Qualified Patients: Veterans, seniors, terminally ill patients, those on a fixed income, citizens of Simi Valley. Please help us restore our right to privately cultivate our own medicine. We have lost our 20 year right to free and safe medicine.

The City Council of Simi Valley has passed Ordinance no. 1255 on March 12 2016, banning all personal cultivation of medical marijuana. This was an overreach of power. Qualified patients in Simi Valley, with a physician's recommendation, should be allowed to continue to cultivate medical marijuana for their own personal use.

The 20 year old California Compassionate Use Act permits patients to legally possess a small number of plants for personal use. Many patients rely on cultivation as their only means of access. The nearest dispensaries are at least 10 miles away, located in urbanized areas, and accept only cash. They are unaffordable for those on low incomes. Safety, accessibility, and affordability are major concerns for elderly, ill, or disabled patients. Cultivation is safe and affordable. Patients don't need to leave their homes or risk carrying cash. Medical marijuana is legally limited to qualified patients or their designated, qualified caregivers. Personal cultivation has not created any significant problems in the community.

We petition the Honorable Simi Valley City Council to reconsider Ordinance 1255, restore the rights of qualified patients and to allow them to continue to cultivate their own medical marijuana as per California State Law.