|
California:
Dave
Herrick
Denied
Medical
Defense
5/10/98
Causing concerns about his impartiality, Orange County Superior Court Judge William Froeberg on Thursday, May 7, 1998 refused to allow Dave Herrick to present a medical defense to charges of "selling" marijuana. Rejecting Herrick's effort to present a Proposition 215 or medical necessity defense, the judge sarcastically asked public defender Sharon Petrosino, "Does he think he's Mother Theresa?" Herrick, a former police officer, has been in jail for a year on charges of selling marijuana in the course of volunteer work with the Orange County Patient / Doctor / Nurse Support Group. The volunteers gave away marijuana to patients with confirmed doctor's recommendations, requesting a $20.00 donation for the co-op, but providing the marijuana regardless of whether the donation was made. Herrick reportedly suffers from chronic back pain due to a dislocated disc, but has been allowed only four Tylenol a week during his incarceration. His hearing was attended by about 30 medical cannabis supporters, who carried signs and wore buttons supporting the defendants. Canes and crutches of the participants were taken by the bailiffs, due to concern that these items could be used as "weapons." The judge further prohibited the signs and the wearing of the buttons in the courtroom and the hallways, possibly to avoid contamination of the jury. Denied her proposed defense, public defender Sharon Petrosino indicated she would have no witnesses other than those called by the prosecution. Proceedings are still pending for other defendants on related charges, Marvin Chavez and Jack Shacter.
-- END --
|
Issue #41, 5/10/98
Large Swath of Appalachia Declared High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area | Federal Marijuana Eradication Program Seizes Nothing but Ditchweed, State Auditor's Report Says | Indiana Reporter Arrested after Exposing Drug Task Force Corruption | Memorial: Wesley Pomeroy, Law Enforcement Professional, Outspoken Advocate of Reform | California: Dave Herrick Denied Medical Defense | Student-Activist Arrested at RIT | Jurors Outraged at Mandatory Life Without Parole for Woman after First Offense | Australian Study: Marijuana Decriminalization Has No Impact on Rates of Use | Editorial: Substances, Substances
|
Mail this article to a friend
Send us feedback on this article
This issue -- main page
This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
Chronicle archives
Subscribe now!
|
PERMISSION to reprint or
redistribute any or all of the contents of Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet is hereby
granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit and,
where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your
publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks
payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for
materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we
request notification for our records, including physical copies where
material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network,
P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202)
293-8344 (fax), e-mail drcnet@drcnet.org. Thank
you.
Articles of a purely
educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet
Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
|
