Persons who are living with AIDS and cancer from the Sacramento County area and beyond will be rallying on the West Steps of the California State Capitol Building Saturday, February 17 at 2:00 to show their support for medical marijuana. Sacramento County Director of Californians for Compassionate Use, Ryan Landers, will present state lawmakers with signatures gathered in Sacramento during the first half of the statewide effort to qualify the “Compassionate Use Act of 1996” for inclusion in the 1996 election ballot and demonstrators will be conducting an all day sign-up drive.
Medical marijuana proponents need to gather 600,000 signatures from registered voters by April 20 in order to put the Initiative on the ballot for the 1996 election. To date, the all volunteer drive has amassed approximately 125,000 signatures.
California’s Medical Marijuana Initiative came about in response to Governor Pete Wilson’s decision to veto legislation that would allow for the medical use of marijuana. If the initiative is passed by California voters this fall, the bill will become law immediately and cannot be vetoed.
“The [Medical Marijuana] Initiative will simply set the record and allow patients and their doctors to use marijuana medicinally in California free of the stigmas and terror they have come to accept,” explained Dennis Peron, statewide Director of the Compassionate Use Campaign.
For more information, please contact either Dennis Peron at (415) 621-3986 or Ryan Landers at (916) 736-3598.
Reminder: “Higher Times,” the CNN special on marijuana will air this Sunday at 9:00 P.M. EST. and NORML Deputy Director Allen St. Pierre debates former drug czar Lee Brown live on America Online on February 19!!!