Statement From Cpu

[mendonesian]

[Irishgreen]

I think the fact that everyone is here and being allowed to discuss things without it turning into a 3 ring circus is a plus.

 

It's hard enough to get a room of 12 people to decide a jury case, let alone a group of several thousand, to decide something so personal to each one.

 

The members of CPU were most of the first members here. The fact that they are trying to work on "the inside" is something that the MMMA was not doing, nor being invited to do.

 

In order to participate in the game, you gotta have the right "equipment". People that knew whom to approach and whom to leave till last. I don't see us a 2 different groups. I see us as 1 group with different facets. We are Medical Marijuana PATIENTS first. That is part of why CPU stands for Cannabis patients united. It was supposed to be ALL about the patients. There was a time this place was more about growers rights than the patients. (which we all know, without the patients there are no growers)

[cindy48647]

That was well put irishgreen

[Irishgreen]

Hi, Cindy! Thank you.....

[Flowergirl]

For the last time CPU has NO interest in dispensaries. Ask MACC if CPU was involved in the Calton work group. If we were we would gladly admit it. We have nothing to hide.

 

 

 

TRUTH! CPU has never pushed for any kind of dispensary model and to my knowledge has always remained nuetral. No they did not participate in any kind of distrabution work group. MACC on the other hand advocates safe access for patients, as long as that does not infringe on or change the existing caregiver/patient model(something we can all agree is NOT negotiable). Up until this point I know the MMMA had advocated for no changes to the law and farmers markets. Not sure with all the changes where the MMMA focus will be now. My point is that every organization has the right to participate in the political proccess and we dont always agree 100%, thats the beauty of a democracy. Every group has always had the ability to participe and each has focused on particular issues that are most important to their membership- thats just the way this works. I would also like to point out that literally thousands of patients called their reps and asked them for dispensarys. So whether or not you personaly like them, thats what the Reps are hearing from their constituents and thats why the issue is even being looked at.

[Hayduke]

Okay, I am tired and ready to hang with my family. That being said I am still willing to field questions and comments.

 

Mendo your post is long and needs a bit of attention. I will try to answer you specifically (or maybe I should say more specifically) tomorrow.

 

This dialogue is what should have been going on for the last year. While late in the game, better now than not at all....

[Hayduke]

TRUTH! CPU has never pushed for any kind of dispensary model and to my knowledge has always remained nuetral. No they did not participate in any kind of distrabution work group. MACC on the other hand advocates safe access for patients, as long as that does not infringe on or change the existing caregiver/patient model(something we can all agree is NOT negotiable). Up until this point I know the MMMA had advocated for no changes to the law and farmers markets. Not sure with all the changes where the MMMA focus will be now. My point is that every organization has the right to participate in the political proccess and we dont always agree 100%, thats the beauty of a democracy. Every group has always had the ability to participe and each has focused on particular issues that are most important to their membership- thats just the way this works. I would also like to point out that literally thousands of patients called their reps and asked them for dispensarys. So whether or not you personaly like them, thats what the Reps are hearing from their constituents and thats why the issue is even being looked at.

 

 

thank you. that is true to the max...

[Herb Cannabis]

"Maybe if everyone called or wrote their congressman/woman and told them the law was great and needed no changes, them we might have some ground to work on, but that isn't happening."

 

Celliach, It was posted on this forum that more than 2 million emails were sent while the bills were in committee. If that is correct then I wonder how much value in contacting our reps really is! Remember in November!

[cristinew]

2 million emails i bet that was email o matic.. some people were sending out 100s in one day then, that is not the proper way to contact your reps, here are some tips

 

ACTION STEPS

Step1

Get organized

Your grassroots advocacy "base" is comprised of those closest or most committed to your group or issue.

 

Read more…

 

Step2

Research the Public Official

Perhaps the single most important thing you can do to become an effective advocate is to learn about the issues and the positions of your elected representatives.

 

Read more…

 

Step3

Research the Issue

It's important for a citizen lobbyist to redefine what it means to be an "expert" -- learn the status of the issue and draw on your own stories and experiences.

