High and active

I was just wondering how our U.S. senators feel about marijuana. I haven’t heard much.

—Jeff

I’m glad you asked. And, no, it is not too early to start discussing the 2016 election for the Senate. As it stands now, the Democratic field has two main challengers, with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez recently throwing her hat into the ring against California Attorney General Kamala Harris. Although Harris is the favorite, I feel Sanchez would be a better choice for cannabis users, and Californians in general, since marijuana legalization would be a boon to the welfare and economy of the entire state. Sanchez has a history of marijuana law reform support: In 2009, she told CNN, “So maybe it would be a good pilot program to see how that regulation of marijuana might happen in California since the … majority of Californians believe maybe that should happen.” Harris has recently shifted her stance somewhat; last week, she told the annual Convention of California Democrats that, “The war on drugs has failed,” and, “Now is the time to end the federal ban on marijuana,” but she still giggles every time she mentions marijuana, like she can’t believe what she just said. Either one would be better than Senator Dianne Feinstein though. When does she retire? She hates weed.

I would love to tell my California representative to support medical marijuana. Is there a way I can do that?

—Alley Oop

Yes! Americans for Safe Access is hosting a two-day lobbying event in Sacramento from Sunday, June 14 to Monday, June 15. There will be training, education and direct lobbying of elected representatives by concerned citizens. It is my understanding that there are 13 bills dealing with medical marijuana scurrying around the Capitol, so you may want to learn about what’s going on. You can get more info here: www.safeaccessnow.org/california_citizen_lobby_day_june_2015.

I saw a documentary once on a dispensary called WHAM, or something like that? Can you tell me more about them?

—Monty Ray

WAMM is hella cool. The Wo/men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana is one of the oldest and most compassionate medical cannabis dispensaries in the state. They have been around for more than 20 years, and they work mainly with the terminally ill. Oh, and they are pretty good at activism and garnering community support. They got raided by the feds in 2002, and two weeks later, the mayor of Santa Cruz and several other city officials stood on the steps of City Hall and handed out medical cannabis to WAMM’s patients. It was glorious. The work they do is inspirational and amazing. The video you mention is called La Vie en Verte: The WAMM Movie, and it will make you want to start a commune. To learn more, check out www.WAMM.org.

P.S. WAMM is trying to raise some money because they need to start paying rent on their garden. You can make a donation here: www.indiegogo.com/projects/ save-wamm-the-gold-standard-cannabis-collective.