ASA Introductory Training for Medical Cannabis Professionals
This newly designed ASA training is an essential basic course for anyone serious about working professionally with patients in the medical cannabis field. The course gives you:
- Increased competency in working with medical cannabis patients
- An introduction to understanding patients’ needs and the bio-psycho-social model of health
- A better ability to identify potential behavioral and social side effects of illness
- An overview of patient rights and responsibilities under California and Federal law, including how recent court rulings affect patients and dispensing collectives
- What to do in a law enforcement encounter
- An excellent overview of medical cannabis patient history
"Putting Patients First" is a certified training presented by Americans for Safe Access.
This ASA certified training is highly participatory, fast moving, and a lot of fun! A new section on Treating the Whole Patient, builds competency and awareness for students to better understand the unique challenges that patients face in daily living through a greater awareness of how physical, psychological, and emotional health conditions affect patients functioning.
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The Know Your Rights section of the training articulates the specific rights held by medical cannabis patients and gives you the most effective and specific actions to take in an encounter with a police officer or federal agent. This fun, interactive training covers actual law enforcement encounters and the “tricks” often used to make patients waive their rights. Each student will participate in role plays of common police interactions.
The Legal Information portion of the training gives concrete knowledge about what is, and what is not, legal under state and federal law, including a practical look at how major court cases affect the daily lives of patients. The history of cannabis for medical use in the 20thcentury is specifically covered, including relevant bills and case law.
At the conclusion of the training, students will have a greatly enhanced awareness and knowledge of the most important elements of medical cannabis history, law, patient rights and issues. ASA instructors are medical cannabis experts and leaders, who have a vast amount of experience. Core ASA instructors include: Lauren Payne, Don Duncan, and Dr. Amanda Reiman.
Dr. Amanda Reiman
Dr. Reiman conducted the first ever research study to examine how medical cannabis dispensaries operate as community health service providers. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois, Chicago in 2002 and her PhD in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. Her current research includes further development of community based dispensary models, cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs, and the bio/psycho/social needs of medical cannabis patients. Dr. Reiman is currently the Director of Research for Berkeley Patients Group, a lecturer in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley, and the Chairwoman of the Medical Cannabis Commission for the city of Berkeley.
Lauren Payne, JD
True to her closely-held ideals, Lauren Payne has invested most of her adult life to serving those without a voice. She continues in her quest to change the world as ASA’s Legal Services Coordinator.
Lauren’s dedication comes with experience from all corners of the country, giving her a unique geographic and cultural perspective. Her initial professional experience in the field of medical marijuana came from working with MAPS in several capacities relating to the current federal research blockade.
Lauren holds a JD from New England School of Law and a BA in Social Psychology from New College of Florida. Her other professional interests range from feminist legal theory to felon rights restoration. She lives and plays in downtown Oakland.
Don Duncan
Don Duncan has served on the Board of Directors since he co-founded American for Safe Access in 2002. As California Director, he is coordinating the grassroots and grasstops campaign to fully implement the state’s medical cannabis laws, respond to federal interference, and build a broader and more powerful coalition for medical cannabis in California. Mr. Duncan was instrumental in galvanizing grassroots resistance to federal raids and in seeding local self-regulatory alliances for medical cannabis providers statewide. He has worked closely with elected officials, law enforcement, collective operators, and community members in local implementation efforts in several California cities and counties, and is currently working with lawmakers in Sacramento to adopt legislation to expand rights for patients. He is a leading consultant in the field of medical cannabis and has been featured in major media coverage, including 60 Minutes, Dan Rather Reports, Retirement Living TV, and the Los Angeles Times
This ASA workshop made possible through the generous support of Medical Cannabis Caregivers Training Center.