 

Read more…

 

Step4

Communicate with your representative

Once your have learned about the issues, found your representatives, gotten organized, developed a message, it's time to take that message to your representative.

 

Read more…

 

Step5

Set up a face-to-face meeting

Connecting with your legislator in a face to face meeting is a great way to develop a relationship with them and work to influence the stands they take on your issues.

 

Read more…

 

Step6

Keep the momentum going

Long-term effective advocacy and the lobbying that supports it requires positive, trusting, strategic relationships with elected and appointed officials, their staff, the media and your own base.

[Hayduke]

Your welcome Heyduke, with the changes in the leadership here I see no reason we cannot sit down and the table and open talks between our groups. You know me and I would be happy to get involved with those meetings.

 

for a couple of years, and more than a few watched backs, yes quietone it is funny we are both back here, but there you go...

[Croppled1]

It is nice to see you all reaching out here . It is comforting to know the MMMA will again be a Statewide support group for all the Medical Cannabis Community and they are willing to forgive and work toward a unified positive outcome for patients . I look forward to learning about CPU and hope their website will be brought up to date to reflect them soon . I also hope all the groups around the State pick up the better parts of the political workings of the MMMA positions now that it will not be as politically focused so as to be opposed to others stances .

[Timmahh]

I think the fact that everyone is here and being allowed to discuss things without it turning into a 3 ring circus is a plus.

 

It's hard enough to get a room of 12 people to decide a jury case, let alone a group of several thousand, to decide something so personal to each one.

 

The members of CPU were most of the first members here. The fact that they are trying to work on "the inside" is something that the MMMA was not doing, nor being invited to do.

 

In order to participate in the game, you gotta have the right "equipment". People that knew whom to approach and whom to leave till last. I don't see us a 2 different groups. I see us as 1 group with different facets. We are Medical Marijuana PATIENTS first. That is part of why CPU stands for Cannabis patients united. It was supposed to be ALL about the patients. There was a time this place was more about growers rights than the patients. (which we all know, without the patients there are no growers)

 

 

Yes ma'am, you hit it on the head. No Act, No Patient, No Plant, Game Over.

[SFC]

Tomorrow is actually the 2 year anniversary of CPU. We didn't really have a name yet, but The Brown Jug in Ann Arbor , Hash Bash 2010. Irish, HydroJack, Hayduke, Malamute, Mary, Tim Beck, Myself, Mals Wife, Vic Vicious and I am tired maybe a couple others met up and hatched a Cannabis advocacy group. Not everyone went on to be a part of the group and it was really quite chaotic at first but Mary pointed us in the right direction and I thank her along with everyone else that was there that day. It was the day the seed planted.

 

Honorable mention to Resto as well, he was there for the first meet up that day and was a voice in our collective thought in the beginning of CPU

 

It has been a pleasure growing with all of the members past and present, thank you all.

 

We also have a great deal respect for anyone that has risked all that we do in order to get a card and be legal, we get inspiration from many of you..

[Irishgreen]

It was a really wonderful, and inspiring day.

[Hydraulic Jack]

Yes it was.....HJ

[Celliach]

"Maybe if everyone called or wrote their congressman/woman and told them the law was great and needed no changes, them we might have some ground to work on, but that isn't happening."

 

Celliach, It was posted on this forum that more than 2 million emails were sent while the bills were in committee. If that is correct then I wonder how much value in contacting our reps really is! Remember in November!

First off, I seriously doubt 2,000,000 is accurate. We all know there was a propensity for stretchingthe truth here in the past, and second,they were pointing out the problems with the law, not talking about how great it is.

Well, actually I don't know what they said. I was thinking it was the "we don't want our dogs killed" write-in campaign. Now that I know it was auto-email letters, I can tell you those are automatically ignored when received. You can pay a few people to send a lot of letters that way....doesn't count.

[SFC]

It did count Celli. But it didn't take them long to put up spam filters to stop it. Each individual rep was getting 3000-5000 emails a week. Now to get them thru I think you have to do it the hard way. They did have an effect tho in that the reps realize people are paying attention. Is it enough? No, we need to still keep writing and keep talking to them.

