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June, 3 1997: Author-publisher Peter McWilliams, who has AIDS and has recently recovered from cancer, will be tried in Michigan on charges of marijuana possession. If convicted, he faces a year in prison. The pre-trial hearing is set for June 5, 1997.
"I smoke marijuana to relieve the nausea caused by the medical treatments necessary to save my life," said McWilliams from his home in Los Angeles, California. McWilliams received chemotherapy and radiation in 1996 to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The cancer is now in remission. His AIDS is being successfully treated by the new combination of antivirals and protease inhibitors.
"My only side-effect is nausea, which is common for people taking AIDS medications. Marijuana instantly relieves it," McWilliams claims. "I owe my life to modern medical science-and one ancient herb." Three physicians recommended marijuana for McWilliams: his oncologist, his radiation oncologist, and the doctor treating his AIDS.
Officers of the Michigan State Police arrested McWilliams in December 1996 at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. "I wasn't smoking marijuana in the Airport. I cleared the security check, and an officer came up to me and asked if I was carrying any 'contraband.' When I asked what sort of contraband, he said marijuana. I told him I smoked marijuana to relieve the nausea of my AIDS and cancer. I also told him I was a resident of California, where medical marijuana is legal."
McWilliams had only a few grams of marijuana in his possession. He does not know why he was approached by the police officer.
McWilliams is a native Detroiter. "My mother and stepfather still live in a suburb of Detroit, in the same house in which I was raised. My grandmother lives in a Detroit suburb, as well as dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins." McWilliams' father died in 1972. His brother, Michael, writes for the Detroit News.
"I know the people of Michigan. They are decent, hardworking people who have seen their share of illness and hard times. I trust the compassion of a jury. I cannot believe they would send me to jail for using marijuana to keep down the pills that keep me alive."
At one time Michigan had a temporary law making an exception for medical marijuana. It expired and, in the heat of the War on Drugs, has not been renewed.
McWilliams tried Marinol, the "legal" marijuana-synthetic THC suspended in vegetable oil, but found it lacking. "First, the notion of swallowing a capsule and waiting an hour for it to take effect when one is on the verge of vomiting is absurd. Second, it leaves me very stoned and prevents me from doing any work. Third, it is impossible to regulate the dose, so fully stoned or nauseous is the only option. Fourth, it contains only one of the know healing properties of whole marijuana. Fifth, Marinol comes with a long list of dire side effects-including death-which marijuana does not have. (Not one human death in 5,000 years of human medicinal use.) Finally, Marinol is very expensive-more than $600 for a month's supply."
Peter McWilliams is 47. He has written more than thirty books with sales totaling 8,000,000 copies. His books have appeared five times on the New York Times Bestseller List. He was an on-air correspondent for the Today Show for two years and has appeared extensively on radio and television. 1997 marks his 30th year as a published author. His books include "How to Survive the Loss of a Love", "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought", "DO IT!", "LIFE 101", and "Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do".
McWilliams is the publisher of the Medical Marijuana Magazine Online (www.marijuanamagazine.com) and founder of the Medical Marijuana Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to medical marijuana research and education.
The pretrial hearing is set for 9:00 AM at the 34th District Michigan State Court, corner of Wayne and Goddard roads, Wayne Road exit off I-94. McWilliams will be available after the hearing for questions.
For the latest information on the impending trial, please contact the Medical Marijuana Magazine Online at www.marijuanamagazine.com.
To interview Peter McWilliams, please contact Richard Cowan at 213-512-1527 or Ed Hashia at 213-650-9571 x125.
June 5, 1997, Washington, D.C.: Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) introduced legislation in Congress on June 3, 1997, to provide for the medical use of marijuana. The bill is cited as House Bill 1782, the "Medical Use of Marijuana Act." The bill is expected to be referred to the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime. That committee is chaired by Rep. Bill McCollum (R-Fla.), a two-time former co-sponsor of medical marijuana legislation.
House Bill 1782 reschedules marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II under federal law, thereby making it legal to prescribe. Rescheduling marijuana allows states to legally implement different systems for growing and distributing medical marijuana on a state-by-state basis. It also removes the threat of federal prosecution physicians currently face in states that already allow doctors to prescribe or recommend marijuana under state law. Presently, 24 states including the District of Columbia have laws endorsing the use of medical marijuana.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) signed on to the legislation yesterday. For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML @ (202) 483-5500. Rep. Barney Frank's office may be contacted @ (202) 225-5931.
