Dear Friend,

Sometimes we are told that our work as medical cannabis advocates is done. That we have achieved our goals and that we should stand back and let legalized markets take it from here. They are right that we have accomplished many of our goals by bringing medical cannabis programs (in some form) to 47 states, 4 US territories and the District of Columbia.

However, they could not be further from the truth when they view our work as finished. When we say we are working for safe access for Americans we don’t just mean Americans who:

• Have a physician open to writing a recommendation despite potential consequences or corporate policies
• Are able to afford purchasing hundreds of dollars of medicine each month with no insurance coverage
• Live in a city or jurisdiction that allows reasonable placement of dispensaries
• Don’t work for a government or any job that requires drug testing
• Don’t receive any kind of entitlements that might be jeopardized
• Aren’t going through a divorce or sharing custody of children

The fact is, that access to medical cannabis in the U.S. still faces enormous legal and social barriers that must be resolved so that every person who can benefit from medical cannabis is able to access it.

And that is only part of the problem. As we’ve seen in the media coverage of the “vape crisis” many Americans have access to medical cannabis that is anything but safe. Patients (and consumers) deserve medical cannabis that is thoroughly tested by trustworthy laboratories in accordance with the best scientifically-informed standards. Responsible businesses producing safe medicine should embrace certification and analysis and patients should demand transparency and accountability from the people who make their medicine.

We still have an enormous amount of work to do and we rely on support from patients and advocates. Patients donating $5 a month are so meaningful because we know that they are giving what they are able and responding to the work that we are doing on their behalf. We do not work for the cannabis industry and that means we do not get as much support from them as you might expect. For us to continue to fight for medical cannabis patients we need your support.

Make a donation right now to help us continue to support safe access!

Sincerely,
Geoffrey Marshall
Membership Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/