[hofner67]

well yea who the heck ya think it is, I aint been smelling or drinking the kool aide, I been reading alot of smart peoples writing, I have'nt been in here saving anything ive read in the last few months, have you? there are alot of good groups out there who have pts and c.g's in their best interest, and I can say cpu is one of em!

 

no im not a member of cpu, but I want to be!

 

Peace

Jim

Well they sure do talk a lot, anyway. I can see an ongoing thread for them. They obviously need one. Still don't think its u, however.

[Celliach]

I am so happy to see this conversation!

I'm happy to see you!

[Celliach]

I don't want to disparage the email drive, I just think it would have gone better if 25% of the number of letters were sent, but they were real letters hand written from real patients about how incredibly awesome the law is.

 

The spam filters are exactly what I was talking about. Yeah, they noticed the first few then put up filters and never saw another letter again. They would have still received every one of the letters if they were the done the way I suggest. However, we would never have as many letters sent.

 

Maybe we should write a few sample letters for people to use as a basis for writing their own.........

[SparklyBuds]

the email-o-matic allows you to use pre-written letters, or delete them and write your own.

[Medcnman]

I pummeled them with the e-mail-o-matic also. But I thought the same thing. They arent reading these. Once they put up the spam filters, I wrote 110 emails. One to each rep. Sent them from my personal account. And received the exact same responses as I got with the email-o-matic. Auto responses. Many of them ignored my replys to their auto responses because i was "Not their constituant". But I didnt care. I sent them anyway. And so should everyone else. Its an election year and we have the power to remove these slugs from their positions. Bill Rodgers is the rep for my district (Brighton). This guy is a tool and should be removed immediatley. When I had my meeting with him, he said there were some "grey areas" that needed to be cleared up. I asked him what areas he was referring to. His respknse was dumbfounding! He said that he has never actually read the original law. I advised him he has no business commenting on something he knows nothing about Nd that he needs to do his own work instead of listening to his colleagues. He was not happy at the end of our meeting and the look on his face in the picture in my gallery tells the story. Bye Bye Bill Rodgers! Im not paying you to ask your colleagues what they think! Medcnman.

[Celliach]

Yes, but weren't they all being routed the same way? Isn't that how they were able to use spam filters? If everyone one of those leters were written directly from individual email addy's I don't think they'd be able to filter them all would they?

 

Honestly, I don't know. I've never looked into it because I've heard too many pols say they don't work except to annoy the reps for the most part. I never considered it a viable form of protest. When it worked against SOPA I was totally surprised, but the sheer numbers responding to that drive I think drove it to succeed.

 

BTW, I was told most politicians discount them because you can pay a dozen people to send 100,000's of them in a short time.

[SparklyBuds]

Well this is enlightening, and I think it will be good going forward to learn what our problems were, what things worked and what we can do better. Also how we can find common ground with the rest of the Cannabis Community, and work together somehow or at least not be working against each other.

 

I guess it's helpful to know how we were / are perceived by others (especially those in power who we're trying to influence). I don't understand though, how we were perceived as saying the law was bad. I expressed my concerns about the proposed bills, and said the law should not be changed and was fine the way it was. I thought that was what we were doing as a group. It's disheartening to hear it was received as "Change the Law, it is bad".

[Celliach]

Too many people have been complaining to the state congress about how the law is flawed. We really need to stop that completely from our side, if possible.

 

Here's something else to chew on......if we don't get our bunny muffin together and make the caregiver system work as it's written in the law right now, they will replace it with something if people keep complaining that the system doesn't work and patients are getting their meds. I think the current congress' track record should tell us that if they do come up with a plan to "solve the problem" it probably won't be one that our community likes and can support.

 

IMO, one of the most important steps right now for us as a community is creating a network by which the caregiver system can work successfully. The old compassion club model was great but was abandoned by most people/groups after they realized that the system wasn't going to make anyone RICH.

 

If anyone is interested in starting up a CC in their area, I would willing to help as much as I can. (And no, I'm not going to go off at everyone this time. )