cannabisnews.com: Couple Cites Medical Defense in Pot Case Couple Cites Medical Defense in Pot Case Posted by CN Staff on January 05, 2007 at 15:57:01 PT By Laura Bailey Source: Coloradoan Colorado -- A Fort Collins couple who say they were growing marijuana for medical use pleaded not guilty this afternoon on felony cultivation and distribution charges. James and Lisa Masters are now set to go to trial March 27. They face up to six years in jail.The Masters were arrested Aug. 2 when police were called to check the welfare of the couple's two children, ages 4 and 6, according to an affidavit from Fort Collins police. The officer smelled marijuana in the house and the couple told the officers they had a doctor's recommendation for medical marijuana and they were growing it for that purpose. At a press conference following the Masters’ arraignment, the couple’s lawyer, Rob Corry, said they were within the bounds of Colorado’s Amendment 20, an initiative approved by voters in 2000 that allows people with certain medical conditions to grow, possess and use marijuana for medicinal purposes.“The majority of voters in this state said medical marijuana should be available. My hope here is the jury will follow the law and show some compassion for patients who need help,” he said.James Masters said he has a condition that renders him with chronic nausea and muscle spasms. Masters will not reveal the exact condition until the trial so as not to influence a jury pool, Corry said. Lisa Masters said she suffers from joint swelling, muscle spasms, carpel tunnel syndrome and protruding disks. The couple said that in addition to growing the marijuana for themselves, they distributed marijuana for solely to patients in Colorado’s medical marijuana registry. However, in October District Judge Jolene Blair rejected a dismissal motion, saying the Masters didn’t have the required state documentation showing they are caregivers for people authorized to use marijuana for medical purposes.Co-counsel Brian Vicente said this is the first case in the state to use Amendment 20 as a defense.“The Masters are being targeted for providing help to sick people,” Vicente said. “This test case has the potential to increase vital access to medical marijuana by expanding the legal definition of ‘caregiver’ to allow those with significant responsibility for the care of seriously-ill individuals to cultivate and provide them with medical marijuana.”Details in Saturday's Coloradoan. Source: Coloradoan (CO)Author: Laura BaileyPublished: January 5, 2007Copyright: 2007 The Fort Collins ColoradoanWebsite: http://www.coloradoan.com/Contact: LauraBailey coloradoan.com CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by ChristenMitchell on January 06, 2007 at 07:58:56 PT: Colorado Medical Marijuana Monthly Fair Open to all registered patients,"One Love, People Get Ready", a monthly MMJ farmers market and socialization event begins today. Not a commercial endeavor, but a time and place to meet, share ideas and crafts, One Love will take place in Denver the first Saturday each month. http://forum.grasscity.com/medical-marijuana/130330-one-love-people-get-ready-events-coming-colorado.html#post1382756 Hemptopia - Our Greener Future [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 06, 2007 at 06:55:02 PT Updated Article This article is very close to the above article so I thought I should just post the link.http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070106/NEWS01/701060346/1002 [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on January 06, 2007 at 05:14:52 PT Cannabis Truth-out. Damn the DEA! Full Weed ahead! It's way past time. We are tired of the Hatred. We are tired of the LIES! Damn the Federal Government! LIES, DAMN LIES, AND THE WAR ON DRUGS!We will plant it. We will grow it. We will roll it. We will smoke it. We will sell it. We will toke it. We will share it. We have spoke it. We are tired of the Prisons. We are tired of the Policies. We are tired of the Feds. We are tired of their Folicies. We are Honest. We are Natural. We are Healthy. We are Fragile. We are Hippies. We are Proud. We are Fearless. We are Loud. We are Patients. We are People. We praise God, not the Steeple. We are not Demons. We are not Sheeple. Who are WE? WE ARE THE PEOPLE!And it's time to take our Freedom.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Max Flowers on January 05, 2007 at 23:39:46 PT Details Details in Saturday's Coloradoan.Yeah, and the detail I would like the most is what the reason was for the cops showing up in the first place to "check the welfare of the couple's two children". What precipitated that? Don't you love how they gloss over foundational facts like that? I will almost guarantee you that the original "complaint" that brought the cops over was BS.I also don't expect to find that detail in Saturday's Coloradoan, though I will look for it. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment