Fourth District Court Of Appeals Overturns Conviction Of San Diego Medical Cannabis Provider Jovan Jackson
By Don Duncan, California Director, Americans for Safe Access
Americans for Safe Access (ASA) won another major victory for medical cannabis patients in court today when the Fourth District Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of San Diego medical cannabis provider Jovan Jackson. This landmark decision recognizes the right of medical cannabis cooperatives and collectives to exist and provide medicine – something law enforcement in California tried to deny for sixteen years.
ASA appealed Mr. Jackson’s 2010 conviction because we knew this case was important for patients and providers statewide. Your support and participation made this huge victory possible. Make a special contribution of $35, $50, $100, or whatever you can afford today to help ASA keep winning important battles like this.
The appellate court held that “the collective or cooperative association required by [the Medical Marijuana Program Act] need not include active participation by all members in the cultivation process but may be limited to financial support by way of marijuana purchases from the organization.” The is a strong rebuke to San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and her colleagues statewide, who have argued for years that patients cannot simply buy medical cannabis from a cooperative or collective to which they belong. This decision may have a huge impact on local and state efforts to implement and regulate medical cannabis.
Today’s decision points the way to a more rational and compassionate state policy, but ASA needs to be ready to fight a possible appeal and to push the legal advantage you helped us create. We need your continued support to make it happen. Make a generous one-time or affordable recurring monthly contribution to help ASA’s legal campaign and the other important education, advocacy, and media work we do every day.
Thank you for supporting ASA and helping us win this appeal. We are going to keep working together until every medical cannabis patient has safe and reliable access to their medicine. You see that we can win, when we have your help!
