cannabisnews.com: Abnormally Normal!





Abnormally Normal!
Posted by FoM on February 18, 1999 at 05:20:33 PT

"I’m fuckin’ angry," thundered Bill Panzer, defense attorney for sick people facing jail time for medical use of pot. "It isn’t about marijuana, it’s about personal freedom!"The 100-something reefer activists in the conference room of the Pismo Beach Marie Callenders’ roared back in approval. 
The occasion was the annual gathering last weekend of the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). A colorful mélange of medical advocates, hempsters and legalizers watched activist Mikki Norris’ poignant slide show about cruel and unusual sentences handed down to drug-war prisoners ensnared in the mandatory minimum terms passed during Reagan’s Reign of Terror. Example: Amy Pofahl, who refused to rat out her estranged husband after he was popped for conspiracy to import and distribute Ecstasy. Pofahl, who’s still incarcerated, was given a 24-year sentence, while her husband received six years and got out in four.But the primary topic was the lack of legal protection afforded by Proposition 215, the California voter initiative that quasi-legalized medical marijuana use for the seriously ill. Several patients facing pokey time, including Bill Britt, Bob Ames and McWilliams, spoke of their frustration at relying on 215 only to find it completely ignored by local law enforcement. A moment of silence was observed for Marvin Chavez, director of the Orange County Cannabis Co-operative, who recently got a six-year sentence for distributing marijuana in spite of his attempts to cooperate with local authorities.Conventioneers were also encouraged, however, by news that newly elected California Attorney General Bill Lockyer had convened a task force on implementing 215. The convention had its fair share of eccentrics, including a woman sporting fake elf ears. Self-intoxication took place discreetly outside the conference room in order to minimize the odor of burning rope. At least one grumpy reporter had to trek three-quarters of a mile to find a Jack Daniel’s on the rocks.
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Comment #1 posted by Bill Britt on February 25, 2000 at 15:51:38 PT:
Error in Paragraph 3, line 3
You have me listed with people who are facing conviction.I spoke at the Pismo NORML meeting on behalf of Marvin Chavez, Dave Herrick and Jack Shachter from Orange County.BillMarvin's Address in Prison:Marvin Chavez Sr. P-28078-SE6516LP.O. 2210Susanville, Ca 96127-2210 
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