The Ohio Medical Cannabis Association

Dear Valued Volunteers,
      Our campaign for the Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment is quickly gaining speed. Getting the amendment on the ballot and passing it this fall have always been and still remain our principal goals. The experts have told us that this is eminently doable - we're up for the task!

Clearly, our most frequently asked question is, when and where can petitions be signed? Please note that copies of the petition have been available at every event we've staged since approval in January. While not definitive, we estimate our signatures so far in the thousands, but far from the goal of 385,000+. Look for additional signing events in the near future.

Our plan has two prongs. First, we have been seeking major funding, understanding that initiatives rarely make the ballot in Ohio without some form of paid signature gathering. Further, via medical cannabis, our vision has always been to create an industry and jobs for Ohioans. This includes the jobs to gather the 385,000+ signatures. We're actively seeking the funds sufficient both to get the OMCA on the ballot and to create these jobs with you in mind.

Once we have the funds (and even if we fall short), we will be quickly moving into the intensive signature gathering phase. Those of you who wish to participate, please sign up ASAP as a volunteer.

HELP WANTED
Here's where you can help. A major funder has indicated substantial support depending upon how many endorsements for the Amendment we can get within the next week or so. We need to demonstrate widespread backing from a broad spectrum of Ohioans. Numbers count.

First, think of groups or individuals who are interested in the medical marijuana and OMCA. Groups might include churches, businesses, civic associations (Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.), community groups (schools, clubs, etc.), or political organizations. Individuals could include doctors, nurses, ministers, community leaders or similar professionals.
Then, ask them to do either of the following:

1.) Fill out this PDF form with your organization's name and address, sign it and return it to us by either postal mail or e-mail to the following addresses. Please include full contact information.

By Postal Mail:

OMCA c/o
Mark Ramach, Esq.
6662 Laurel Ln.
Olmsted Falls, OH 44138

By E-Mail: (please fill out and reconvert the form into PDF format)

volunteers@omca2012.org

2.) Fill out the Endorsement form at http://www.omca2012.org/aboutus/endorsement/

We have a drug problem. Its victims include the very young, the very old and everyone in between. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of addicted babies has nearly tripled in the last decade. Overdose death rates for the elderly increased twofold from 1999 to 2006. In 2009, drug induced deaths exceeded deaths from motor vehicle accidents. The culprit: legal prescription pain killers.

In many people, it starts innocently: a fall, an accident or a surgery begets unbearable pain, treated with an opiate pain killer. As useful as these drugs are, they can also be deadly. Their tragedy ripples through a network of family and friends whose lives are also torn apart and forever altered. We can do better.

What if there was a medication that acted on its own endogenous bodily system to successfully relieve pain as documented in clinical studies, while never resulting in one overdose death? There is. It's called cannabis.

The real drug problem in this country lies in the war we have waged on this medicinal plant, while ever increasing numbers of young and old suffer and die from legal prescription drugs. It shouldn't be. It needn't be. People should have a choice.

We can do better for our families.

Theresa Daniello
The Ohio Medical Cannabis Association

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment is making waves this week after receiving a stunning endorsement from the Weed Blog. The article, "Why Ohio's Medical Marijuana Model is the Best in the Nation", has received over 1,000 recommendations in less than 2 days of its posting. It contains a very detailed write-up of OMCA's language and its importance in defending against federal intervention. Big thanks from all of us at the OMCA to those at The Weed Blog for your wonderful support.

To see why the guys in Oregon think the OMCA is the next great thing, visit:
http://www.theweedblog.com/why-ohios-medical-marijuana-model-is-the-best-in-the-nation/ 

Richard Lee Endorses Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment

Cannabis icon Richard Lee, in one of his first statements since the raid on Oaksterdam University, has endorsed the Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment.

"Can you imagine seeing your life's work raided and seized?" Lee asked in a telephone interview. "Many patients like me can."

At age 27, while working as a lighting technician, Lee fell off a scaffold and broke his back. A paraplegic, he must now use a wheelchair. Standard prescription pills didn't ease the pain, but medical cannabis did.

