Jayden is only 5 years old and suffers from a rare form of epilepsy. His father, Jason David, tearfully shares how the only relief from his son’s physical pain and life-threatening seizures is from a nonpsychoactive molecule found in cannabis, called cannabidiol. However, recent crackdowns and closures of medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California have made finding relief for Jayden more challenging. That’s what has motivated Rep. Barbara Lee to introduce H.R. 6335, the Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act, to stop the unnecessary raiding of dispensaries.
Recent attempts to close down many dispensaries, including Harborside Health Center in Oakland, where Jayden and 108,000 other patients seek respite, have threatened forfeiture and charges to owners and landlords who lease space to medical marijuana dispensaries. The legislation by Lee would stop the seizure of property from landlords of state-compliant medical marijuana businesses and not implicate property owners in the businesses of their tenants.
Over the years, medical marijuana dispensaries have provided a safe and professional service to hundreds of thousands of patients living with AIDS, cancer and other life-inhibiting conditions. Safe access is essential to guaranteeing responsible use of medical marijuana. It is irrational that anyone would oppose patients’ safe access to medical treatment. That’s why we were all shocked to witness the “paramilitary sting” to shut down a renowned facility such as Oaksterdam University earlier this year.
Oaksterdam University was a medical marijuana training school, founded in 2007, and offered classes in horticulture, business and legal application of running a dispensary. From the aggressive raid at the school in April, one would think law enforcers would confiscate thousands of pounds in marijuana. Instead, there were no reports of illegal possession or misuse. The school does not distribute marijuana for medical or recreational use, contrary to popular assumptions.
The shutdown of Oaksterdam revealed how beloved by the community the school was. For years, it trained caregivers with the necessary tools to aid seriously and terminally ill patients and to do it with dignity and sympathy. More than 100 people lost their jobs when the federal government shut down Oaksterdam.
These raids are also threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of trained professionals who own and work at medical marijuana dispensaries. The Blue Sky Dispensary in Oakland was a 15-year registered-permitted facility with a unionized workforce of trained professionals. It was forced to close due to the threats of federal forfeiture action. Those patients that relied on the safe access to care were left to fend for themselves, and dozens of employees lost their jobs and health care for their families.
In May, our very own Berkeley Patients Group became one of the largest casualties of the federal crackdown after threats of federal property seizure. Nearly 100 workers were let go, many of whom had been at the facility since its opening 12 years ago. These workers had good paying jobs with health care benefits and retirement security. BPG has since announced its relocation to San Pablo Avenue.
People who have dedicated their lives to treating patients with humane care are being attacked. But why we need H.R. 6335 to become law is for the Jaydens in our state.
Without safe access to medical marijuana, Jayden’s dad and other patients would be left to fend for themselves to seek treatment. Patients desperate for care would be forced to go back onto street corners and “underground” to seek medicinal care — and that only puts more lives in jeopardy. No one in America should succumb to these desperate acts to seek out care when it could be provided and guaranteed if Congress only passes H.R. 6335.
We urge the passage of H.R. 6335 immediately, and we applaud Lee for her continued commitment to safe and professional care for our communities not only in the 9th Congressional District but across the country.
Dan Rush is a resident of the 9th Congressional District and chair of the Berkeley Medical Cannabis Commission. He is also national director of the Medical Cannabis and Hemp Division at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
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My blood boils , Im so sick of the WAR against medical marijuana.
prohibition is a stain on Amerika , like slavery the people will over through
the war on some drugs. Its not sustainable. financially or morally
Yes on HR 6335
You can’t argue for the “medical” part while also arguing against the “prohibition” part. Pick one or the other. Either marijuana is a controlled pharmaceutical substance or it is a recreational drug.
There is a big difference between controlled pharmaceutical substances and medical marijuana. I can’t get a prescription for pharmaceuticals unless a doctor checks me out. I can get a prescription for marijuana without a doctor doing more than asking me what is wrong and taking my $60. Then I get a whole year’s worth of medical marijuana without any limits. Can you imagine how the FDA would jump on any doctor that gave out real prescriptions that lasted for a year, and had no limits?
Isn’t Eric Holder of Obama’s Dept of Injustice behind these war efforts? I’m surprised Obama, the Choomer in Chief, doesn’t stop Holder.
Federal law always trumps state law. Besides, your man Obama is in charge and he said he inhaled, so blame him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFRWbOkYvao
Two things will continue to dog the medical marijuana industry. 1) The forms of medical marijuana available still have the side effect of making you stoned. 2) Most people with medical marijuana cards don’t have a medical need for marijuana. They just want to get stoned.
Where do you get your stats?
There aren’t good records kept in California. I got my information three ways. I read an article about Arizona, where they have a similar situation. They keep records. They have issued about 31K cards. About 1,300 of those were for cancer patients. The rest were for self defined pain. My second way was by going to a couple of the hundreds of doctor’s offices that are set up just to sell cards. Walk in. Pay $60. Tell doctor about self defined pain. He gives you a card. He doesn’t check your medical records. He doesn’t touch you. He doesn’t ask you any probing questions to check your condition. The third way was to look at the clients at the medical marijuana shops. Walk into these and the majority of the clients are not cancer sufferers or people with medical issues. They are stoners. Same people I saw in the doctor’s offices. They walk in looking young and healthy. Get their medicine, and then go on their merry way. I know several Cal students who have cards. None of them are in any pain.
read prop 215 do some research , “safe and affordable access”
“for any illness”
Google Dennis Peron ,
What is your point? I will point out that your cherry picked quotes seem to distort the actual proposition. The state and government are to be “encouraged” to provide safe and affordable access. There is no law requiring safe and affordable access. Maybe that is why we have so many unsafe doctor’s offices that are giving cards to anyone with $60. Your second quote maybe refers to the part that says marijuana can be obtained by the “seriously ill” for any illness “for which marijuana provides relief.” I have seen very few seriously ill people with cards. There are seriously ill people with cards, but the vast majority are not like Dennis Peron’s partner who suffered from AIDS. All I am saying is that if you want people to take marijuana as a serious medicine, you need to treat it like serious medicine.
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Let’s see who stand against this and campaign against them, wherever they are. They’re either ignorant or corrupt!
ignorant and corrupt !