From Lanny Swerdlow: In response to the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court allowing cities to ban medical marijuana collectives under their zoning ordinances, the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee passed a resolution at their Monday, May 13 monthly meeting calling on state legislators to “enact statewide regulations and licensing requirements that will provide for the safety and concerns of local communities as well as fulfill the mandate of Proposition 215 “… for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana.””
The full resolution can be seen at the end of this article.
With all the negative news pounding us into the ground as a result of the Supreme Court OK to ban decision, the passage of this resolution can be a beacon of shining light that will direct the media’s and public’s attention to the rights of patients to have safe, reliable and local access and not the rights of cities to ban access.
The legislation in the state legislature that will restore access is going to need strong community and getting the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee to call for statewide regulations could be the first step in getting that support.
Passage of this resolution was NOT a given, but the overwhelming community support shown by the 30+ patients and advocates in attendance at the RCDCC meeting was a crucial element of its success. Rest assured, the passage of this resolution will be noted by every Democratic state legislator in Riverside County.
It showcases not only the growing political clout that the medical marijuana community is beginning to develop, but the overwhelming support for medical marijuana by grassroot Democratic party activists – the very people many elected officials count on to walk their precincts and get out the vote on behalf of their election.
The RCDCC passing the resolution can set the stage for other medical marijuana patents who are Democrats in other counties to take the resolution to their Democratic Central Committees and kick start the groundswell of support needed to get statewide regulations passed. Getting the grassroots of the Democrat Party to support regulation would be a big boost in convincing Democratic legislators to vote for statewide regulations.
With Democrats in super-majority control of the state legislature, their support is absolutely critical, but let’s not write off Republican support either. A groundswell of support for statewide regulations might also convince some Republicans to realize that it would be in their re-election best interest to support statewide regulations too.
The resolution was introduced by the Brownie Mary Democratic Club of Riverside County – the first marijuana interest group ever to be officially chartered by a major political party. The club enables patients to work within the Democratic Party to protect the rights of medical marijuana patients, repeal marijuana prohibition and end the War on Drugs while working with a coalition of progressive clubs to promote the Democratic Party and the election of Democrats to office.
That’s right folks – we help get Democrats elected and Democrats help protect and secure our rights. That’s how the system work and its time YOU start working it.
It is up to patients in other counties to get the resolution calling on our state legislators to support statewide regulations introduced and passed by their county’s Democratic Central Committees. For information on how to do that, contact Lanny Swerdlow at [email protected] or call 760-799-2055. For more information on forming a BMDC in your county Democratic Central Committee, go to www.browniemaryclub.org.
THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE
A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING STATEWIDE REGULATIONS AND LICENSING FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISTRIBUTION
Submitted by the Brownie Mary Democratic Club of Riverside County
WHEREAS the California Supreme Court has ruled that cities and counties can ban medical marijuana collectives under their zoning laws with over 200 cities and counties encompassing most of the state having enacted bans, and
WHEREAS multiple studies done in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Denver and Colorado Springs show no problems or even a decrease in crime in areas with medical marijuana dispensaries, and
WHEREAS California’s medical marijuana collectives were the only legal distribution system available to patients to obtain medicinal marijuana and the lack of any legal medical marijuana distribution system forces a half million or more patients to turn to illegal and criminal sources for their supplies or drive hundreds of miles to cities that allow medical marijuana collectives, and
WHEREAS the California Supreme Court concluded their decision on banning collectives by noting that “nothing prevents future efforts by the Legislature, or by the People, to adopt a different approach.”
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee that our state legislators enact statewide regulations and licensing requirements that will provide for the safety and concerns of local communities as well as fulfill the mandate of Proposition 215“… for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana.”
