T
The420Guy
Guest
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --
Along with roadside advertisements for beer, liquor and fast-food,
California motorists will now see billboards promoting medical
marijuana.
The 30 billboards, which began appearing Wednesday in San Francisco
and across the state, feature an 8-year-old Chico girl whose father,
Bryan Epis, is serving 10 years on federal marijuana cultivation
charges.
"Medical marijuana, compassion not federal prison," read the
billboards, which are sponsored by a host of marijuana groups.
They also show young Ashley Epis holding a sign that reads: "My Dad
is not a criminal."
Her photo was taken at a rally outside the federal courthouse in
Sacramento last year, where her father was sentenced for growing
cannabis for a Chico medical marijuana club.
California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996, allowing people
to use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. The federal
government, however, does not recognize the medical marijuana law and
has been raiding California medical pot clubs and arresting growers
who say they were cultivating for patients.
A spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Richard Meyer,
said the marijuana groups are "certainly entitled to express their
opinions."
But he added that "marijuana has no accepted medical use" and "our
job is to enforce federal laws."
Third-grader Ashley Epis said she agreed to be on the billboard.
"I want everybody to know that my dad is not a criminal," she said.
Mike Gray, chairman of Common Sense for Drug Policy, said the
campaign was designed to "wake up the federal government."
Billboard company Clear Channel Outdoor donated the space for a
month. The marijuana groups said they paid about $20,000 for the
banners.
"As a company, any unsold corporate space is donated back to the
community," said Ben Scott, the company's governmental affairs
manager.
Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jan 2003
More information about the ad campaign appears at the coalition
website MedicalMJ.org - Medical Marijuana News and Facts
https://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/01/22/state1816EST
0139.DTL
A coalition of drug reform groups including Cal NORML has launched
a California-wide billboard campaign featuring the daughter of Bryan
Epis, who was sentenced to 10 years for medical mJ cultivation, and
the message "MEDICAL MARIJUANA - COMPASSION, NOT FEDERAL PRISON"
The campaign comes in the midst of a wave of aggressive federal
prosecutions against medical marijuana patients and providers in
California, among them Ed Rosenthal, who is facing trial in San
Francisco this week, and Steve McWilliams, who is scheduled for trial
in San Diego Feb 2-3.
Along with roadside advertisements for beer, liquor and fast-food,
California motorists will now see billboards promoting medical
marijuana.
The 30 billboards, which began appearing Wednesday in San Francisco
and across the state, feature an 8-year-old Chico girl whose father,
Bryan Epis, is serving 10 years on federal marijuana cultivation
charges.
"Medical marijuana, compassion not federal prison," read the
billboards, which are sponsored by a host of marijuana groups.
They also show young Ashley Epis holding a sign that reads: "My Dad
is not a criminal."
Her photo was taken at a rally outside the federal courthouse in
Sacramento last year, where her father was sentenced for growing
cannabis for a Chico medical marijuana club.
California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996, allowing people
to use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. The federal
government, however, does not recognize the medical marijuana law and
has been raiding California medical pot clubs and arresting growers
who say they were cultivating for patients.
A spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Richard Meyer,
said the marijuana groups are "certainly entitled to express their
opinions."
But he added that "marijuana has no accepted medical use" and "our
job is to enforce federal laws."
Third-grader Ashley Epis said she agreed to be on the billboard.
"I want everybody to know that my dad is not a criminal," she said.
Mike Gray, chairman of Common Sense for Drug Policy, said the
campaign was designed to "wake up the federal government."
Billboard company Clear Channel Outdoor donated the space for a
month. The marijuana groups said they paid about $20,000 for the
banners.
"As a company, any unsold corporate space is donated back to the
community," said Ben Scott, the company's governmental affairs
manager.
Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jan 2003
More information about the ad campaign appears at the coalition
website MedicalMJ.org - Medical Marijuana News and Facts
https://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/01/22/state1816EST
0139.DTL
A coalition of drug reform groups including Cal NORML has launched
a California-wide billboard campaign featuring the daughter of Bryan
Epis, who was sentenced to 10 years for medical mJ cultivation, and
the message "MEDICAL MARIJUANA - COMPASSION, NOT FEDERAL PRISON"
The campaign comes in the midst of a wave of aggressive federal
prosecutions against medical marijuana patients and providers in
California, among them Ed Rosenthal, who is facing trial in San
Francisco this week, and Steve McWilliams, who is scheduled for trial
in San Diego Feb 2-3.
