On April 1 Americans for Safe Access held their first “stakeholders” meeting in Bend. The meeting was attended by over 40 residents of Deschutes County. Attendees included patients, caregivers, dispensary owners, licensed area cannabis growers, cannabis testing lab owners, children of patients, local radio talk show hosts, residents who desired to learn more about medical cannabis, activists, attorneys, an organic chemist and suppliers.
The mission of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is to “ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic uses and research.” ASA was founded in 2002. They conduct stakeholder meetings throughout the U.S. and employ two full-time lobbyists in Washington D.C. Don Duncan of ASA (co-founder, board member, and Director of ASA’s activities in California) facilitated the Bend meeting at The Environmental Center. He arrived in Bend after spending the previous two days in meetings in Salem.
ASA works to accomplish four primary objectives:
1. Advocacy – focused at the local, state and federal levels.
2. Legal – Filing actions to harmonize federal, state and local laws.
3. Education & Skill Building – Public education, providing resources for advocates, and organizing advocacy efforts.
4. Attempt directed toward eliminating the stigma and discrimination related to the use of medical cannabis and restrictions on research endeavors.
The end result of the Bend meeting was a consensus by the attendees to form an ASA Chapter or Action Group in Deschutes County. Jeremy Kwit of Bend’s Bloom Well cannabis dispensary was designated as the local stakeholder group’s interim organizer and contact person. Duncan plans to return to Bend in May for additional meetings.
During the meeting, ASA Duncan advised the group of the following:
• Patient rights advocacy is a priority of ASA. This involves the issues of employment rights (authorized users of medicinal cannabis medicines being discharged for the same), housing rights (some patients are denied housing due to medically authorized cannabis use), access to healthcare (denial of healthcare coverage due to medicinal cannabis use).
• “Social change occurs from the bottom up in this country – always has – always will.” Duncan encouraged the audience to “organize, pool your resources, and learn to advocate collaboratively and systemically.”
• Many “prospective patients” are being denied State issued medical marijuana user cards because they do not have healthcare coverage, no primary care physician and, in a startling number of cases, have either no access to the state required medical records or no medical records whatsoever.
• To become familiar with and use the public education resources contained on the ASA website
The concerns identified by those attending the meeting included:
• Local moratoriums.
• The “new” (4-1-2014) State of Oregon rules related to producing, labeling and sale of medicinal cannabis “edibles.”
• Two “harmonized” ballot initiatives in Oregon calling for the legalization of cannabis use.
• The economic development implications for medically authorized cannabis use in Deschutes County. This issue was raised as both a public (tourism) perception “opportunity” and a new plank in the economic development platform of the region – akin to the attraction of the region’s burgeoning craft brewing industry.
• Re-directing the resources of law enforcement to enforce existing drunk driving laws and the methamphetamine problem.
• The distinct need for public education – for elected officials and the general public.
The next ASA Deschutes County meeting is scheduled for Monday May 5 at 6pm at the Environmental Center in Bend. www.safeaccessnow.org
