Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
Longtime Maine marijuana and medical marijuana advocate Donald Christen is headed for prison. The Maine Supreme Court Tuesday rejected his appeal and he will have to report for an eight-month sentence soon. Christen was sentenced to 14 months, but six months were suspended. After he does his time, he will serve two more years on probation.
Don Christen
Christen had argued he "was growing marijuana legally as a designated caregiver for several people who qualified as eligible patients pursuant to Maine's medical marijuana statute." A Somerset County jury disagreed.
Christen appealed, arguing that the trial judge had improperly instructed the jury regarding the applicability of an affirmative defense for medical marijuana. But in its decision, the Supreme Court held that the judge's instructions were correct.
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Comments
crooked lying judges
of coarse the state wins when a person is denied being able to tell the truth to juries .how can you win when the state causes the truth to remain hidden .this is why people go nuts and shoot up liars .cant blame them the frustration must be horrible.
What to do during 8 months in prison
An activist in S.D. was expressly forbidden by a judge to discussd or advocate cannabis any time in S.D.for a year. That is one problem Mr. Christen won't have to contend with.
Some 240 days now lie ahead, which are an opportunity to instruct and indoctrinate fellow prisoners in whatever truth you weren't able to tell to juries, as previous commentor puts it.
Since Mr. Christen specialized in raising plants, he can certainly work at devising ways to bring associates up to speed on this. In the spirit of audio-visual learning, he should attempt to develop illustrations, diagrams, etc. on preciously guarded pieces of paper which can be shown to instructees while verbally describing operations he knows about. Perhaps he can create a cadre of proficient herbgardeners who, when they get out, are ready to begin servicing patients who need quality THC.
Not knowing what his other interests are relating to the status and situation of cannabis (riefer) in 2009, I would suggest that Mr. Christen investigate the role of Big 2Wackgo in using its taxpayment clout and lobbying expertise to sabotage any and every advance in making cannabis available as an alternative to addictive nicotine tobacco marketed in hot-burning overdose 700-mg. cigarettes. Any way he can help fellow prisoners quit cigarette-smoking or resist pressures to do so is the direct reply to the enemy that will be most satisfying. One should assume that every dime collected by a tobacco company contributes to anti-cannabis propaganda and "drug-enforcement" attacks, and aim to cut off their income. This should be a priority whether cannabis is available in the clink or not. He should also learn how to instr4uct prisoners, who will need a job when they get out, in the art of constructing single-toke one-hitters with the end in view of converting cannabis-users away from the hot-burning overdose joints and, by imitation, nicotine addicts away from the hot-burning overdose squares.
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