MARIJUANA ACTIVISTS, BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAVE PRE-WORKSHOP CONFAB

The designated "smoking hour" of 4:20 p.m. came and went last week
without a pause for organizers of Saturday's upcoming marijuana
workshop and seminar.

Members of the Mendocino Medical Marijuana Advisory Board (MMMAB),
marijuana activists, local business and non-profit representatives
met recently to discuss details for Saturday's event, titled "Life
After Legalization: Marijuana Enters the Mainstream."

MMMAB is a countywide, non-partisan organization which focuses on an
educational approach to medical marijuana policy. Among MMMAB's group
of advisory panel members are retired Mendocino County Sheriff Tony
Craver, former County Assessor/Voter Registrar Marsha Wharff and
former San Francisco District Attorney Terrence Hallinan.

Last month, MMMAB member Pebbles Trippet reserved the Saturday
Afternoon Club for an April panel discussion where prominent
attorneys were scheduled to discuss current cannabis laws, recent
changes to the county's marijuana nuisance ordinance and upcoming trials.

Enter Anna Hamilton, a musician and host on Humboldt County's KMUD
radio. Last month, Hamilton made international press when she
presented a community forum titled, "What's After Pot?" Working for
months, Hamilton convened elected officials, self-described medical
marijuana growers, educators, business leaders and even "just
curious" individuals who sat at designated "stakeholder tables" and
discussed how and if legalized marijuana would affect Humboldt County.

The results of that meeting were surprising. "In the end, the whole
community talked about value-added products and services," Hamilton
explained to the group. "This isn't where I took the conversation. It
was like a grass fire. You couldn't have stopped it if you tried,"
she emphasized.

It only took hours for Hamilton's phone to start ringing off the
hook. "I got calls from the BBC, LeMonde, from all over the country."
Was it the presence of dozens of growers, sitting at a table beside
Kiwanis and Rotary club members? Was it the admission by local
businesses that their economies could be destroyed by a plummeting
price for legalized cannabis? Hamilton can only speculate.
"Non-profits expressed concerns about fewer donations. Government
understands the possibility of tax dollars. When you talk about a
collapsing economy, the business community listens."

MMMAB members agreed to invite Hamilton to bring her workshop to
Ukiah. "We will be combining elements which have rarely received
discussion in this county or anywhere else," notes Trippet, a
longtime advocate for medical marijuana patients' rights.

As soon as MMMAB announced the dual event, Trippet's phone started
ringing. "We were interviewed by KQED. I have received phone calls
and e-mails from the LA Times, the Denver Post, the San Francisco
Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee," she notes. "I believe the media is
intrigued by the juxtaposition of these events - the possibility of
legalization, the economic impacts of legalization and the mounting,
irrefutable scientific evidence supporting a multitude of
applications for medical cannabis."

The momentum for Saturday's event continues to build, according to
organizers, because Richard Lee - primary proponent of the "Tax
Cannabis 2010" California ballot initiative - will be part of the
MMMAB panel. Lee, who has been called "the Mayor of Oaksterdam," is
the founder of Oakland's Oaksterdam University and for decades has
been a vocal supporter for the end of cannabis prohibition.

Bert Mosier, CEO of the Greater Ukiah Chamber of Commerce, was eager
to sign on as a presenter. Mosier spoke for Chamber members last
October regarding the importance of marijuana to the local economy.
He stated in The Ukiah Daily Journal that, "I have members who tell
me the cash influx into their businesses is what makes the difference
between succeeding and failing."

But not everyone is ready to "come out of the grow room closet."
MMMAB members have spoken to many organizations who may send
representatives to the meeting but aren't willing to go public - yet.
"We are charging a small fee to cover our expenses," notes one
organizer. "We plan to donate any excess to a local non-profit
organization. The first group we contacted was very appreciative, but
said their board was not ready to publicly accept a donation of this kind."

Whether growers will choose to attend is another question. "In
Humboldt, we had over three dozen individuals seated at the 215'
table," notes Hamilton. But Tim Blake, proprietor of Laytonville's
Area 101 and an MMMAB Advisory Panel member, is not so sure. "I've
talked to a lot of people, and they aren't interested in going
anywhere the Feds might show up," Blake notes. "I don't think they
have anything to worry about," says Hamilton. "It's not illegal to
talk about what it could be like when marijuana becomes legal."

Trippet hopes the community will feel compelled to be a part of this
discussion. "We had days, not months, to put this event together. We
sincerely hope people from every facet of the community will attend.
We are asking service club and church members, teachers, health care
professionals, non-profits, businesspeople, government officials and
the general public to be a part of this conversation," Trippet notes.
"We are trying to answer hard questions and look for real solutions."

The event begins at 1 p.m. at the Saturday Afternoon Club. No cameras
will be allowed inside the building. For information phone 964-9377
or 877-3300 or visit www.mmmab.net

Life After Legalization Workshop Schedule

"What's After Pot?," Anna Hamilton, facilitator, with support from
Ellen Komp, California deputy director, National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

"What Will it Legalize?," Richard Lee, proponent of California's Tax
Cannabis 2010 ballot initiative.

"The State of our State," Omar Figueroa, attorney, founder of the
Cannabis Law Institute

"Are County Cannabis Laws Unconstitutional?," E.D. Lerman, attorney

"Cannabis Collectives and a Viable Niche Economy," Tim Blake, medical
marijuana patient/grower

"A Realistic Business Approach," Bert Mosier, CEO, Greater Ukiah
Chamber of Commerce