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Report from Sativex Conference

LIES, PROPAGANDA & GW PHARMACEUTICALS

Hello Everyone,

I have waited a week to send this email over this list because I wanted to be very careful with my words. Last Thursday, ASA hosted a press conference in Chicago regarding Sativex. ASA's position on Sativex has been made clear over this list. The point of the press conference was to help local organizers own the spin on Sativex before our opponents do.

When I arrived at the site for the press conference their was a women in a t-shirt and flip-flops handing something out to the press. It took me a minute to recognize her, but it was no other than Andrea Barthwell. She was handing out a section of a private-fundraising pitch e-mail I sent Don Wirtshafter.

She had cut it out of the e-mail and printed in word. It had no e-mail address, no context, it did not even say Americans for Safe Access on it. This is what it said:

"4. Sativex Press Project: To ensure that the medical marijuana community can benefit from the product's introduction, ASA will boost media coverage and facilitate the needed framing of the issue through press events with patients and their doctors in non-medical states announcing that they are requesting GW Pharmaceuticals apply for the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program through the FDA. Not only creating a local "hook" for reporters around the country, this strategy will also help weaken the opposition's view that the medical marijuana movement is just a bunch of legalizers and it will show how widespread the need is for safe and legal access. ASA has also created a Pro-Sativex website www.SativexInfo.com that will be launched in the coming weeks. The site will lead people inquiry about Sativex to take action by contacting HHS and Congress about rescheduling marijuana.

Expected outcome: 1) This project will create spin that will conclude that marijuana must be rescheduled for the nation to benefit from the product Sativex. 2) It will embrace and own the spin around Sativex before our opponents do 3) Finally, it will get across our message that Sativex is marijuana, and marijuana is medicine."

She was also introducing herself as a "private citizen". I was very cordial and asked if she had come to join our press conference to talk about the amazing product Sativex. She said no but that she was there to "set the record straight". After I pointed out to the few reporters that she was not JUST a private citizen, but the ex-Deputy Drug Czar, a representative of GW, and the failed Republican nominee for IL Senate, she told the press that rescheduling marijuana would not make it available to patients. I concurred. Then she asked me how I could say that Sativex was marijuana. I asked her if it was not marijuana, what was it? She rattled off her sound byte "If your grandmother was in pain would you give her opium?"

I am writing this list because I have major concern for the future of Sativex. Barthwell looked ridiculous. All the reporters kept asking her "They are here in support of Sativex, what is your problem?" And she just kept giving her sound bytes about how Sativex was not marijuana. Luckily Matt Atwood, Executive Director of IDEALReform, also a chemist was present and challenged her on the "compound level" to which her only response was "What are you a scientists?".

Things were left on a friendly note with an offer from Barthwell to have coffee with the locals and an offer for me and her to chat later. This seemed like a happy ending of sorts.

Directly after the press conference, I received a "Cease and Desist" order from the Bayer attorneys over a domain name ASA purchased but had yet put up the content www.SativexInfo.org , www.SativexInfo.com, and www.SativexInfo.net which is a pro-Sativex website they also found out about from Don Wirtshafter's e-mail. We have kindly told them we will not be giving over the domains and we will end up in court in the next 20 days or so.

I do not want press on this because I think it is a stupid move on their part. I just thought everyone should know. I have also raised concerns about GW "insiders" being on this list and knowing our strategies without the same courtesy granted to us. I have so much respect for Ethan Russo and I think he is an amazing asset to the movement but after having Don Wirtshafter give a personal e-mail to Andrea Barthwell. I don't know I feel about having them on ARO.

Maybe I am just feeling a little sensitive, but were I come from a lawsuit is equal to a declaration of war. Please let me know what you think. If we decide that removing them from the list is not appropriate than I guess we should just never talk about Sativex strategy over list serves.

The medical marijuana movement has right to talk about this product. And we will. I have ABSOLUTELY no interest in getting into a war with GW. I understand if they feel they need to distance themselves from us. But I am afraid they will look really foolish attacking us. ASA would not have felt the need to educate the public about this issue if we were not concerned with GW attacking the only access to this medication that patients currently have!

Steph Sherer Executive Director Americans for Safe Access www.SafeAccessNow.org 1322 Webster Street #208 Oakland, CA 94612 phone: 510-251-1856 fax: 510-251-2036