Cannabis News Media Awareness Project
  Starving for Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on May 18, 2002 at 05:18:11 PT
By Amy Linn, Special to The Chronicle 
Source: San Francisco Chronicle  

medical Missoula, Mont. -- She wears the look of someone pinned beneath a boulder, a woman exhausted by pain and frustration. So why would 45-year-old Robin Prosser, a devoted single parent of a teenage girl, go on a hunger strike -- today in its 29th day -- when the outcome could be fatal? The answer is pot. A desperate need for medical marijuana.

Prosser, a talented pianist, has spent the past 17 years battling an immunosuppressive disorder and other conditions that she says cause chronic pain, heart trouble, muscle spasms, nausea and daily migraines.

Snipped


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Comment #13 posted by FoM on May 20, 2002 at 19:15:12 PT
Here's the complete article
http://freedomtoexhale.com/rp.htm

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Comment #12 posted by plantsheal on May 20, 2002 at 15:57:02 PT:

Phone congress day ???
hi,

webDiva from Robin's site here...i just received her latest journal entry (haven't posted it on the site yet) & i fear the strike is taking it's physical toll. i want to do more -- but what??? is it possible to organize a day where we all place a phone call to our congress people. i'll get it started on the site...will you who are following this story participate? we need to be a bit more pro-active on her behalf. i know many have been sending emails to the press. if we can really focus our efforts & now target congress maybe that will stir something up....any comments?

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Comment #11 posted by Jose Melendez on May 18, 2002 at 19:22:57 PT:

Hunger striker released.
After 73 days of strict hunger strike, Swiss activist Bernard Rappaz was released from prison on January 25, by an order of the provincial high court.

From:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2427.html

After 73 days of strict hunger strike, Swiss activist Bernard Rappaz was released from prison on January 25, by an order of the provincial high court.

Rappaz was arrested November 14, 2001, and charged with trafficking and possession of 10 tons of hash and cannabis products See:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2328.htm

The 48-year old Rappaz has been slowly recuperating from the effects of his lengthy fast, but friends say he is still strong and will recover.



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Comment #10 posted by gloovins on May 18, 2002 at 14:40:19 PT
You aren't hopeless Robin.
The US Government is.

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Comment #9 posted by paul peterson on May 18, 2002 at 13:48:18 PT:

San Francisco Chronicle-home town newspaper
Well its about time some real newspaper did something to help someone with something like Robin Prosser is trying to accomplish-It only took 29 days right? Why, another 11 days and we coulda rained out the whole world's parade (that great flood a few eons ago, that is). Why, another 11 days and she woulda tied that greatest hunger striker in the history of the world (Christ, that is) whilst he was out in the desert, that is, probably outside of Reno or somewhere like it.

So finally, somebody's email to the editor got somebody to put this in the "legitimate" print media. And they even spelled Russo right, go figure! Now where do we go from here? We've got the New New York City mayor talkin about tokin, while those New New York Troopers go and kill a guy outa bed, and they don't even say in the media if they found any pot on the guy, eh? We've got the Nevada Supreme Court sayin they need something tangible to issue an arrest warrant. We've got some bad right wingers in Amsterdam that got so pissed at a rising gay politician that they kill him, and then try to call him a right winger and all-Now the guy that took over the government is talkin about takin away those cannabis clubs (I'm thinkin they had to get rid of the flamboyant leader so that guy didn't get the reigns of power). We've got Canada trying to back down on giving some real patients real pot, just because it makes the DEA shit look like DEA shit, because the DEA wouldn't give'em real DEA shit pot seeds and all, go figure! The DEA guys give out their DEA shit weed, specifically so all the studies that they purposely use DEA shit weed for, don't prove squat about pot other than DEA shit weed doesn't work any better than the DRUG COMPANY shit for anything. So now the guy that did a bang up job of growing 185 varieties of quality bud can't get any applause, since if there is only one hand clapping, you can't even hear the wind blow or something.

