July 26 Community Forum:

San Francisco had led the nation in legitimizing the use and regulation of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Nowhere else is the debate more engaged, or the dialogue more evolved, than in San Francisco. During just the past few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed the power of the federal government to prohibit virtually all medical marijuana transactions, the DEA raided a number of local medical cannabis dispensaries (MCDs), and the Schwarzenegger administration discontinued and then reinstated the state’s medical marijuana ID card program. Meanwhile, patients, doctors, MCD operators and activists continue to negotiate with city officials over the best way to manage medical marijuana distribution in San Francisco.

On Tuesday July 26th, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will join Ethan Nadelmann, the nation’s leading drug policy reform advocate, for a public forum about these and other marijuana policy issues.

Described by Rolling Stone as “the point man” for drug policy reform efforts, Ethan Nadelmann is the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation’s leading drug policy reform organization, which advocates for policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. In the July 12, 2004 issue of National Review magazine, Nadelmann wrote a cover story that addressed “The growing movement toward ending America’s irrational marijuana prohibition.”

Who: Mayor Gavin Newsom and Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance

What: “Is San Francisco Going to Pot?” Free Public Forum

When: Tuesday July 26, 2005, 5:30 PM- 7:30 PM

Where: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St. at Presidio