Medical marijuana activist app launched

Saturday, January 14, 2012 by: Tara Green
Tags: medical marijuana, activism, app

(NaturalNews) The largest medical cannabis advocacy group in the country, Americans for Safe Access, recently launched a free iPhone app for marijuana activists. The new app provides tools for activists including immediate updates on local, state and federal marijuana issues.

There are existing activism apps for other causes (such as the 'I'm Being Arrested" app used by Occupy Wall Street protesters) and there are other marijuana-related apps, but the ASA Advocate app is the first to emphasize marijuana activism. The advocacy group hopes the new app will foster connections and coordination among activists for this cause. The app was created in coordination with developers iWeed, an application company serving the medical marijuana community.

"The ASA Advocate App is another way to empower grassroots action that is bringing change on medical marijuana policies to every corner of the country," said ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. "We have to be innovative if we want the widespread public support that exists for medical marijuana to translate into concrete results. The ASA Advocate App will help put greater pressure on all levels of government to adopt sensible medical marijuana policies."

The ASA Advocate App will also allow users to become members of the organization's 50,000-strong grassroots network. The app connects users to a legal hotline and enables them to sign up for raid alerts and activist phone trees.

Users of the new app will be able to access video advocacy trainings as well as newsletters, legal manuals and other print publications from their touch devices. The app also lists local businesses that support the work of ASA. Although the app is currently available for only for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices, it will be expanded to Android and mobile devices soon. Interested Macintosh product owners can download the app at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/americans-for-safe-access/id474193631?mt=8

ASA has been educating patients, doctors, lawyers, scientists, key decision-makers, and the general public on issues concerning medical marijuana since 2002. The organization lobbied and engaged in litigation to help advance the rights of medical marijuana patients across the U.S.

Sources:

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/drug-law/medical-marijuana-advocacy-group-launches-first-iphone-application-its-kind

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/21/medical-marijuana-advocates-launch-free-iphone-app/

http://www.americansforsafeaccess.org/article.php?id=7028