What a Mad, Mad World!

We are in day 20 of Occupy Wall Street, which I support. Please, pledge to join an Occupy Wall Street group near you. After you sign, you will be redirected to a comprehensive list of local groups. I have been down to an SF demonstration in Solidarity. The Occupy Wall Street movement received a massive boost yesterday as labor unions and students joined the growing protests in NYC. Tens of thousands marched to Zuccotti Park, renamed "Liberty Plaza." The march was peaceful, but things turned ugly when police beat a handful of protesters with batons after they toppled a police barricade trying to march on Wall Street. 28 were arrested. We are the 99%! The media is still reporting that there is not a clear message, but that’s not true; in fact there are a list of demands online that you can vote on and you can even suggest ideas. http://coupmedia.org/occupywallstreet/occupy-wall-street-official-demands-2009

I’m about to head into the city as ASA's SF Community Liaison and run around to medical cannabis dispensaries (MCD’s) to deliver the news that the federal government is going after MCD's that are too close to schools by targeting the buildings that have pot clubs as tenants. We have learned that a letter has been sent to many MCD’s operating in Northern California. Even though medical marijuana is allowed by the state, any type of marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

Feds plan to target landlords, owners in new anti-MMJ strategy. This Friday, US Attorneys in California will announce a new federal strategy against medical marijuana grows. Prosecutors are describing it as a "sea-change," although it largely resembles current policy with the important exception that it has a new emphasis on property forfeiture. Although reprehensible and cowardly, the strategy does at least offer a useful guideline as to who will be at risk:

> The memorandum sets thresholds that make investigations more likely
> to be prosecuted. Those include distributors caught with at least
> 200 kilograms of marijuana, including distribution near schools,
> playgrounds and colleges; cultivators with gardens of at least 1,000
> plants that are not on federal land and at least 500 plants on
> federal or tribal land or where there is significant damage; and
> dispensaries that sell more than 200 kilograms or 1,000 plants
> annually.
>
> Prosecutors also are looking for provable ties to international drug-
> trafficking organizations or instances in which marijuana is
> distributed outside of California. The memorandum also outlines
> guidelines for civil forfeitures for those who indirectly
> participate – like landlords or property owners – in marijuana
> operations.


More details on Friday...

And on a positive note, The RAND Corporation, an influential public policy think tank, recently published a report debunking the commonly-held misperception that medical cannabis dispensing centers (MCDCs) attract crime to the neighborhoods in which they are located. Read more on ASA’s blog. The new report is a great opportunity for medical cannabis advocates to meet in person with their local, state, and federal representatives.