cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Grower Sentenced To 3 Years Marijuana Grower Sentenced To 3 Years Posted by FoM on November 09, 2000 at 06:39:01 PT By David Doege of the Journal Sentinel Staff Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Unsuccessful aldermanic candidate Michael O. Hageman, whose basement marijuana patch landed him in jail in the middle of his primary campaign, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for what he insisted was an exclusively medicinal cannabis crop.With no evidence to the contrary from a prosecutor, the eccentric retired carpenter, one-time teacher and Mensa member maintained that the 500-plus marijuana plants that thrived in his underground garden were cultivated solely for the sick and dying. "The laws do not fully recognize marijuana as a medicine," Hageman complained to Circuit Judge Clare L. Fiorenza before he was sentenced.During a 25-minute, rambling address touching on topics including ineffective medicine, foreign drug laws and even the parable of the Good Samaritan, Hageman denounced the state's marijuana laws for ignoring the plant's pain-killing properties.And, he sounded like a papa bragging on his offspring whenever he talked about "Mikajuana," his own breed of pot."I was, and still am, very proud of my plants," Hageman said at the start of his remarks."I bred it, your honor, very carefully," he said later."It doesn't get you stoned," he noted. "It takes the pain away."But Hageman's explanations, Fiorenza concluded, were as "misguided" as his efforts to help the ailing, telling Hageman his defense "might best be addressed to the Legislature.""This court is obligated to enforce the law," Fiorenza said. "No one's above the law."You were attempting to help some people, but your actions were very illegal . . . and you took the risk."Finally, Fiorenza added: "You don't have a license to be a doctor. You're not a scientist."Hageman, who developed a green thumb in the greenhouse at Custer High School, received the truth-in-sentencing term from Fiorenza on a felony charge of manufacturing more than 50 marijuana plants. When he is finished with his prison term, Hageman, 57, must serve six years of extended supervision in the community and pay a $1,000 fine.He also was sentenced to 90 days in jail on a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an allegation that he tried to hire an informant to permanently injure the hands of an artist Hageman suspects of turning him in to police on marijuana growing charges.The case against Hageman developed last spring when he ran unsuccessfully against Ald. Suzanne Breier in the 14th District.Hageman was arrested March 10 after police raided his home and business and seized more than 500 marijuana plants that were the product of an elaborate cultivation effort.Assistant District Attorney Denis Stingl said the "potential quantity" of the marijuana, which included 16 seven-foot plants, as well as Hageman's attitude about what he had done warranted a prison term of 3 1/2 years followed by four years of extended supervision."He does not believe that he did anything wrong," Stingl told Fiorenza, noting that Hageman was breaking the law at the same time he was running for public office. "He believes that he had a right to do this."Defense attorney Craig Mastatuono recommended probation for Hageman, noting he had no prior record, cooperated fully when arrested and, most importantly, gave his marijuana away to the ill, people with glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and cancer, among other ailments."Her pain would stop when she used it," Mastatuono said of a massage therapist with lupus and liver and kidney infections who used Hageman's "Mikajuana." "She would sleep through the night."But when Mastatuono finished his concise, orderly argument for probation, Hageman launched into a wide-ranging diatribe that went well beyond what put him in jail in March and sent him to prison Wednesday."You have to smoke one ton of marijuana a day," Hageman asserted at one point, "for it to be toxic."Note: Former candidate for alderman says his crop was strictly medicinal.Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Nov. 9, 2000.Newshawk: Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin http://www.drugsense.org/dpfwi/Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)Author: David DoegePublished: November 9, 2000Copyright: 2000, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.Fax: 414-224-8280Contact: jsedit onwis.comWebsite: http://www.jsonline.com/Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgiCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by adam on December 11, 2000 at 13:14:56 PT 3 years prison loved the speech i have just done a 3year streach in pentonville prison for dope so good luck and see you in amsterdam where its legal like it should be everywhere [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Kingston on December 04, 2000 at 06:23:29 PT: Revolution That´s why we need a Revolution! Open your eyes to the truth.www.rastafari.org [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Kingston on December 04, 2000 at 06:21:27 PT: Reply to Dan "# 1 CAUSE OF LUNG CANCER IS CIGARETTE SMOKING , CAN YOU TELL ME SMOKING CANNIBIS SUCH AS MARIJUANA HAS THE SAME RESULTS IF ANY,OR CAUSES ANY OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS."Dan using Cannabis does not causes health problems. By the contrary it is very useful to simple problems like flu, headaches, and has other several medicinal aplications. If you have the possiblitiy eat it, or drink it in tea instead of smoking it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by DAN on November 12, 2000 at 23:40:57 PT: MARIJUANA QUESTION # 1 CAUSE OF LUNG CANCER IS CIGARETTE SMOKING , CAN YOU TELL ME SMOKING CANNIBIS SUCH AS MARIJUANA HAS THE SAME RESULTS IF ANY,OR CAUSES ANY OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Frank S. World on November 09, 2000 at 09:57:56 PT LTE to the Journal-Sentinel Dear Editor,After reading a couple articles in the Nov. 9 Journal-Sentinel, One has to wonder where the justice priorities are in Wisconsin?One article noted a priest accused of child molestation received 18 months probation, another noted a man accused of cultivating marijuana for medical purposes received 3 years in prison.Is society safer now that a child molester is still in the community, while a man who provided medicine to the sick and dying is going to sit in prison for 3 years?Frank S. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Frank S. World on November 09, 2000 at 09:35:04 PT Cap Times article about this: Source: The Capital TimesPubdate: 9 November 20003-YEAR SENTENCE FOR GROWING POTMilwaukee (AP)-- A man who was running for alderman when arrested for growing marijuana in his basement received a three-year prison term Wednesday after contending he grew the illegal plants for medicinal purposes only. Michael O. Hageman, 57, maintained that the more than 500 marijuana plants that thrived in his underground garden were cultivated solely for the sick and dying."The laws do not fully recognize marijuana as a medicine," Hageman told Circuit Judge Clare L. Fiorenza before he was sentenced. He denounced the state's marijuana laws for ignoring the plant's pain-killing properties. The judge told Hageman his argument "might best be addressed to the Legislature." "This court is obligated to enforce the law," Fiorenza said. "No one's above the law. http://www.drugsense.org/dpfwi [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: