Please Help Us

California folks in particular!

Hello my dear readers. Please help us. Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Sophie’s cannabis doctor, has been working tirelessly for children, adults and seniors for years and years, and we have a big problem in California RIGHT NOW. I hope you will help us to contact your representative and the governor by writing emails as soon as possible. I’m going to post the letter that Dr. Bonni has sent out and then a copy of my own appeal. You can copy all the stuff that’s general and just insert your own personal story, even if it’s to say that a family member or friend will be affected. We need to send thousands of emails. Honestly. I’m not sure whether this can be done effectively outside of California, but it probably wouldn’t hurt.

Here’s the letter that Dr. Bonni sent out:

A few weeks ago, I went to Sacramento with Paige Figi (Charlotte’s mother), a parent of a child with intractable epilepsy and other advocates to share our concerns about CA Assembly Bill 2223 and its potential catastrophic effects on Californians who rely on hemp to help with serious ailments.  This bill was meant to ban dangerous synthetic hemp-derived delta-8 THC products that are getting into the hands of young people. We met with the Department of Cannabis Control, the Governor’s staff, the bill’s sponsor Assemblywoman Aguiar-Curry and other state representatives.  We asked them to leave non-intoxicating hemp wellness products out of the bill as they are federally legal, non-intoxicating and are being used safely by over 5 million Californians. 

Governor Newsom and Assemblywoman Aguiar-Curry have not heard our voices. 

The latest draft of CA Assembly Bill 2223 was released today. The bill states that naturally occurring full spectrum hemp products will be regulated like cannabis and will be available only in dispensaries (if the dispensaries even agree to carry these products). This means that companies like Charlotte’s Web, Lazarus Naturals, Myriam’s Hemp, Haleigh’s Hope and others will no longer be allowed to ship CBD products directly to CA consumers. 

This is unacceptable. We cannot be collateral damage. We must FLOOD the Governor’s and Assemblywoman’s office with emails demanding preservation of access to federally legal hemp products. It is not too late as we have about 1-2 weeks before the bill is finalized. If you have already reached out, please reach out again. 

You can write your own email or use the attached sample to copy/paste, personalize and send to the Governor, Asm. Aguiar-Curry and also to the governor’s wife (rumored to have some influence). We need thousands of letters to make a difference, so please share and encourage friends and family members to send letters as well. 

In solidarity,

Bonni Goldstein

Here’s the letter that I’ve sent out:

Email Subject Line: 

Amend AB 2223 for 5.4 Million Hemp Consumers and Families

Email Body Sample:

Dear Governor Newsom:

I am writing to express my strong opposition to AB 2223. While I understand the justifiable need to address the delta-8 issue in California, the bill, as written, would have dire consequences for the 5.4 million Californians who are using non-intoxicating natural hemp wellness products. In the attempt to solve one problem, this bill creates 5.4 million new ones by not protecting access for vulnerable children, families, veterans, seniors, and millions of other consumers whose well-being depends on full-spectrum hemp products. 

My 29 year old daughter Sophie who has refractory epilepsy (seizures that are not controlled by drugs and/or surgery and diets) and severe developmental disabilities has been using full spectrum hemp for over ten years. She was diagnosed in 1995 at two months of age, and after 22 AEDs (anti-epileptic drugs), she continued to seize, sometimes hundreds of times a day When she was 19 years old, we got access to full spectrum hemp, and within weeks she had the first seizure-free days in her life. Over the last ten years, she has had a 95% decrease in her daily seizures. Full spectrum hemp has saved my daughter’s life and given her a quality of life that is far superior to anything she might have had without it. We currently order full spectrum hemp online with a compassionate discount, and if you remove this option, it will be a matter of life and death for her, and devastating for our family.

I urge you to amend the bill to include a carve-out similar to the state of Colorado, where access to naturally occurring full spectrum hemp products in high CBD:THC ratios was preserved, while protecting young people from dangerous adulterated products.

California consumers need an inclusive and balanced approach that promotes access to natural, beneficial health products. We cannot afford to make millions of consumers collateral damage to restrictive legislation.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Aquino

Thank you so much, my dear community! I’d love it if you’d share this post with all your social networks, your families and your friends. Let’s go!