| David Downs/East Bay Express |
| Kevin Reed, The Green Cross: “It’s high time Governor Brown take action to advance meaningful policies” |
The Green Cross, San Francisco’s first licensed medical cannabis dispensary, is urging California Governor Jerry Brown to join a federal petition to reschedule marijuana filed by Governors Christine Gregoire (D-WA) and Lincoln Chafee (I-RI).
Since the petition was filed on November 30, Governor Peter Shumlin (D-VT) has signaled he also supports it. All three governors represent states that have adopted laws allowing the use of medical marijuana by qualified patients.
Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. government considers marijuana a Schedule I substance, a category reserved for dangerous drugs with a high potential for addiction and no medical value.
The rescheduling petition filed by Govs. Gregoire and Chafee comes after U.S. Attorneys sent their administrations letters threatening medicinal cannabis producers and distributors if each state’s medical marijuana laws were fully implemented.
| Your Brain On Bliss |
| Will California Gov. Jerry Brown join the petition to reschedule marijuana? |
The Green Cross is asking Gov. Brown to join this petition in response to the October 7 announcement that the U.S. Department of Justice would be engaging in a multi-pronged attack on California’s medical marijuana producers and distributors, despite their compliance with state and local laws.
“California was the first state to adopt a medical marijuana law,” said Kevin Reed, president of The Green Cross. “Fifteen years later, our governor should be among those leading the effort to bridge the divide between state and federal laws!”
Calls for rescheduling marijuana have been echoed by several members of California’s congressional delegation. In a letter sent to President Obama, U.S. Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Peter Stark (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-DA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and Bob Filner (D-CA) expressed “concern with the recent activity by the Department of Justice against legitimate medical cannabis dispensaries in California that are operating legally under state law.”
The letter urged consideration of legislation that would reschedule marijuana.
“Poll after poll confirms that Californian voters overwhelmingly support the medical use of marijuana,” Alabama native Reed said. “It’s high time Governor Brown take action to advance meaningful policies that acknowledge current research, respect the opinions of medical professionals, and appreciate the experiences of patients.
“That begins with removing marijuana from Schedule I,” Reed said.
To read The Green Cross letter to Gov. Brown, click here [PDF].