cannabisnews.com: MMJ Possession Defendant Leaves Court Angry MMJ Possession Defendant Leaves Court Angry Posted by FoM on January 22, 2000 at 06:12:42 PT By Sarah Kellegg, Ann Arbor News Bureau Source: Michigan Live Renee Emry Wolfe's trial on marijuana possession just won't end, and she blames her attorney for it.An angry Wolfe left U.S. Superior Court Friday claiming that her court-appointed attorney, Jeffrey Orchard, was fumbling the case because he wasn't getting paid enough money by the court. The trial, which began Thursday, resumes Monday. "My lawyer is my lawyer, but if he don't start treating me like a human being, then I'm going to fire (him)," said the 39-year-old Ann Arbor resident. "He says he's only getting paid for 24 hours, and he doesn't like that. He doesn't want to do this anymore."Wolfe was arrested in September 1998 for lighting a marijuana cigarette in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. William McCollum, R-Fla., an opponent of medicinal marijuana use. She said the act wasn't part of any protest, but rather an attempt to ease the muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis.Orchard said he hasn't shirked his responsibilities to his client. He said trials sometimes take longer than defendants like them to take."I can only imagine what it must be like to be a defendant," said Orchard, who said he has put in more than 240 hours on the case. "It's got to be horrible to have your liberty and your future up in the air, to look at the possibility of 180 days in a cage."The maximum penalty for marijuana possession is six months.Wolfe said the delay over the weekend was an imposition on her and her family. She has a husband and two small children at home."I can't afford to stay here (in Washington) this weekend," she said. "I don't have any money. I don't have a change of clothes. I'm still nursing my baby. I can't believe I'm stuck here."The Marijuana Policy Project, a national group supporting the right to medicinal marijuana for ailing patients, paid for her flight to Washington. She is spending the weekend at a friend's house.On Friday, the court heard from Dr. Denis Petro, an Arlington, Va., neurologist. He explained that the chemical properties of marijuana are effective in treating muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, which is a chronic disease of the nervous system. Wolfe says she takes two or three puffs of a marijuana cigarette every two or three hours to ease the spasms."I waked and baked this morning, as I wake and bake every morning," she said, describing her use of the drug. "What am I going to do now? I'm not going to have enough of it for the weekend."Wolfe said there's only one reason to go back to court on Monday the chance to testify."I'm not afraid of the government, because I'm not afraid of the multiple sclerosis," she said. "But I've learned my lesson. Rep. McCollum's office was not the place to have a spasm attack or to treat it."WashingtonPublished: January 22, 2000© 1999 Michigan LiveRelated Articles:Doctor Testifies Thousands with Multiple Sclerosishttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread4423.shtmlMarijuana User Goes on Trial in Washingtonhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread4414.shtmlWoman Faces D.C. Trial in Pot-Smoking Casehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread4397.shtmlMS Patient Faces Marijuana Trialhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread468.shtml Michigan Woman on Trial for Lighting Up Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread4407.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by J Christen-Mitchell on January 23, 2000 at 07:33:13 PT: JUSTICE AVAILABLE Truth in advertizing laws should require the following to be posted in all U.S. court building: Justice Available; Contact a Lawyer for a complete price list. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by JrB on January 23, 2000 at 07:02:37 PT Someone tell her to contact NORML If there is any way to get a hold of this woman, she needs to know that NORML will enthusiastically defend her in court. She could go to the link and contact a NORML lawyer in D. C. NAtional Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: