Medical Marijuana Advocacy Blog - Americans for Safe Access

Patients Need States to Be Prepared for Federal Cannabis Regulation & Enforcement

Steph Sherer — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:07:00 -0400

Americans for Safe Access Releases Part 1 of Emergency State Guidance to Protect Medical Cannabis Patients Before June 26 DEA Registration Deadline

MEDICAL CANNABIS PATIENTS: CLAIM YOUR FEDERAL PROTECTIONS & PRIVILEGES

Steph Sherer — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:32:00 -0400

Patient and Caregiver's Guide to Exercising Your Rights and Fighting for Recognition Under the New Cannabis Laws

On April 28, 2026, federal cannabis policy changed.

Americans for Safe Access Calls on Medical Cannabis Patients to Claim New Federal Protections and Privileges

Steph Sherer — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:56:00 -0400

ASA Issues New Patient and Caregiver Guide and Launches Campaign to End Medical Cannabis Patient Discrimination

What Cannabis Businesses Need to Know About DEA Registration

Steph Sherer — Tue, 19 May 2026 11:14:00 -0400

The Dispensary, Cultivation, and Manufacturing Edition

Hello fellow cannabis business operators and professionals,

We know this is a confusing time for cannabis businesses following the Department of Justice’s announcement of a major change in federal cannabis law and the publication of AG Order No. 6754-2026 on April 28, 2026.

ASA Partner Spotlight: Tetragram

Steph Sherer — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:18:06 -0400

In this installment of ASA Partner Spotlight, we feature Tetragram, a company building the foundation for integrating cannabis into healthcare.

Webinar: The Future of Medical Cannabis Advocacy

Steph Sherer — Sat, 02 May 2026 06:03:00 -0400

Webinar: The Future of Medical Cannabis Advocacy

Join ASA on Capitol Hill, Remotely

Steph Sherer — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:42:00 -0400

If you can join us in DC on May 13th & 14th, please register today! If you would like to participate in Lobby Day remotely, please complete the form below, and we will deliver your message to your representatives.

Is Cannabis (marijuana) Legal Now? What the New Federal Cannabis Scheduling Means for Patients, Advocates, Researchers, & Providers

Steph Sherer — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 01:40:00 -0400

Updated: May 11, 2026

The short answer is: medical cannabis patients in states with medical cannabis laws are now on very different federal footing, but cannabis is not fully legal. The new federal scheduling action recognizes qualifying medical cannabis as medicine and creates new opportunities for patient rights, research, and healthcare integration — but many details still depend on agency guidance, state action, Congress, the courts, and our ability to mobilize!

Marijuana Moment: Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Will End Discrimination

Steph Sherer — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:33:00 -0400

Check out this Op-ed by ASA's Founder, Steph Sherer.

Read it here!

Americans for Safe Access Statement: DEA & DOJ Reschedule Cannabis (Marijuana) for Medical Access

Steph Sherer — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:56:00 -0400

Americans for Safe Access Statement: DEA & DOJ Reschedule Cannabis (Marijuana) for Medical Access

“This is a big day for medical cannabis patients. Our federal government recognizes our medicine as legitimate, which means we are not only entitled to tax-free access but to federal protections. For millions of Americans who rely on medical cannabis, this is more than a policy shift — it is validation. It affirms patients’ lived experience and represents an important step in the right direction.

Join Patient Advocates in DC May 13 & 14

Steph Sherer — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 05:08:00 -0400

RECOGNITION = RIGHTS! MEDICAL CANNABIS SUMMIT & LOBBY DAY

Join Americans for Safe Access, Veterans Initiative-22, Unite for National Medical Cannabis, & the Pain Foundation in Washington, D.C., on May 13–14, 2026, for two days of patient-driven advocacy on Capitol Hill. ASA Lobby Days bring patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, businesses, providers, researchers, advocates, and allied organizations together to meet directly with Members of Congress and their staff to advance policies that protect patient rights, improve product safety, and integrate medical cannabis into the U.S. healthcare system.

Learn More...

Cannabis Patient Patrick Navarro’s Death Highlights Ongoing Organ Transplant Discrimination

Steph Sherer — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:32:17 -0400

ASA Launches the Navarro Family Organ Transplant Resource Center and Calls For End of Medical Cannabis Patient Discrimination

Washington, D.C. / San Francisco, CA — Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is mourning the passing of Patrick Navarro, a medical cannabis patient whose experience helped expose a devastating reality: stigma and outdated assumptions about medical cannabis still deny patients fair access to organ transplant opportunities.

Report Finds Medical Cannabis Patients Face Deadly Discrimination

Steph Sherer — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:47:00 -0400

“Stigma with a Body Count: Medical Cannabis & Organ Transplant Policy” documents how bias, not evidence, continues to shape transplant access

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans for Safe Access (ASA) will release a new report, Stigma with a Body Count: Medical Cannabis & Organ Transplant Policy, documenting how medical cannabis patients continue to face reduced access to transplant evaluation, waitlisting, and life-saving organ transplantation despite growing clinical evidence that cannabis exposure alone does not predict poor transplant outcomes.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY NOW!

Demystifying the CMS CBD Pilot Program: Patient Advocates Convene National Briefing as Medicare CBD Pilot Nears Release

Steph Sherer — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:42:00 -0400

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patient advocacy organizations are convening a national briefing today to explain the emerging federal framework for cannabinoid therapies referenced during a White House press conference announcing an Executive Order titled Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research. The briefing will examine how the potential Medicare pilot program could influence federal health policy and the long-term strategy to achieve nationwide access to medical cannabis.

Medical Cannabis Is on Every Ballot in 2026

Steph Sherer — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:33:00 -0500

Let’s Make Sure Compassion is Too.

Candidates running for federal office are publicly committing to advance a national medical cannabis program by signing the Compassionate Pledge — sending a clear signal to voters about how they will approach medical cannabis policy when they arrive in Washington, D.C.

Nebraska 2026 Candidates Pledge to Champion National Medical Cannabis Program

Steph Sherer — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:43:00 -0500

Announcement Launches ASA’s Compassionate Candidate Campaign

Washington, DC / Lincoln, NE — Americans for Safe Access (ASA) today officially launched its 2026 Compassionate Candidate Campaign, with Nebraska State Senator John Cavanaugh, candidate for U.S. Congress (District 2), and Dan Osborn, U.S. Navy veteran and Independent candidate for Nebraska’s U.S. Senate seat announcing they have signed The Compassionate Pledge 2026 at ASA’s “Nebraska: Ground Zero for Medical Cannabis Policy 2026? ” press briefing.

Federal Budget Leaves Medical Cannabis Patients More Uncertain Than Ever (Op-Ed)

Steph Sherer — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 02:41:00 -0500

Read Americans for Safe Access Founder and Executive Director, Steph Sherer's latest opinion piece for Marijuana Moment.

Nebraska: Ground Zero Medical Cannabis Policy in 2026?

Steph Sherer — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:58:00 -0500

Washington, DC / Lincoln, NE — On Monday, February 16, at 10:00 AM CT, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana and Americans for Safe Access (ASA) will convene patients, advocates, and state policymakers for a press briefing on Nebraska’s unprecedented exclusion from federal medical cannabis protections in the FY2026 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill.

Trump Administration’s Role in New Hemp Law Nears Deadline

Steph Sherer — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:34:00 -0500

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tuesday, February 10, 2026, is the deadline Congress set for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to publish definitions and classifications of cannabinoids under the new federal hemp law enacted in November 2025 (H.R. 5371 — The Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026).

CMS Advances Medical Cannabis Policy. Congress Must Follow.

Steph Sherer — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:04:00 -0500

Yesterday, the public comment period closed on a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that could reshape how some cannabis therapies are treated under Medicare. For millions of patients, this is a major milestone. It signals that federal agencies are finally beginning to acknowledge what patients and clinicians have long known: cannabis has legitimate medical value.