June 5, 1997, Sacramento, CA: The California State Senate voted 27-8 to approve bi-partisan legislation that would establish a state medical marijuana research program at the University of California to study the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana.
The margin of approval was enough to qualify the bill as an "urgency measure," mandating that it will take effect immediately if passed into law. The measure now stands before the full Assembly. "The sooner S.B. 535 becomes law, the sooner we will have the research needed to formulate intelligent rules and regulations for a legal pharmaceutical cannabis market," said California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer, who supports the bill. Gieringer said that the Senate was likely persuaded by the California Medical Association's (CMA) recent endorsement of S.B. 535.
Under the bill, research would be conducted under controlled, scientific conditions on patients suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorders, and from nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy.
For more information, please contact either Dave Fratello of Americans for Medical Rights @ (310) 394-2952 or the office of Sen. John Vasconcellos @ (916) 445-9740.
June 4, 1997, Fort Lauderdale, FL: One of the nation's largest state medical associations favors the use of marijuana as a medicine and is urging the federal government to permit controlled clinical trials to further evaluate the drug's therapeutic potential.
The Florida Medical Association (FMA) passed resolution #97-61 on June 1, 1997, which pronounces the following:
Dr. Mark LaPorta, Treasurer of the Dade County Medical Association, praised the FMA's decision to endorse the use of medical marijuana. "Thousands of patients and doctors have found that marijuana is therapeutically beneficial. It is unconscionable for our government to tell us we cannot even discuss marijuana in our offices," he explained.
Toni Leeman, President of the Florida-based Coalition Advocating Medical Marijuana (CAMM), said that the FMA resolution could be a pivotal first step legalizing marijuana for medical use in Florida. "We trust that by 1998 the patients in Florida will no longer have to suffer needlessly or risk incarceration" for using an effective medicine, she said. "With the support of the FMA, we are that much closer to rational legalization in Florida."
Florida case law already exempts some seriously ill patients who use marijuana as a medicine.
For more information, please contact Toni Leeman of CAMM @ (305) 576-2337 or Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.
June 5, 1997, Oakland, CA: The Oakland City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging law enforcement not to arrest and prosecute individuals involved with the "possession, purchase, distribution, cultivation, manufacture, or transportation of marijuana or cannabis products for medical use." The new resolution is the latest in a series of official policy pronouncements from the City of Oakland expressing a tolerant attitude toward medical marijuana activities.
"A sensible marijuana policy is good for patients and good for the City of Oakland, and our elected representatives recognize that fact," said Robert Raich, Esq. of Oakland, who lobbied for the legislation. Resolution #73555 gives an official green light not only to the cultivation of marijuana for medical use, but also to the manufacture of products such as hashish, hash oil, tinctures, and all manner of baked goods and other edible preparations.
For more information, please contact attorney Robert Raich @ (510) 338-0700 or Dale Gieringer of California NORML @ (415) 563-5858.
June 5, 1997, Hartford, CT: Legislative leaders proposed that individuals convicted of marijuana felonies should remain eligible for entitlements such as welfare and food-stamps, despite a federal law passed last year allowing states to deny assistance-based benefits.
"There's no reason to single out drug offenses from all others," state legislator Ellen Scalettar told the New York Times on May 29. "Punishment [for drug offenses] shouldn't go on forever." The newspaper reported that conservative governor John Rowland also supports the effort.
Senate Amendment 4935, introduced by Sen. Phil Gramm on July 23, 1996, allows states to deny federal cash aid and food stamps to anyone convicted of felony drug charges, including most individuals found guilty of marijuana cultivation or sale. The bill is not retroactive and only applies to future convictions. President Bill Clinton signed the bill into law on August 22, 1996.
NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup stated that Gramm's provision inappropriately targets marijuana smokers and applauded Connecticut's decision to extend federal benefits. "Under current federal law, a murderer, rapist, or robber could receive federal funds and benefits, but not most individuals convicted of cultivating marijuana -- including those who do so for a legitimate medical need. It is commendable that the Connecticut legislature is injecting some common sense to an irrational federal policy."
Connecticut's decision to offer the benefits would set it apart from 24 other states that have proclaimed they will no longer offer entitlements to drug felons, a recent survey by the National Governor's Association found. Five states -- Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, and Rhode Island -- plan to continue the benefits to drug offenders who qualify for family welfare, the survey reported.
The Connecticut General Assembly is expected to approve the language as part of a major welfare-reform bill in a special legislative session this summer.
For more information, please contact either R. Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.
