Always Be Hustlin’

Flickr user nicdalic

Across the state and in our Capitol, the cannabis movement is on the
roll in California. Two months ago, Assembly Bill 243 was heard in the
Agriculture Committee, a historic move that hasn’t been fully appreciated.
Within the committee hearing room, three dozen cannabis farmers representing
Emerald Growers Association, California Cannabis Voice Humboldt and other
organizations were there to support a sensible, agriculture-based approach for
regulating the cultivation of medical cannabis. Outside in the corridors there
were several dozen more farmers and supporters, gathered around a television
set that Capitol staff had to set up to display the hearings. There was
profound strength in this group—all wearing matching green t-shirts with
statements like “I am a farmer” or “I [heart] a farmer” on the fronts and their
respective organizational logo and “#sameteam” on the back.

As Assemblyman Jim Wood, representing the Emerald Triangle, presented
his bill, and he called for EGA Executive Director Hezekiah Allen, a third
generation cannabis farmer from Humboldt, to testify on the importance of
getting cannabis regulation done right this legislative session. As his
testimony wrapped up, Hezekiah turned to the eager audience and urged the proud
farmers to rise in in solidarity together. Outside the chamber doors that was
the signal for the group to cheer loudly in unison. This display caused
committee chair Assemblyman Henry Perea (Fresno) to smile and laugh—all the Capitol
heard this voice and recognized this moment in California history, as cannabis
farmers were accepted in the Capitol building as a credible and important
constituency. It was a great day. And the legislative session had only just
begun. Cannabis farmers had made their presence felt in Sacramento, they
treated the elected officials and staff with respect, and the whole Capitol
community welcomed them.

Over the last six months, the Reform CA movement has been spreading as
town hall-style listening sessions, an April 20th “thunderclap” social media
coordinated event, and great fundraiser events are getting the reform machine
fueled up for our November 2016 legalization push. These listening sessions
began in Oakland, San Diego, West Hollywood, Riverside, Santa Ana, Garberville,
Grass Valley, Redding and Santa Cruz, followed by San Luis Obispo and Fresno
this month. Before drafting legalization language this time, there was a real
desire by the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform to gather information, to
experiment with ideas, to discuss our collective goals with the cannabis
movement’s base across the state. Reform CA Chairwoman Dale Sky Jones
(Oaksterdam University,) Kristin Nevedal (Americans for Safe Access and Emerald
Growers Association), and Dale Gieringer (California NORML) led these many
meetings, with representatives from the Marijuana Policy Project and the
Greater Los Angeles Caregivers Alliance joining the leadership team for some of
the meetings. Civil rights issues, cultivation rights issues, local control
issues, and preserving access to medical cannabis were the central
conversations at these events, but there were opportunities for local ballot
measure organizers to ride this wave of reform enthusiasm.

A
bit later in the Spring more town halls, separately hosted by the Drug Policy
Alliance and by the Lieutenant Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force have brought
this reform message to more and more people, as more and more voices are added
to this historic conversation. California will legalize cannabis in 2016, and
we have every reason to believe that this enthusiasm, this organizing and this
collective wisdom will ensure that our laws are reasonable, our ideas are heard
and our community achieves what it’s been pushing for so long. Are you excited
yet? I su