(Ed. note: I had dinner Saturday night with
Peter McWilliams. He was in remarkably good cheer, all things considered. He is energized
by the prospect of the battle ahead. The behavior of the prosecutor towards his mother
simply reinforces his belief that this struggle is about much more than medical
marijuana.)See
Peter McWilliams
Released On $250,000 Bail After Month In Federal Jail
Marijuananews.com Visits Los Angeles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AIDS-Cancer Patient Peter McWilliams Released on $250,000 Bail
AUGUST 21, 1998 / LOS ANGELES, CA: Peter McWilliams, who was arrested on medical
marijuana charges by the DEA on July 23, 1998, was released after four weeks in federal
custody. Peter McWilliams’ mother, Mary McWilliams, and brother, Michael McWilliams,
put-up their homes as collateral for the bond.
During his month-long incarceration, McWilliams was denied proper AIDS medication for
nine days. He was also exposed to a variety of contagious illnesses endemic to the
"international" population of a federal holding facility, including Tuberculosis
and Hepatitis-C.
"My first priority now is my health," said McWilliams, who will be meeting
with his doctors today for a battery of medical tests.
McWilliams, who turned 49 while in custody, was diagnosed with AIDS and
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in March, 1996. He has used medical marijuana since that time
to treat the nausea caused by his prescription AIDS and Cancer medications.
See
"It is the
love of freedom, not the hatred of tyranny,
that will turn this warring parent into an adored embrace." -- Peter McWilliams
Denied his prescription anti-nausea medication, Marinol, during
his entire incarceration, McWilliams has spent the month in continual nausea. He has lost
19 pounds while in custody.
While on bond, McWilliams has been denied any use of medical marijuana, although such
usage is permitted under California’s Proposition 215 and recommended by his
physicians.
"The federal prosecutor personally called my mother to tell her that if I was
found with even a trace of medical marijuana, her house would be taken away." said
McWilliams. McWilliams’ mother, 72, is disabled and has lived in the same house in
Michigan for forty-eight years.
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