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Health & Fitness

Peace For Patients meets South County Elected Officials at their 9th Annual Reception

As it turns out, the 58% loss for safe access in IB last year was not a 'landslide' after all... safe access lost by merely 600 votes.

From first term Senator Ben Hueso, to the Mayor of National City, to first term Councilmember Bobby Patton of Imperial Beach; All attendees of the 9th Annual South County Elected Officials Reception were talking about Peace For Patients - some took pictures to prove it - some did not - but they all discussed it!

Despite the recent apologies by CNN's top medical expert for his role in "terribly and systematically misleading the public", many local politicians are still embracing a reefer madness view of cannabis as a medicine - and continue to stifle regulations for local safe access for qualified patients.

But the times, they-are-a-changin' - and along with it - the hearts and minds of more and more people - and politicians - based on evidence, not madness.

On Monday the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce announced its newest member - California State Senator Ben Hueso.

Last Thursday, Senator Hueso attended the 9th Annual South County Elected Officials Reception and expressed his support for the city's medical marijuana patients in a photo op with local business owner Tracey Rivera, and patient's advocate Terrie Best of the local chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA).

Last year most of the local politicians signed onto a campaign of misleading mailers - using reefer madness fear mongering - to convince 58% of voters to reject a ballot measure which would have allowed for safe, reliable, and regulated access to - taxable - medical cannabis in Imperial Beach.

Besides the highest ranking politician showing his support for patients at the event, many other brave souls were also willing to show support for some of the most vulnerable among us.  

From Imperial Beach, Brian Pat Bilbray and Bobby Patton posed for photos to support Peace For Patients, as well as the Mayor of National City and Chula Vista Councilmembers. 

However our own mayor, Jim Janney said, "it's not my job to allow access" and flatly refused to be photographed in support of patients.

Although Mayor Janney is "on the record" as supporting patients, he was clearly the paralyzing force behind the current ban on local access, and is the polarizing force behind the misinformation campaign the city is engaged in today.  

If our mayor would simply engage in continuing education - like CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta did - he too would talk the talk and walk the walk - like a professional in his position should.

But - there's always another ballot election, in fact next year the mayor's position just happens to be on it - and just maybe safe access for patients will be to.

As it turns out, the 58% loss for safe access in IB last year was not a 'landslide' after all... safe access lost by merely 600 votes.  And it appears that well over 3,000 voters did not flip the ballot over to cast a vote for the two measures on the reverse side - the school bond initiative - or for safe access.

See you all at the polls next year!

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Peace for Patients is a campaign to end the war on medical cannabis patients.

To date, 20 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing patients to access medical cannabis under the recommendation of their doctor.

Over one million people in the US are legally using medical cannabis and 85% of Americans support the US of medical cannabis. Yet the federal government continues to use precious resources to wage a war on these medical cannabis programs and in the its path disrupts the lives of patients, displaces workers, tramples on state and local governments and takes individuals away from their families.

Join the Peace for Patients Campaign by calling on Congress to stop the war on patients and resolve the conflict between federal and state laws once and for all.

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