Grassroots Movement Opposes Sean Parker"s Adult Use of Marijuana Act http://www.thedailychronic.net/2016/51858/grassroo... By Mickey Martin | ReformCA.org January 4, 2016 4:40 PM ReformCA.org organizes grassroots support to oppose Sean Parker"s Adult use of Marijuana Act. $250,000 committed to the effort in just 4 days to put alternative on ballot. SACRAMENTO, CA - Not everyone in the cannabis community is ready to sell out to Sean Parker"s highly publicized and supposedly well-funded effort to legalize cannabis in the State of California, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). On January 1st, ReformCA.org, an organization spearheaded by California activist and author of Medical Marijuana 101, Mickey Martin, began organizing those who oppose the AUMA in an effort to raise $2 million dollars to place an alternative measure on the ballot. The group has realized commitments of $250,000 in just 4 days, and continues to see support pour in from California dispensaries, growers, and cannabis product manufacturers who believe the AUMA would be a disaster for the cannabis economy in the State. "People who have dedicated their lives to building up this movement and industry in the largest cannabis producing region in the world are frustrated with the cumbersome 62 pages of regulations included in the Parker language,†said Mickey Martin. "Everyone just wants a fair and level playing field and to be part of an industry that shares the same freedoms as alcohol businesses. The AUMA regulates cannabis more strictly than a Schedule 2 narcotic for a substance that is safer and more enjoyable than alcohol by all measures. We just don"t get it.†The group is asking for supporters of an alternative path to cannabis legitimacy commit at least $1,000 to the effort; and when the $2 million dollar goal is reached supporters will turn their money over to longtime cannabis attorney and advocate Omar Fiqueroa, who will establish a trust account and PAC to manage the campaign efforts. The goal is to raise enough money to place alternative language to the AUMA on the ballot, letting California voters decide if they want a fair market that models the alcohol industry, or an overregulated and government manipulated market that severely restricts access to cannabis and creates unnecessary barriers to entry in the marketplace. ReformCA.org believes that California voters will choose a more fair option that does not create advantages for the rich and famous, as Parker"s initiative does. "At the end of the day we believe voters will look at the incredibly complex language of the AUMA and reject it in favor of a more simplistic approach that does not try to reinvent the wheel,†stated Martin. "When their lead proponent is Dr. Donald Lyman, a physician from Sacramento who has already stated in the press that he believes cannabis is bad for your health, and is a dangerous and ill-advised substance that needs to be under strict control, we believe voters will choose a system that regulates cannabis like the safe, enjoyable, and useful alternative that it is.†ReformCA.org is not the only group organizing against Parker"s AUMA effort either. The effort is also strongly opposed by law enforcement, religious leaders, elected officials, unions, the liquor industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and thousands of people who would normally support Cannabis legalization. The AUMA seemingly includes so much language that it provides everyone something to hate, which is why it is unclear if it would even pass if it did make the ballot. "In their effort to think of everything in the language, they seem to have left the door open for criticism from everyone,†said Mickey Martin. The grassroots effort being proposed by ReformCA.org understands they have a huge challenge to raise the funds needed to compete with the billionaire club backing the AUMA; but they are confident that there are enough small donors who fear losing their position in the cannabis industry that can come together to support a measure that is far less restrictive, and which creates a more level playing field for those who have invested their lives into this industry before it was mainstream, and when the risks were very real. Allowing a few rich guys to dictate who can and cannot operate in the cannabis industry proved to be a recipe for disaster in Ohio in November, and it could also be a fatal blow to the AUMA here in California. "We understand we face an uphill battle here,†said Martin. "But we refuse to just roll over and play dead, and allow the AUMA to destroy the cannabis industry for decades to come by creating the most restrictive and unfair cannabis legalization law in the Nation. California deserves better than this.†The page for the ReformCa.org effort can be found HERE.