Americans for Safe Access

What We Do

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. We work to overcome political and legal barriers by creating policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and researchers through legislation, education, litigation, grassroots actions, advocacy and services for patients and their providers. ASA has over 30,000 active members with chapters and affiliates in more than 40 states.

ASA is unique because we are employing strategies that have never been tried in the field of medical cannabis. ASA enjoys unprecedented access to elected officials and a special credibility with stakeholders due to its exclusive focus on medical cannabis. We are working to change federal policy to meet the immediate needs of patients as well as create long-term strategies for safe access and programs that encourage research.

Here is how we do it:

Projects

Federal Advocacy Project

ASA’s National Office, located in Washington, DC, advocates for safe access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research to better meet the immediate needs of patients, medical professionals, and researchers. We help to broaden support for medical cannabis on Capitol Hill, and within executive agencies and national institutes.

Patients’ Rights Project

ASA’s Legal Affairs Department creates, protects, and expands the rights of medical cannabis patients through direct support, extensive monitoring, proactive litigation, education, organizing attorneys, and the drafting of legislation.

Take a Closer Look: Cannabis is Medicine

While the use of medical marijuana under the care and supervision of a licensed medical professional consistently carries 80% support in nation-wide polling, the issue is still considered taboo for many.

Campaigns

California Campaign for Safe Access

The mission of the California Campaign for Safe Access is to monitor, implement, and improve medical cannabis law in California through protection and expansion of patients’ rights, using education, litigation, legislation, grassroots advocacy and direct support.

Raid Emergency Response Campaign

The Raid Emergency Response Campaign has helped stall federal raids on patients and caregivers in states with medical marijuana laws. If there is a raid in any medical cannabis state, we will respond as a national grassroots movement!

Jurors Rights Education Campaign

Prosecutors fight hard to keep any information about medical cannabis out of courtrooms to make sure that they get their conviction. The Jurors Rights Education Campaign seeks to educate jurors on their rights to issue not guilty verdicts to medical cannabis patients and providers.

Programs

Activist Corner: Resources for Organizers

ASA strives to empower the effected stakeholders and advocates engaging in ASA programs and projects through trainings, strategic planning, materials, action items, general and financial support and connects them to powerful national, state, an local networks.

On top of it!: ASA Updates, Alerts and Publications

ASA’s staff will help keep you up to date with breaking news, monthly activist newsletters, weekly media summaries, relevant publications, quarterly federal newsletters, ways to plug into local community projects and ways to effectively communicate with your peers.

Patient Resources and Support

ASA offers an array of resources and avenues for support that include information on cannabis as medicine, resources for talking to your doctor, and a guide to the legal landscape including state by state laws.