cannabisnews.com: Pot Cultivator Pleads Innocent to Selling Drugs Pot Cultivator Pleads Innocent to Selling Drugs Posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 16:20:41 PT By Monte Morin, Times Staff Writer Source: Los Angeles Times Marvin Chavez freely admits he grows marijuana--and smokes it. He sprouted more than 60 pounds of the stuff in his backyard this year, all in full view of his Santa Ana neighbors. But Chavez does take issue with police accusations that he is a drug seller.At a court hearing Monday, 46-year-old Chavez pleaded innocent to charges of marijuana cultivation and possession for sale, and insisted he only raised and smoked the plants to fight the pain of a rare spinal disorder. Chavez is president of a local cannabis club and a key backer of the statewide proposition that legalized the use of marijuana for medical use. Two years ago, he was convicted on similar charges in a high-profile case that is still working its way through the court system.In court Monday were more than a dozen supporters, who claim Chavez is being prosecuted only because of outspoken views--and actions--in using pot for medical purposes.However, prosecutors said they had little choice but to press charges after finding such a large quantity of the drug in plain view."He claims to have a letter from a doctor saying he needs to use marijuana, but we felt he was growing far in excess of what he would need," Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Vickie Hix said.Hix said the haul amounted to more than 60 pounds of marijuana--a quantity that would take him a dozen years to use if he smoked 12 joints a day.Chavez faces up to three years in prison if he is found guilty of both charges. He was released on his own recognizance Monday, with Hix saying he posed no risk of fleeing.Chavez has estimated he smokes about four marijuana joints a day to dull the pain of spinal arthritis, which was triggered in a 1991 car accident. He is appealing a 1999 conviction for selling and transporting marijuana. He describes both battles as a fight to preserve the state's controversial medicinal marijuana initiative."This is all because some people want to squash Proposition 215," Chavez said. "They want to discourage and intimidate people like me."Prosecutors disagree. "The fact is, he had a large number of marijuana plants visible to the public," Hix said. Courts: Santa Ana man insists he raises, smokes marijuana to fight pain. Prosecutors say he doesn't need 60 pounds.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Monte Morin, Times Staff WriterPublished: November 6 2001Copyright: 2001 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmMarvin’s Garden - Orange County Weekly http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11182.shtmlSanta Ana Police Disregard the Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10873.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by johnrambo on November 06, 2001 at 20:02:38 PT 60 POUNDS!!! good lord I would also say "thank you Jesus, thank you very much." [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on November 06, 2001 at 19:49:33 PT Totally off-topic ... but although I'm not a registered newshawk, I haven't seen this posted here yet:FDA OKs Clinical Testing of Ecstasy By Christopher Newton Associated Press Writer Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001; 9:52 p.m. ESTWASHINGTON –– Researchers have gained government approval to test the drug "Ecstasy" as a treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder for the first time since the drug was criminalized in 1985. The decision was made this week by the Food and Drug Administration and marks a shift for the agency, which has virtually banned the drug from researchers for more than a decade. The trial has not yet been approved by a review board at the Medical University of South Carolina, the proposed site for the research. If the university accepts the plan, the test will be supervised by the husband and wife team of Dr. Michael Mithoefer, a psychiatrist, and Annie Mithoefer, a psychiatric nurse in Charleston. Michael Mithoefer said the fact that Ecstasy is a hot commodity among some teen-agers should not impede research. "It's ironic that when these drugs become illegal, the legitimate research goes to zero and the illegal and recreational use goes way up," Mithoefer said. "It seems foolish to me to have a situation where millions are using the drug in an uncontrolled way and yet physicians who want to do careful research are not allowed." The FDA would not comment on the test. If the study proceeds, 12 people will be given Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, as they go through therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Eight people will be given a placebo. Each person will also undergo 16 hours of therapy without drugs. Post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental problem for millions of Americans, is caused by a fixation with an emotionally charged event. Victims often experience bad dreams and have trouble with relationships – essentially becoming stuck in the moment of crisis. In the 1970s, MDMA was used by many psychiatrists to treat the disorder. Some psychiatrists believe the drug can allow victims to have a cathartic moment, releasing their emotional stress over an incident. Treatment using MDMA stopped as the federal government began to crack down on the drug for its recreational use. The study is being funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a group that advocates the use of psychedelic drugs for therapy. Rick Doblin, the founder and director of the group, said researchers have fought for years to overcome propaganda about the drug. "The way things work in the drug war is, if a drug is criminalized, it is bad or evil," Doblin said. "There is an effort to produce science to mislead people about the drug. This is a big step away from that for the FDA." The plans for the test are producing strong skepticism from those fighting the drug war. "I know of no evidence in the scientific literature that demonstrates the efficacy of Ecstasy for any clinical indication," said Alan Leshner, director of the government's National Institute on Drug Abuse, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. "We don't give drugs of abuse to naive subjects except under extraordinary circumstance." © Copyright 2001 The Associated Press FDA OKs Clinical Testing of Ecstasy - story link [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 17:58:18 PT My 2 cents He sprouted more than 60 pounds of the stuff.I wonder how you sprout 60 pounds of stuff!Stuff now Cannabis is stuff. Stuff doesn't sound bad though. At least he didn't call it Devil Weed! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by lookinside on November 06, 2001 at 17:40:12 PT asst. DA's ... are truly the most unfeeling, heartless, EVIL, self centered, useless, devil woshipping, self aggrandizing, cowardly, opportunistic, sycophantic, soulless, unproductive, useless, wastes of skin on this planet...and that's their good days... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by aocp on November 06, 2001 at 17:19:54 PT Shepherd to Bo Peep, you seen the Lost Sheep? "He claims to have a letter from a doctor saying he needs to use marijuana, but we felt he was growing far in excess of what he would need," Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Vickie Hix said.I don't see "Dr." or even "possibly empathetic" in her resume anytime soon, so of course she's going to prosecute folks with debilitating health conditions. She needs to come down with something that MMJ could help. Only then will she see the truth. Don't jump down me throat ... i only call it like i see it. In the meantime, get her back in the pen quick; Bo Peep's worried. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on November 06, 2001 at 17:15:15 PT 60 pounds is about right. We all need 60 pounds. I would have a good Christmas. I would say, "thank you Jesus." [ Post Comment ] Post Comment