MS Patient Who Grew Marijuana Found Guilty, Faces 5-10 Years
John Wilson, the New Jersey man
who had been charged with operating a drug manufacturing facility for the
marijuana he grew to treat his multiple sclerosis, was found guilty yesterday of two lesser
charges, and now faces five to 10 years in prison.
Throughout most of his trial, Wilson (left) had been prevented from mentioning his
condition, any evidence of marijuana’s therapeutic value, or the fact that New
Jersey may be weeks away from becoming the 14th state to pass a
medical marijuana law.
In a small victory, Wilson was found not guilty of the most serious charge
(operating a drug manufacturing facility) perhaps in part because he was finally
allowed to mention his disease before the jury in the trial’s closing days.
Regardless, this 37-year-old with a debilitating disease is now facing the
possibility of spending the next decade of his life behind bars, simply for
trying to relieve his symptoms with “one of the safest therapeutically active
substances known to man.”
When will the insanity stop?
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Lets put a man in prison for growing his own medicine that is less dangerous than Caffeine yet classified as dangerous as heroin.
The Prohibition against Marijuana is a failure.
I hope this insanity stops before more people are throw in jail and prison for growing a plant that helps people in many areas of life.
John Wilson should have been tried by a jury of his peers, all persons suffering from MS.
Let's hope for a full and complete pardon, the overwhelming approval of medical marijuana in NJ and all states, the removal from office of the idot prosecutor who abused his prosecutorial discretion and brought this case and who heads the office responsible for this malicious and unjust persecution, the enlightenment of the general population as to the many medicinal uses for medical marijuana, an appeanance by the drug czar Kerlikowski pleading for mercy for this man, an end to cases being presented where the salient facts (MS) are kept from the jury...
End drug war injustices that abound without end.
James E. Gierach
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Marijuana, I don't believe, is as harmless as a lot of people make it out to be. My son used it as a pre-teen and teenager and it screwed up his life during the time he was using. He played games with the counselor, going a month at a time not using it. His grades were C's and D's. Finally at 16 I booted him out, he went to live with his mother and her new husband. They sat him down and told him he would be out of there also if he continued to use. He didn't, and got A' and B's got a good job, has a wife and two kids . Wvwery time he has gone back to smoking a couple joints a day his life
starts getting wacky and almost lost his wife and job.
Secondly, On a construction job I ran in CO it was common practice for the carpenters to smoke a joint at afternoon break.
One day two carpenters were moving an extention ladder right after a break and ran into a 14K power line. One died the toher didn't walk for months. Same job the forman after a smoke break cut a 36' long glu-lam 6" too short. That cost a bundle as well as delay.
So the qualifications to legalizing drugs should be that all employers should have weekly testing done, the cost to be spilt between the employer and employee. If positive, your fire on the spot.
I am for legalizing Marijuana but I am not advocating its use while working or driving or carrying out other duties, etc.
Marijuana is something that should be used away from the workplace and while driving or around schools , etc.
Marijuana is safe if used responsibly. Much safer than Alcohol/Tobacco/and the 100's of prescription drugs that Hundreds of Thousands die of each year.
No one is saying Marijuana is 100% safe. But what is? Compared to everything that is LEGAL in the US Marijuana is safe in my opinion.
Poor John Wilson. I pity him and the misguided, holier than thou prosecution efforts, judge , Attorney General, et al. Great, an already sick man gets locked up, becomes a greater cost to the state and absolutely everybody loses, especially common sense and compassion. Utterly disgusting. As someone with MS, I have always seen and used marijuana as a relaxant ( except for now while I live in Singapore, where I'd get more jailtime than John and possibly some lashes as well).
I've followed this case very closely and if ever there was a miscarriage of justice ( other than that poor bloke who got released after 35 years after being found to be innocent, then this is it. Get off the grass, dodos, this drug has been used for medicinal purposes forever!
That is truly insane. How incredibly unjust that they wouldn't even let him mention why he was growing it. :puke:
Not that I agree with the prosecution's tactic, introducing such legally irrelevant information is considered prejudicial during the trial phase. I am sure that when his sentencing hearing occurs, he will explain in great detail his disease and why he needed marijuana to self medicate.
Breaking the law is not an affirmative defense and until marijuana is a legal medication , his use of it to treat his disease is not "legally" relevant-- Even though from a humanitarian standpoint, it is perfectly reasonable to you, me and the majority of our society .
This is one of the reasons I do not want to see the Federal Government in charge of American healthcare ... Bureaucracies are not known for their compassion.
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.