And just this week, in Illinois (Springfield, that is, home of the Simpsons) an attorney general attorney blew a 9 am court call, and failed to argue in time for taking a drug case defendant to jail on a "search and seizure" case, and I'm thinking that marks a real change in the wind-Usually they would just roll over backwards to let the state have more time to do whatever-now the state paid attorney might even get disciplined-and how can the court find for the state if the state "waived" oral argument? That means the court will get some press for maybe letting a WOD off for a change (sorta like that Nevada court did, eh?). This is, of course, the same supreme court that failed to even look at my allegations of FRAUD, PERJURY, MAIL FRAUD, done by the local lawyer police (merely, of course, because the lawyer police work for the same supremes?). Now the attorney general attorney, that is, will be disciplined by the same lawyer police (and believe me, they are not nice people, they aren't). The same lawyer police that are looking at the attorney general for failing to investigate my claims against the same lawyer police (I know, I know, this is sounding too convoluted, isn't it?). Well, it gets better. The Department of Justice (feds) are working with the FBI right now to take a local Muslim "charity" connection guy to task for committing what they call "PERJURY" by something the guy said in a court "declaration". And I went to them and told them they gotta take the lawyer police to task for doing exactly the same thing in a "declaration" they filed against me when they got the supreme court to take my life away, just because I told them all about these fraud thingies (that the supremes didn't want to see, remember).

So I went and told the federal district court about these things, and who knows? Maybe someone will look at it, or listen, or do something about these other people that didn't do what they were supposed to do about these other people, and stuff like that. And maybe this all means that some of these people are getting tired of the same old same old, and maybe there are even people in Illinois (THE LAND OF LINCOLN) that wanna hear more about those FIRST AMENDMENT FREEDOMS OF SPEECH AND STUFF (just like in DC, where a federal judge told the feds they gotta let the people have a referendum for medical marijuana after all).

And please recall, that just a few short months ago, you could go on line once a month and get all the news in this sleepy little one horse town, and now you gotta go on at least daily to see all the stories from all the places that ground fires are burning on these issues, right?

And hey-even George W. Bush is having to answer for why nobody told the airlines about that threat to use a few good planes for missiles and all (picky-picky, or good press-you decide). What I'm saying is, this whole story s just getting hotter and hotter, and better and better-Now we've got Bill Maher & Terry Hillinan both talking about RELIGIOUS RIGHTS TO USE CANNABIS! Something noone was even thinking about just a few months ago-I'm thinkin they are awaiting for the Hawaii case that is overdue-a judge there has to decide if the state has a "compelling" (enough) reason to restrict religious freedom (the language from the constitution out yonder), where on one hand the same constitution gives islanders the right to smoke in the privacy of the home, and on the other hand the right to use smoke for medicinal purposes-how can the state find a "compelling" interest in between those two polar rights? (there is good case law on this with peyote, too-where a state grants an "individual exemption", they can't discriminate against a religious principle, etc.).

So George Bush, where are you hiding now? Why won't you try, in the name of your god, to save Robin Prosser's life, eh? Is your god your oil or drug company stock profits? So where is John Ashcroft hiding now? Is he sitting in his Justice Department office praying to his god? Is his god the god of power and control at all costs? Is he just sulking about how a federal judge wouldn't let him force some cancer ridden patients close to death to leave this world of pain? Is he the god of pain? Does he want Robin Prosser to live or die? Will he force her to live, in pain? Or will he do the humane thing, and try to help her live with a reduction in pain? Is he just jealous that the DEA can't grow good weed? Why doesn't George Bush, call John Ashcroft, to call Asa Hutchinson, to call those Canada guys, that have that good weed, you recall, the weed that is better than the DEA shit, and have them send some to Robin Prosser, so she can maybe feel like eating again, to keep her strength up, so maybe her daughter will not be an orphane (yet). And one more thing-did any of you guys get involved in that little power play in Amsterdam that claimed the life of a charismatic policitian, that might have steered their policy a little bit less to the right wing, (even though the press mongers here called that guy a right winger-he was in favor of 1) gay marriages and rights, 2) euthenasia (the right to die-like in Oregon), 3) continued pot sales (and I'm not talking about that DEA shit) & 4) reduction of immigration (especially those Muslims from Moracco, I hear)? I'm done now, thanks for listening George. PAUL PETERSON

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Comment #8 posted by Imprint on May 18, 2002 at 12:48:03 PT
WOD
She has gone 29 days so far! This woman may die and the government is cold and unfeeling. It's a sad thing indeed. This is a war and she is a hero.

