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Action
Request:
The
Tax
Stamp
Controversy
7/31/98
Kris Lotlikar On June 6, 1994, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a state could not both prosecute a person for illegal sale/possession of a drug and also collect taxes on that drug. Peter Wilson felt this ruling would legitimize the sale of cannabis in Arizona if he paid the tax beforehand. He bought a $5,000 Arizona Cannabis and Controlled Substances Dealers License and pre-paid adhesive tax stamps. In 1995 Wilson was arrested for possession of marijuana. Justice of the Peace John Barclay failed to find probable cause that a crime had been committed, noting, "it would appear that... the legislature intended that it would be possible to legally possess marijuana (under title 42)." In 1996, when Proposition 200 was passed, allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana, Wilson was quoted on the front page of the Arizona Republic as willing to supply the marijuana needed by medical marijuana patients. After this event, Peter Wilson was again arrested for marijuana-related charges. In this trial, he was not allowed to tell jurors about his license or about the previous verdict by Justice Barclay; nor he was allowed to use religious arguments to prove innocence. He was found guilty by the jury on seven of the eight charges and faces jail time. On August 4, 1998, a judge will be sentencing Peter Wilson. Please write to the judge and ask that Peter Wilson be given no more than probation, and remember to be polite: Judge David Cole
East Court Building, 5th Floor
201 W. Jefferson
Phoenix, AZ 85003
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Issue #52, 7/31/98
NJ NEP Workers' Conviction Upheld in Appeals Court | Oakland City Council Votes to Shield Local Cannabis Dispensary from Federal Prosecution Controversy Over Searches | DOJ Asks for Dismissal of Hemp Suit | Feds Indict Peter McWilliams, Todd McCormick and Others, Alleging Vast Conspiracy to Supply Medical Marijuana | Peaceful Prison Protest Earns Solitary Confinement | Action Request: The Tax Stamp Controversy | New Zealand Health Ministry: Pot Poses No Serious Risk | Newsbriefs | Link of the Week | A Campaign for Substance Awareness | Debating Points | Office of National Drug Control Policy Hard at Work | Editorial: The Pompano Beach Twelve
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