On April 2, the DEA, IRS, and U.S. Marshals raided Richard Lee's famed cannabis trade school, Oaksterdam University, in Oakland, California. Since opening in 2007, Oaksterdam has provided cannabis industry training to about 15,000 experts and activists, and is fully compliant with state and local law.

Although Lee was detained during the raid, he was not arrested, but still fears prosecution.

Because of prohibition, a conviction involving cannabis can result not only in jail time, but also in the denial of federal benefits such as college loans, public housing and professional licenses.

"Medical cannabis prohibition is unjust and counterproductive," Lee said. "Because I believe what I have done is moral and ethical, I am standing up for my rights: My right to use medical cannabis to alleviate my suffering; my right to be free of discrimination and interference from the state with regard to my use; my right to access goods and services to enable my use.

"In short," Lee said, "I'm standing up for my rights by endorsing the Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment."

Lee noted that the U.S. Justice Department may well have had a much more difficult time targeting him if he and his school had been protected by a similar amendment in California.

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment is a proposed citizen-initiated amendment to the Ohio Constitution, slated for the ballot in the fall of 2012. It focuses on extending to patients eight rights based on the Bill of Rights within the Ohio Constitution.

The amendment also establishes an Ohio Commission of Cannabis Control to not only support, uphold and defend these rights, but also to regulate medical cannabis in Ohio.

Getting the OMCA on ballot will require the collection of 385,000-plus signatures by July 4, 2012. Thousands of people have contacted the campaign to help and securing funding for a complementary paid signature effort is the only obstacle left in getting on the ballot this year.

"Imagine election day 2012," Lee said. "All eyes are trained on Ohio - a perennial swing state during a high profile presidential race. Five million voters affirm the right to use cannabis as medicine. This may represent one of the strongest statements that cannabis reform has ever had the opportunity to make.

"I ask all Ohioans and reformers to stand with me, stand together and stand up for the right to use cannabis as medicine," Lee said. "Support the Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment and help get it on the ballot in the fall."

Read more at Toke of the Town

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has been silent on medical marijuana. Despite raids on five city-licensed dispensaries and the temporary suspension of San Francisco’s dispensary licensing program, Lee’s office remained quiet—until now. On April 13^th, Lee sounded off on his opinion regarding medical marijuana and the recent federal raids. “I am concerned about recent federal actions targeting duly permitted Medicinal Cannabis Dispensaries, actions that aim to limit our citizen’s ability to have safe access to the medicine they need.” Lee said in his statement not released to the press. Mayor Lee went on to say that so long as the dispensaries or patient's were in compliance with California and San Francisco's laws, federal raids shouldn't occur. 

Read More at The Huffington Post and San Francisco Weekly

U.S. Attorney John Walsh rose to drug policy fame by sending letters to select Colorado dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools informing them that they must close. Even though these dispensaries are licensed with the state of Colorado and otherwise compliant with the state's medical marijuana laws, Mr. Walsh claimed he had evidence that medical marijuana was detrimentally affecting Coloardo's children. Recently, a coaltion of 11 medical marijuana advocacy organizations—including the United Food and Commercial Worker's Union— sent a letter to Mr. Walsh asking him to respect Colorado's laws and let the businesses operate. In addition to this letter, Denver Attorney Rob Corry has submitted a Freedom of Information Request to Mr. Walsh. The request asks for the evidence and information that Mr. Walsh used in determining which dispensaries would receive his letters. Mr. Walsh has yet to respond to the request.

Read more at the Colorado Independent

Steve Downing, former deputy police chief of Los Angeles and member of the board of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is left shaking his head following the federal raids of Oaksterdam last Monday. "It's baffling why it happened...I can't find any merit to them", said Downing. Sean Dunagan, former employee of the DEA believes he has an explanation. His 13 years of experience with the DEA leads him to believe the raid was more about ensuring an increase in next year's budget than protecting the public safety. "It's hard for the agency to justify increasing its budget if there's a decline in arrests and seizure." said Dunagan. "It's all part of keeping that money flowing..."

Read more at The Oakland Tribune

For more about the Oaksterdam raid itself, check out the Huffington Post.