By Terrie Best – Court Support Coordinator, San Diego Americans for Safe Access February 4, 2013 San Diego, CA – San Diego District Attorney (DA) Bonnie Dumanis made the prosecutorial procedure the punishment today by dragging to the brink of trial Clint Guidry and Cameron Mitchell who committed no other crime but to merely possess medical cannabis for...

Jan 17, 2013

By Terrie Best, San Diego ASA Court Support Coordinator San Diego – City Attorney Jan Goldsmith dashed off a letter to litigants in medical marijuana dispensary cases indicating he is not answerable to his client the Mayor and manufacturing mistruths, in what appears an attempt to make the procedure the punishment in twelve medical marijuana dispensary zoning...

By: Eugene Davidovich, San Diego Americans for Safe Access SAN DIEGO — Wednesday, October 24 a dozen armed, masked NTF agents stormed Next Generation, a legal medical marijuana collective located on San Ysidro Blvd. in San Diego. The raid came just hours after the Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District reversed Jovan Jackson’s conviction. In...

Last week, Joe Elford, Chief Counsel for Americans for Safe Access was in town to argue the Jackson medical marijuana dispensary case before the Appellate Courts. Watch the exclusive interview with Mr. Elford where he discussed the hearing and the impact of the case on medical marijuana dispensaries in California minutes after arguing the case: Interview by:...

Oct 18, 2012

By: Joe Elford Just hours after the U.S. Court of Appeal for the D.C. Circuit heard oral arguments in the federal landmark case Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, the court ordered supplemental briefing on the issue of “standing.” In a rare move for a case that has been covered by the Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, Bloomberg News,...

Oct 16, 2012

by: Jonathan Bair, ASA (republished from: ASA’s Blog) This morning, the federal Appeals Court for the DC Circuit heard an appeal in the case called Americans for Safe Access v Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is an appeal of the DEA’s rejection of a petition filed in 2002 seeking to change the placement of marijuana as a Schedule I drug per the...

Appellate Court to Hear Medical Marijuana Dispensary Case Thursday in San Diego Advocates fight to overturn a wrongful conviction and preserve the right to a medical marijuana defense San Diego, CA — Appellate court oral arguments are set to occur Thursday in a widely watched medical marijuana dispensary case that raises the question of what defines a...

By Terrie Best – San Diego Americans for Safe Access San Diego, CA – Over 60 senior citizens put the Edward Schwartz Federal Courthouse on its ear by forming a long line outside the building, donning green medical cannabis ribbons of support, and setting off metal detectors with their canes and walkers. Their mission: To support Ronnie Chang, Hal Pilotte...

Aug 28, 2012

By: Eugene Davidovich SAN DIEGO – Shortly after the South Bay Democratic Caucus unanimously recommended an endorsement of Proposition S at a meeting on Tuesday August 21, the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee voted to officially endorse Proposition S in Imperial Beach as well. Also known as the Safe Access Ordinance of Imperial Beach, if passed,...

High Court prohibits municipalities from using Pack v. City of Long Beach to ban dispensaries Los Angeles, CA — The California Supreme Court dismissed review yesterday of an important appellate court ruling affecting medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state. Specifically, the High Court threw out the controversial decision in Pack v. City of...

Jul 31, 2012

By: Terrie Best San Diego, CA – Ron Chang, a state legal medical cannabis patient, remains in federal custody after a motion to modify his pretrial release was denied by Judge Michael M. Anello in the United State District Court for the Southern District of California. On July 30th, 2012, in front of Ron Chang’s supporters and patient advocates, Michael...

Jul 30, 2012

D.C. Circuit to hear oral arguments this October in lawsuit challenging marijuana’s federal classification Washington, D.C. — Late last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed to hear oral arguments in Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s...

Jul 20, 2012

Sole legal medical marijuana dispensary to challenge U.S. Attorney for straight legal test of California state law, to announce plans for ongoing defense of legitimate medical marijuana operations San Diego, CA (July 20, 2012) – Advocates, patients, and concerned citizens in support of the only state and county approved legal medical marijuana dispensary in...

Jul 12, 2012

Oakland Mayor, city and state officials to speak at press conference scheduled for 9am Thursday at City Hall Oakland, CA — California’s most well-known medical marijuana dispensary, Harborside Health Center, was served with a civil complaint for “forfeiture of property” on Monday for both of their locations in Oakland and San Jose. The...

Jul 10, 2012

Widely supported former dispensary operator appeals conviction to 9th Circuit amidst ongoing federal crackdown San Francisco, CA — Medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) filed an amicus ‘friend of the court’ brief yesterday in a federal appeal brought by California dispensary operator Charlie C. Lynch. Lynch’s...