ASA-SF Memorial to Remember Steve McWilliams

Americans for Safe Access San Francisco invites
activists to join us on Tuesday, July 19, 2005, for an
observance in conjunction with vigils nationwide to
remember Steve McWilliams.

When: Tuesday, July 19, 2005, 12 Noon
Where: Civic Center Plaza In front of San Francisco
City Hall

On Tuesday, July 12, 2005, medical marijuana patient
and lifelong advocate Steve McWilliams committed
suicide while awaiting federal sentencing. Many of us
remember Steve as the man who organized and led the
September 2002 public handout of medical marijuana to
patients at San Diego’s City Hall. As a result of
this sort of “balls to the wall” activism, Steve was
targeted by the DEA and arrested on charges relating
to the cultivation of 25 marijuana plants grown for
the medical marijuana collective he operated, Shelter
from the Storm. He pled guilty because he would have
been prohibited from presenting a valid medical
marijuana defense in Federal court.

Steve was sentenced to six months and released pending
appeal but denied access to marijuana. He had been
depressed, in terrible pain, and was hospitalized as
late as last week. Steve’s depression was apparently
a combination of factors – including dreadful thoughts
about going to prison and his deteriorating health.
He was taking powerful pharmaceuticals including
opiates, anti-nausea, anti-migraine and a variety of
other ‘prescribed’ drugs in far higher amounts than
when he was able to medicate with marijuana.
Evidently, they were the substances used to overdose.


Americans for Safe Access San Francisco invites
activists to join us on Tuesday, July 19, 2005, for an
observance in conjunction with vigils nationwide to
remember Steve McWilliams.

When: Tuesday, July 19, 2005, 12 Noon
Where: Civic Center Plaza In front of San Francisco
City Hall

Contact: Tony Bowles tonebowles at sbcglobal.net
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/