Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1488734
36 advocate focus cannabis patient care | vol. 3 no. 4 cannapatientcare.com advocacy. "If you're thinking what can one person do? When I started Americans for Safe Access, I was a cocky 25-year- old that thought that I was going to change federal law in two years. But I grew into what the issue needed me to be and I found amazing people like Debbie along the way that help you grow into advocacy. You'll find within a very short period of time, you will be an expert on legislative matters, on how to break the myths of medical cannabis," she said. Sherer also emphasized that advocacy doesn't have to be a full-time job. Even just spending a couple minutes a day or 30 minutes a week getting your point of view out can help in- spire federal law change. Don't give into the "it's too big for us to accomplish" mindset, everything that is seen in medical cannabis today, began with individual patient advocacy. "The fight isn't over, and we really need you. So, I would encourage people to get involved and stay involved," said Sherer. Churgai mentioned that ASA is a great tool to make the process less intimidating. When people come to her asking how to star t, Churgai recommends becoming a member of ASA and to sign up for their mailing list because they send out action aler ts. "We know that not ever yone can write a well-written letter. So we draft the letter for you, and we al- low people to edit it or to share their stor y in the letter, to change it any way they want or just to send it as is, and it goes immediately to their representative through our sys- tem. We make it really easy for people to become advo- cates," said Churgai. As mentioned earlier, ASA also has their advocacy train- ing center on their website. If an individual wants to learn the process on their own, the center will go into how easy it can be done. ASA wants the process to be as easy as possible for people to advocate. Advocacy can be as simple as sharing one of their posts on your social media page. Every little bit helps in the big fight for medical cannabis. If everyone shares a little bit, organizations like ASA, would greatly appreciate those efforts helping change go a little farther. Sharing facts about medical cannabis or the patient experience are also other ways to advocate and inspire development. ASA Chapters In addition to the individual-level trainings ASA offers, they also have chapters in cities all over the US. To become an advocate, you don't need to be a part of a chapter. If it's a small group of a few people, doing impactful work at the state level, they may not need to be involved with a chapter. "If it's a community, they need to find more people to work on issues or if there's legislation that's coming up that really needs a broader coali- tion, then that might be a good time to create a chapter," said Sherer "Our chapters—depending on where they are created and why—all have very different personalities. We have some chapters that have been around for 20 years that have really become sort of a community organization and continue to be a place where people meet on a monthly-basis and stay connect- ed. We also have some chapters that are formed to pass a piece of legislation or to work on implementation, and maybe after they have finished that mission, the chapter goes dormant for a little while." If you're interested in forming a chapter, you will need to bring together 10 members and ASA will be able to assist you through that process. For those individuals who are involved with other patient organizations, ASA provides an option where you can become an ASA-affiliate. This means you wouldn't need to create a new organization but can then affiliate the work you're doing with another organization. While you are carrying out the work of ASA, other like-minded individuals in your area will be able to connect with you to work on medical canna- bis policy. To become an affiliate, this information can also be found on ASA's website under the "Get Involved" section. Advocates gather on Capitol Hill for ASA's Lobby Day during their annual National Medical Cannabis Unity conference. Photo courtesy of ASA.