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Comment #7 posted by Gary Storck on May 18, 2002 at 09:10:08 PT
class action
Interesting to see Larry Hirsch's class action suit get mentioned in this article. As one of the original 165 plaintiffs myself, it is very sad to see a fellow plaintiff having to go through a hunger strike to get the medicine she needs.

We have already lost a number of plaintiffs, Joe Hart, Kiyoshi, Pres Bob Kundert, to name three.

We had high hopes for the suit. At first it loooked like Judge Katz was going to do the right thing and order the government to provide plaintiffs with medicine.

Then came his flip-flop.

Hope this works our for Robin, but these are tough days for patients in America who need cannabis.

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Comment #6 posted by Patrick on May 18, 2002 at 07:10:43 PT
Wake-up George!
"So what will she do if no one pays attention? What will make her eat again? "Some action from George Bush," she says."

I agree with this author, I am not so sure George Bush will call her either. You are absolutely right el toonces that we need a PR upgrade.

This story is turning out like another one of those heavy heavy stories. The last one this heavy was Tom Crosslin days before he was shot. We all remember how much publicity there was for that story. But we need a whole lotta things and especially a quick end to this idiotic Prohibition crap. I'm convinced that two thirds of this country would vote to not lock Prosser up. But, Missoula Police Chief Bob Weaver says… "She'll be busted if she grows pot and we learn about it. The courts can look at mitigating circumstances."

We need to find a way to protect people from getting arrested for growing a plant for personal consumption? We need to repel the Schedule One Lie. We need to wake up the sleeping giant, the two thirds of Americans that KNOWS WE SHOULD NOT ARREST PEOPLE FOR CANNABIS!

Arresting people for growing their own medicine is the real crime. We should be making a citizen's arrest of any federal, state or local official that arrests someone for growing cannabis. Anyone attempting to arrest or prosecute this woman for this offense will also be placed under citizen arrest. The whole gang of us here could meet at this sheriff office with a citizen issued warrant for his arrest. Out numbered by citizens he would have to surrender his weapon or start shooting unarmed citizens who simply wish to place him in custody for the inhumane treatment of Prosser. He locks her up. We lock him up. As Bill Maher said in San Francisco use The Equal Protection Act in the same way that Bush used it to get elected. If enough of us formed a citizen sheriff dream team of cannabis enforcement officers, we could issue citizen arrest warrants for the arrest of the arresters for violating individual life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Especially, in the states that have medical cannabis laws on the books. And simply let the courts look at the mitigating circumstances while the citizen's tax-payed law enforcement official sits in jail also.

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Comment #5 posted by BGreen on May 18, 2002 at 06:11:57 PT
I just don't want Robin to suffer
I do my best to be Christ-like, as a Christian is supposed to. I try to refrain from wishing harm to my enemies, and I'd do anything to protect the people I care about.

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Comment #4 posted by el_toonces on May 18, 2002 at 06:00:22 PT:

Publicity?
I assuming, BG, the 'point' is good PR and Robin does make, I think, a good rep for us. I can only assume her attorneys and other advisers have made her aware of the common law doctrine of medical necessity, which, as far as my limited research reveals, should apply in Montana.

And you know what? If Robin's sacraficies are to help correct public opnion, I can only applaud her, because too many of us have given up on this kind of thing, and we need a "PR upgrade" as Maher said in San Fran!

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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on May 18, 2002 at 05:54:11 PT
Correction
It should read:

It will save them the manpower needed to put us though the penal system.

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Comment #2 posted by BGreen on May 18, 2002 at 05:51:43 PT
I admire her conviction, but I don't see the point
The gov't wishes we all would starve ourselves to death. It's save them the manpower needed to put us though the penal system.

Hurting ourselves isn't good. We need strength for the fight.

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Comment #1 posted by el_toonces on May 18, 2002 at 05:34:41 PT:

Convservative press?
A lot of folks in the conversative circles think medical cannabis is a joke. I wish we could get a piece like this into a publication read by more people on the right side of the spectrum, say the WSJ or NYT, esp. now that they are accurately printing Dr. Russo's name:)

Any ideas?



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