Sensible Colorado: Working for an Effective Drug Policy

Join Sensible Colorado and supporters as we rally in support of veterans and file a petition to add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to the list of conditions which qualify for medical marijuana in Colorado.

Nearly 20% of returning soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from PTSD and many of these brave soldiers use medical marijuana to cope. This use is currently illegal under Colorado law. Join us at the rally where we will file an official petition to change this policy!

What: Rally to add PTSD as a medical marijuana condition

When: Tuesday, May 29 at noon

Where: CDPHE office, 4300 Cherry Creek South Dr, Denver, CO 80246

**Also, join Sensible Colorado staff at a Social Justice themed discussion: “Let’s Talk About Marijuana”

This event, sponsored by the ACLU of CO and the Drug Policy Alliance, will feature Neill Franklin, former narcotics officer and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), to raise awareness and support for ending marijuana prohibition in Colorado. Additional speakers include Sensible’s Brian Vicente, immigration attorney Hans Meyer and more.

What: “Let’s Talk About Marijuana”, a community discussion

When: Tuesday, May 22 from 6-7:30p

Where: Cleo Parker Robinson’s Dance Studio, 119 Park Avenue West, Denver, CO 80205

The U.S. House of Representatives is currently debating the annual budget priorities for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Three of our allies in Congress — Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), Sam Farr (D-Calif.), and Dana Rohrbacher (R-Calif.) — are expected to introduce an amendment to the act that would bar the DOJ from using funds to conduct raids on medical marijuana providers in states–like Colorado– that authorize its use and sale. This could be as introduced as soon as today or tomorrow.

Please take a moment to call your representative!

Look up your representative online using your zip code and then call the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be directed to your member’s office.

Feel free to use the script below to help guide your call:

Hello. I’m calling to ask that Congressperson ___________ vote in support of the “Hinchey, Farr, Rohrbacher Medical Marijuana Amendment” to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act being considered today. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana laws on the books and it’s time to stop wasting scarce federal funding on raids that seek to undermine those laws.

Once you make your call, please pass this message on to your  colleagues, friends, and associates so that they can take action today as well.

Thank you for your time!

You can also send a pre-written email to your representative here.

**Thanks to the National Cannabis Industry Association for providing content for this alert**

Coalition to Walsh:  “We care about our community, too.”

DENVER, CO — A coalition of 11 leading medical marijuana patient and business advocacy organizations – including the United Food and Commercial Workers Union – are appealing to U.S. Attorney John Walsh in response to Walsh’s call for the closure of 25 state-licensed medical marijuana businesses. The letter highlights the major contributions that state-licensed medical marijuana businesses make in their communities – including increased sales tax revenue, enhanced security, and the fostering of responsible state and local legislation. The coalition asks Walsh to respect these licensed businesses and the ailing Coloradans they assist. This is the second round of letters Walsh has issued to medical marijuana businesses located in areas he has deemed problematic.

A LETTER TO US ATTORNEY JOHN WALSH: “We Care about our Community, too”

John Walsh, Esq.

United States Attorney

1225 17^th Street

Suite 700

Denver, CO 80202

April 11, 2012

Dear Mr. Walsh,

As parents, patients, business owners, and Colorado citizens, we are concerned by the recent letters sent by your office demanding certain state-approved medical marijuana businesses cease operations.

Since the dawn of this new health care field, we have worked closely with Colorado state and local governments to safely regulate medical marijuana sales and production, and have made great efforts – and gone to great expense—to establish a thorough and safe regulatory structure.  Because of this collaboration between stakeholders and state and local officials, Colorado has emerged as the model among states that legally recognize the medicinal value of marijuana.

We stand in unison with patients and governing bodies across Colorado in our active commitment to continue the careful implementation of a secure and community-minded system of regulation.  Here is a partial list of our contributions to the Colorado community:

• We have provided vital medicine to 164,000+ sick and disabled Colorado citizens whose doctors have recommended medical marijuana to them.
• We helped author and endorse SB 12-154– to establish a responsible vendor program similar to what many Colorado jurisdictions currently require for alcohol sales.
• We are working with the Denver City Council to foster sensible regulations, including currently working on language to limit inappropriate advertisements, specifically public advertisements near schools and other sensitive areas.
• We worked with local papers, like the Colorado Springs Gazette, to establish community-conscious advertising with a proper healthcare focus.
• We employ over 5,000 Coloradans and provide them with a living wage so they can support their families.  We also provide substantial support for ancillary businesses like electricians, carpenters, and engineers.
• Our businesses produce tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue with the first $2 million earmarked annually for programs critical to helping Colorado fight addiction and accompanying mental health issues.  The Circle Program at Pueblo’s Colorado Mental Health Institute was on its last legs before this new tax supported it.
• We help create safer neighborhoods through the extensive use of security cameras and guards, by increased lighting in commercial areas, and by occupying otherwise vacant retail or warehouse space.

As committed members of the communities we live in, we believe in responsible regulation of this important, and growing, health care field.  We also share your concern about teens accessing medical marijuana and have taken serious steps to reduce any redistribution.  We welcome a thoughtful discussion about the potential areas for improvement in the current regulatory structure.

Sincerely,

Association of Cannabis Trades for Colorado (ACT4CO)

Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA)

Coloradans 4 Cannabis Patients Rights (C4CPR)

Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council (CSMCC)

Green Faith Ministry

In Harmony Wellness Services

Medical Marijuana Assistance Program of America (MMAPA)

Medical Marijuana Business Alliance (MMBA)

Sensible Colorado

Women’s Marijuana Movement

United Food and Commercial Workers Union:  Local 7

Does Obama Care about Patients in Colorado?

Sensible Colorado has joined with state and national allies to launch an exciting new campaign: the  Patient Voter Project.

The mission of this project is to keep Colorado medical marijuana patients, their friends, and their family members up-to-date about the Obama administration’s recent crackdown on medical marijuana providers in Colorado. We are upset about these actions and believe you will be, too.

On January 12, 2012, the United States attorney in Colorado, John Walsh, an Obama administration appointee, launched an attack on state-legal medical marijuana providers in the state. He sent letters to 23 medical marijuana centers, informing them that they were located in areas deemed problematic by the federal government and would have to shut down within 45 days. If not, the federal government would seize their property