The world lost a pioneering physician and cannabis activist last
month. Lester Grinspoon, M.D., passed away June 25th, 2020.
An outspoken advocate for rational cannabis policy for nearly 50
years, Dr. Grinspoon, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard
Medical School, authored more than 140 articles in scientific journals
and twelve books, including
Marihuana Reconsidered, and Marijuana,
The Forbidden Medicine (coauthored with James
B. Bakalar). Published in 1971, Marijuana Reconsidered was
a
breakthrough book about the plant's benefits that inspired renewed
scientific interest and a generation of advocates.
Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
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Action Alert: Complete the State of the States Patient Feedback
Survey
ASA needs your help compiling info on safe access in your
state. Each year, ASA’s State
of the States report analyzes medical cannabis programs throughout
the U.S. on how they are serving patients. ASA is asking medical
cannabis patients and caregivers to complete a short survey on how
well their state is doing.
We are adding new data to this year's report based on new
questions such as this one:
Over the past several years many
states have organized policy reforms designed to prioritize licensing
of minority-owned establishments as part of ongoing efforts to expand
legal retail access. In your opinion have a sufficient number of
minority cannabis business licenses been issued by your state to
accommodate patient demand?
This information will help ASA identify gaps between laws and
regulations and the experience of patients in the state. Complete the
short survey today at www.safeaccessnow.org/2020survey.
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