LA Dispensing Collective Raided -- Take Action!

LA Dispensing Collective Raided -- Take Action!

ASA has been alerted that yesterday (3/15/05), at about 6pm, Los Angeles Police
raided the United Medical Caregivers Clinic (UMCC), a medical marijuana
dispensing collective. The police obtained a search warrant and came with
approximately thirty officers to seize all of the collective's medicine and
money. The charges are not yet known, but at least two staff were taken
into custody and later released.

The raid on UMCC occurred despite the owner having previously met with city
officials. Though the arresting officers claimed to have never heard of
Proposition 215, UMCC personnel talked with law enforcement officials regarding
the clinic's opening. People at the raid heard police comment about checking up
on other medical marijuana operations in the area.

This is an affront to safe access to medical marijuana! Dispensing collectives
must be protected and allowed to exist in order to ensure that safe access.

As patients affected by this raid and possibly others yet to occur, it is
important that you take action now! Public officials need to know the importance
of safe access to medical marijuana. Please take two minutes to call LA Mayor
James Hahn and two key LA City Council members listed below.

Talking points:
* Be polite and assume the person you're talking to supports medical marijuana
* You're calling in reference to the March 15 raid on the United Medical
Caregivers Clinic, a dispensing collective in Los Angeles
* Drop any and all charges against the operators of UMCC
* Return all medicine and other items to UMCC so that it can continue to serve
patients
* Dispensing collectives are an important and necessary part of the
Compassionate Use Act passed in 1996 by California voters
* Dispensing collectives help ensure safe access to medical marijuana and avoid
the need for patients to use the illicit drug market

[NOTE: Due to the passage of SB 420 and its affirmation of collectives and
cooperatives, we are hereafter referring to dispensaries as dispensing
collectives and cooperatives.]

Mayor James Hahn
City Hall Office 213-978-0600
200 N. Spring St., Room 303
Los Angeles, CA 90012
mayorhahn [at] mayor.lacity.org

[Council member for the district in which raid occurred]
Martin Ludlow (Dist. 10)
City Hall Office 213-473-7010
200 N. Spring Street, Rm 430
Los Angeles, CA 90012
ludlow [at] council.lacity.org

[Council member currently vying for Mayoral seat]
Antonio Villaraigosa (Dist. 14)
City Hall Office 213-473-7014
200 N. Spring Street, Rm 425
Los Angeles, CA 90012
villaraigosa [at] council.lacity.org

Thank you for your show of solidarity!

Kris
___________________

P.S. If you wish to contact more LA City Council members, please feel free to
use the following list:

Ed Reyes (Dist. 1)
(213)-473-7001
reyes [at] council.lacity.org

Wendy Greuel (Dist. 2)
(213)-473-7002
greuel [at] council.lacity.org

Dennis Zine (Dist. 3)
(213)-473-7003
zine [at] council.lacity.org

Tom LeBonge (Dist. 4)
(213)-473-7004
labonge [at] council.lacity.org

Jack Weiss (Dist. 5)
(213)-473-7005
weiss [at] council.lacity.org

Tony Cardenas (Dist. 6)
(213)-473-7006
cardenas [at] council.lacity.org

Alex Padilla (Dist. 7)
(213)-473-7007
padilla [at] council.lacity.org

Bernard Parks (Dist. 8)
(213)-473-7008
parks [at] council.lacity.org

Jan Perry (Dist. 9)
(213)-473-7009
perry [at] council.lacity.org

Cindy Miscikowski (Dist. 11)
(213)-473-7011
miscikowski [at] council.lacity.org

Grieg Smith (Dist. 12)
(213)-473-7012
smith [at] council.lacity.org

Eric Garcetti (Dist. 13)
(213)-473-7013
garcetti [at] council.lacity.org

Janice Hahn (Dist. 15)
(213)-473-7015
hahn [at] council.lacity.org

--
Kris Hermes
Legal Director
Americans for Safe Access
http://www.SafeAccessNow.org
1322 Webster Street, Suite 208
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-251-1856 x307
Fax: 510-251-2036
Email: kris [at] SafeAccessNow.org