cannabisnews.com: Judge Denies California AIDS Patient's Urgent Plea Judge Denies California AIDS Patient's Urgent Plea Posted by FoM on March 12, 1999 at 06:53:10 PT Los Angeles, CA A federal judge refused this week to alter the conditions of release that bar a California AIDS patient from using potentially life saving medicine, marijuana, ruling that the denial is not a violation of his constitutional rights. "They're just going to let me die," said patient Peter McWilliams, a New York Times best-selling author who uses medical marijuana to alleviate side effects of the AIDS wasting syndrome and the nausea associated with his AIDS medications. "My doctor and I have tried every [other medication,] and we made this very clear in the documents filed with the court," he said. "Medical marijuana was the only alternative." McWilliams physician, Dr. Daniel Bowers, an AIDS specialist at Pacific Oaks Medical Center in Beverly Hills, said that his patient's viral load has skyrocketed from undetectable to dangerously high levels since a federal magistrate barred McWilliams from smoking marijuana. Bowers said that McWilliams risks permanent damage to his immune system if his levels are not reduced. A judge ordered McWilliams to stop smoking marijuana as a condition of his bail release last fall after a federal grand jury charged him and eight others with conspiracy to cultivate marijuana for commercial sale. This week's ruling by U.S. District Judge George King upholds that ban despite McWilliams' worsening health. "We conclude that imposing the aforesaid conditions of bond does not violate any of the defendant's constitutional rights," Judge King ruled. "We do not mean to express indifference to the defendant's situation, [but] we are not empowered to grant the defendant what amounts to a license to violate federal law," he said. King made no mention of California's law legalizing marijuana for medical use. McWilliams is a California resident. King also refused McWilliams' request that he be placed in a federal program that supplies medical marijuana to a handful of patients with serious diseases. McWilliams said he will appeal the ruling. McWilliams' criminal trial on marijuana charges is scheduled to begin on September 7, 1999. For more information, please contact either NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre or Litigation Director Tanya Kangas, Esq. (202) 483-8751. Peter McWilliams' attorney Thomas Ballanco may be contacted (310) 259-6976.http://www.norml.org/home.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by It's Me on June 16, 2000 at 20:41:10 PT: Peter has past... I am so sorry... Peter has died.. The God Damn goverment just does not get it... they want to keep us all like monitored cattle. He was a great person, and his books really touched me... All he was doing was trying to live and our government, who is supposed to "protect and served" killed him!!!! When is enough, enough? He who has the guns, makes the rules.... We are loosing our right to bear arms, we are loosing our right to choose what is best for US. We are LOOSING.. PERIOD!!!!! WHY? Peter was a great person, who was winning against AIDS until agents (storm troopers) put him in jail and eventually caused his demise.... I feel sick.... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: