In less than 180 days, the Catalina Island Cannabis Campaign has collected more than the number of signatures required to place the initiative on November’s General Election ballot according to Jason Aula who says verification can be obtained by contacting the Avalon City Clerk. However, the Campaign is concerned that members of city council may prevent municipal voters from being able to vote on the ballot initiative due to policy naysayers such as Councilman Oley who subscribes to dinosaur refer madness policy on cannabis and rejected his chance to sign the petition and support medical cannabis like most islanders who signed the petition. The Campaign submit over 270 signatures on Friday, April 15 at City Hall, 410 Avalon Canyon Road, Avalon 90704. Members of the Campaign will be available for interview by email. The text of the ballot initiative can be found by emailing the proponent.
“First off I want to thank The Law Office of Matthew Pappas for dispatching me to this project. Medical Cannabis is a constitutional right for Californians as far as I am concerned. Furthermore, the US surgeon general has claimed cannabis thc is an antioxidant for the human brain and by attempting to keep in place the criminal penalties for medical marijuana dispensaries, the Avalon City Council is saying that they want more people of color to go to jail.” said Political Strategist & initiative author Jason Aula, “but I am very concerned that certain members of City Council will use their minute influence to stop Avalon voters from being able to fully participate in the democratic process by making false claims and misleading voters because they think marijuana is a drug when to many and most it is in fact a medicine or even a religious sacrament to some. Citizens of Avalon deserve the right to vote on this municipal cannabis initiative and make a choice individually.” The citizens of California voted to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 the Campaign believes that voters of Avalon should be afforded the right to vote on medical marijuana access.
The Law Office of Matthew Pappas is spearheading municipal medical marijuana ballot measures all over Southern California with medical marijauna political strategist Jason Aula. “The possible decision of the Avalon City Council medical cannabis naysayers to try and prevent the ballot initiative from going forward is an affront to the core of Islander’s belief against big government interfering in the lives of citizens” says Matthew S. Pappas, prominent medical cannabis lawyer.
“Petition circulators are the unsung champions of direct democracy across the United States and quite frankly I think petitioners ought to be paid better too given the importance of the work” says Aula. Throughout the last six months the Campaign enlisted many volunteers and paid petition circulator contractors to canvass the island of Avalon. Proponents of municipal ballot initiatives in California are allowed 180 days to circulate petitions, but in order for this initiative to qualify for November’s general election ballot, the Campaign says the choice of whether the initiative appears on the general ballot or special election is now at the discretion of the county.
Source: Avalon Patients Access PAC
