Sentencing

Dear Friend, As you probably know, I was tried in 2003 for providing marijuana starter plants to medical marijuana distribution centers. The exact charges were manufacture, providing a place to manufacture and conspiracy. The jury found me guilty on all three felony counts.

PRESS RELEASE, for Immediate Release -- Feb. 13, 2007 Lafayette Council seeks jail-time for marijuana users Measure's backers provide NO evidence to justify ten-fold increase in potential fine

[Courtesy of Larry D., a prisoner correspondent in California] The Fleecing of California The fleecing of California is being perpetrated under the guise of “Prison Reform.” Recently there was a loud cry over California’s over-crowded prisons. And, once again, our great Governor has come up with this brilliant plan to reform the prison system, or should we say, fleece the public? He wants to spend $10 billion dollars to build more prisons. Common sense tells us that if we “build-em” we’ll “fill-em.” In other words, no matter how many prisons California builds, the system will always be overcrowded because of California’s outrageous sentencing laws.

[A press release from our friends at Drug Policy Alliance] Democratic Majority Has Opportunity to Find Exit Strategy for Failed War on Drugs Access to Treatment, Reduction of HIV and Drug Overdoses and Tackling Inhumane Mandatory Minimums Now Possible with “New Direction” Dems

[This post comes courtesy of Ken Wolski, RN, MPA. He is the executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana -- New Jersey, www.cmmnj.org, [email protected]] "Unacceptable Losses" opened Friday, 1/12/07, at the Woodrow Wilson School's Bernstein Gallery on the Princeton University Campus. This photo-documentary by photgrapher and med student Arthur Robinson Williams examines U.S. drug policy and victims of it. At the exhibit, there are large color and black and white prints that accompany text of interviews that Mr. Williams conducted. The photos Mr. Williams took seemed designed to capture the essential humanity of the subject. (Some of this photographic detail is missing in the web site.) The web site is divided into sections on Treatment on Demand, Sentencing Reform, Syringe Access, Harm Reduction and Medical Marijuana. The stories are very compelling. Though the web site is still a work-in-progess, I highly recommend a look. I was reminded of CMM-NJ member Roberta M., when I read the story of the man with RSD whose pain was so severe he contemplated suicide until he tried marijuana.

[This post comes courtesy of our friends at November Coalition Foundation] Hello Friends: Below is a sample letter that can be sent to members of the Board of Appeals (Texas) on behalf on Ty Brown as presented by the Save Mr. Brown.com group:

POSITION AVAILABLE: Communications Associate Justice Policy Institute Washington, DC www.justicepolicy.org About the organization: The Justice Policy Institute is one of the nation’s leading non-profit research and public policy organizations dedicated to ending society’s reliance on incarceration and promoting effective and just solutions to social problems. JPI is located in Washington, D.C. and works with advocacy organizations, citizens and policymakers across the country to promote progressive criminal and juvenile justice reforms. Please review our work at www.justicepolicy.org before applying.

For Immediate Release: October 31, 2006 For More Info: Tony Newman (646) 335-5384 The Tale of Two MA Teenagers: Probation for Coach Belichick’s son for Small Amount of Marijuana, Two Years in Jail for Mitchell Lawrence

From the Drug Policy Alliance: Latino Leaders Take Position Against Drug War Tuesday, September 12, 2006 Last week in Los Angeles, 2,000 Latino activists and leaders from all over the U.S. gathered to set a political agenda at the National Latino Congreso. One of the issues they took on was the war on drugs, resulting in the unanimous passage of a resolution to investigate the real cost of the drug war.