ASA Lobby Day: Making a difference in California

A group of almost one hundred medical cannabis patients, cultivators, industry workers, and other stakeholders showed up in Sacramento for the California Summer Lobby Day on Monday, August 12. They visited at least twenty six legislative offices to support uniform statewide regulations for patients’ associations and to oppose a bill that would have made it harder to use vaporizers. Participants met on Monday morning for a briefing on the bills and professional citizen lobbyist training. After lunch, we posed of a few pictures before heading inside to visit lawmakers. We all met back at the hotel that evening for a special VIP Reception with four California legislators, including one Republican!

This was the third citizen lobby day hosted by Americans for Safe Access (ASA) on behalf of our coalition partners at Californians to Regulate Medical Marijuana since May of 2012. These lobby days have helped bring the voice of the medical cannabis community to the table in Sacramento, where important decisions that affect their lives are being made in every legislative session. That matters. Research shows that undecided lawmakers are more likely to be persuaded by voters in the District than by paid lobbyists, and our experience proves that we achieve the best outcomes for patients and other stakeholders when those affected by laws have a seat at the table.

We have seen tangible progress every time citizen lobbyists have come to the State Capitol to talk about medical cannabis. Participants made a big impact on lawmakers and staff when they came to the Capitol for the first time in May of 2012 for the California Medical Cannabis Unity Conference. The previously unseen groundswell of grassroots support for sensible medical cannabis regulation helped to get a regulatory bill out of the dreaded “suspense file,” through a tough committee vote, and approved by the Assembly – all in just a few days! Activists at the California Medical Cannabis Summit in May of this year successfully stopped a “drugged driving” bill that might have criminalized every cannabis and medical cannabis user in the state.

We focused on two important bills on Monday. SB 439 (Steinberg/Leno) would have created uniform regulations for medical cannabis patients’ associations statewide, while SB 648 (Corbett)would have made it illegal to use a vaporizer anywhere it is illegal to smoke tobacco. The Author withdrew SB 439 in light of tough pressure from law enforcement lobbyists. The future of that bill is uncertain. Nevertheless, patients made their support for sensible regulation very clear on Monday. The outcome on SB 648 was much better. In response to concerns expressed by lobby day participants and others, SB 648 was withdrawn. The Author indicated she would work with patient advocates to improve the bill before next year.

Each of our citizen lobby days made a positive impact for medical cannabis patients. They have also helped build movement solidarity and legislative capacity. We are becoming an effective mainstream constituency in California – and it is a good thing we are. Powerful special interests still oppose medical cannabis, and we have big hurdles to get over before adopting badly needed state regulations. We need greater clarity regarding patients’ associations, incentives to encourage local regulation over bans, protection for indoor and outdoor cultivation, and strong protections for patients’ civil rights.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the California Summer Lobby day work. I hope to see twice as many people in Sacramento when it is time to do it again in 2014.

Reprinted with permission from Americans for Safe Access‘ Press Room.