cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Activist To Drop Lawsuit 





Marijuana Activist To Drop Lawsuit 
Posted by FoM on October 31, 2001 at 17:39:26 PT
By Caitlin Rother, Union-Tribune Staff Writer 
Source: Union-Tribune
Medical marijuana activist Steve McWilliams said he has agreed to drop his lawsuit against the city of San Diego with the hope that the City Council will be more open to recommendations from a task force of which he is a member. "We feel it is so important for the city to adopt these guidelines that we don't want to have any burr under the blanket of the City Council when they look at this issue," he said after yesterday's council meeting. 
McWilliams filed the lawsuit, alleging wrongful arrest and illegal destruction of property, after police raided his Hillcrest marijuana garden in July 1999. Police seized equipment and plants grown to serve 10 patients. "What we really wanted all along was for the city's policies regarding marijuana to be looked at," he said. In May, McWilliams was appointed to a 12-member task force formed to develop recommendations for implementing Proposition 215, the 1996 ballot measure that legalized the medical use of marijuana in California. Yesterday, McWilliams told the council he hopes its Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee will consider the recommendations, similar to those used by the city of San Francisco, before the holidays. However, the issue is not on the committee's docket for this year. McWilliams said he fired his San Francisco attorney, J. David Nick, over the weekend, and informed the City Attorney's Office on Monday that he would be dropping his lawsuit. The city has yet to receive any formal notification to that effect, said Maria Velasquez, spokeswoman for the City Attorney's Office. Deputy City Attorney Mark Stiffler sent a letter to McWilliams in May suggesting that he would be removed from the task force if he didn't drop the lawsuit. At the time, McWilliams said he felt threatened by the letter, but he was never removed from the task force. Stiffler was replaced on the case by Deputy City Attorney Jim Chapin. Note: Case threatened his participation on city task force.Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Author: Caitlin Rother, Union-Tribune Staff Writer Published: October 31, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Contact: letters uniontrib.com Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/ Related Articles & Web Site: Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmClarity Sought on Rules for Pot Use http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6735.shtmlPolice Close Down Medical Marijuana Providerhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5450.shtml
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