Keep Incarceration from Becoming a Death Sentence

Join the efforts to release or properly care for Steve Kubby and other medical marijuana patients who suffer from negligent medical treatment in prison. Please consider sending a letter today to Judge Robert McElhany, on Steve's behalf, asking that he be placed under house arrest in order to serve out his sentence, and that he be allowed to consume medical marijuana while incarcerated. For an example, see ASA's letter sent on February 2.

Please write to:
The Honorable Robert McElhany
Placer County Superior Court
11532 B Avenue
Auburn, CA 95603
Fax: (530) 886-1209

Steve Kubby is just the latest victim of the war on patients. Support is also needed for Joe Fortt, the operator of Kern County's first medical cannabis dispensary, who has been held for many months in Fresno County Jail on federal charges of "conspiracy to manufacture." Joe is a Canadian citizen, who has treated his HIV successfully for 15 years with a naturopathic treatment of cannabis and other herbs that has maintained a safe level of CD4+ cells. Since he has been incarcerated, his t-cell (CD4) count, after eight months waiting for trial, has dropped precipitously and rapidly down to 154.

Please write to:
Judge Anthony W. Ishii
501 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(Request that Joe be released pending trial, and minimally, that he receive proper medical treatment while incarcerated.)

We continue to seek public attention and justice for other medical marijuana patients currently incarcerated, awaiting trial in federal court and being denied proper treatment: Dustin Costa, held in Fresno without bail for seven months now; James Holland, held without bail in Bakersfield; Vernon Rylee, held without bail in Sacramento; Thunder Rector, finally released on bail after seven months in jail; and the list goes on and on. All of these patients and providers await federal trials in which they will be forbidden to present a medical defense. Please review ASA's list of upcoming court dates and consider attending a Court hearing for these and other patients' cases. It does make a difference!

There are many other prisoners of the war on medical marijuana, previously convicted, that also need your support. Robert Schmidt, who provided medicine to legal Sonoma County patients until a DEA raid in 2003, has just started a 41 month sentence at Leavenworth, and needs moral support and letters. To find his address and those of many other patients who need hope to stay alive, go to http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=624.

Peter McWilliams, a beloved author and activist, grew his own marijuana to treat his cancer and AIDS. Unfortunately, Peter was arrested and jailed, and prohibited from using cannabis while awaiting sentencing, despite how effective it was in controlling his nausea, where other drugs had failed. The federal denial of the natural medicine that best controlled his nausea became a death sentence, as Peter McWilliams died in his home on June 14, 2000 at the age of 50, asphyxiating on his own vomit. Read more about Peter's story here:

We must not let the story of Peter McWilliams repeat itself for any of the number of patients currently incarcerated.

-- Kris Hermes
Legal Campaign Director
Americans for Safe Access
www.SafeAccessNow.org
1322 Webster Street, Suite 208
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-251-1856 x307
Fax: 510-251-2036
Email: kris@SafeAccessNow.org

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Thanks to www.SafeAccessNow.org