>From: "Peter McWilliams" >Subject: Todd McCormick in prison for perhaps five years. >Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 12:34:45 -0800 >X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 >X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 > > >Friends, > >It is with the saddest of hearts that I inform you that Todd McCormick is in >federal custody until at least February 28, 2000, and most likely until his >appeal, approximately one year after that. If the appeal fails, the next >possible release would be IF the Supreme Court heard the case and reverses >the Appeals Court. That would be two years later, or longer. The next date, >providing he has been a model prisoner, is five years from this past Monday. > >Due to Todd's physical condition (a gift of the government), prison >conditions are torture. (For a thumbnail of Todd's story, please see below). >In addition to the physical pain, the enormity of his confinement is >weighing heavily on him. His personal Guardian Angel, Saint Tyfanie of >Hempdom, says that in the past Todd lived day-to-day, knowing the next day >might be the day he is released. Now he has struck an emotional brick wall. >His attorney firmly advised Todd that he should expect to be in custody for >at least the next 15 months. > >Please send letters of encouragement to him. He needs it now more than ever. > >Todd Patrick McCormick (The "Patrick" is very important.) >11071-112 >Metropolitan Detention Center >535 N. Alameda >Los Angeles, California 90012 >Hospital floor > >You can also buy a copy of his book "How to Grow Medical Marijuana." I just >gave him my almost-last $200 so he could buy shoes and a radio. All the >money from the Amazon edition (except the cost of producing and printing the >book) will go directly to Todd. > >After that, I will donate all my publishing rights of the book to the Todd >McCormick Foundation (TMF). All proceeds for future printings will go to the >Foundation. The money can be used for Todd's legal and personal expenses >while he is in, and merged with Todd's A.H.E.M.P on his release. > >The book can be ordered here. The truly cool are buying holiday gifts now: > > >http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967659205/petermcwilliamsh/002-84213 >20-0930650 > >Please circulate this far and wide. Let's get thousands of letters of >support pouring into Todd. When I was in federal custody, I know how >important each and every letter I got meant. I know Todd will, too. > >You can also send him subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. Sorry, Hef, >they don't let Playboy in, and Larry, Hustler is forbidden, too. Don't try >High Times, either. Magazines on politics, science, current affairs, >ecology, and motorcycles are sure to please. > >Books, too, can be sent. One book at a time has the best chance of getting >through. > >Thank you. > >Enjoy, > >Peter McWilliams >peter@mcwilliams.com > > >Part of the Introduction to the book How to Grow Medical Marijuana: > >"Todd McCormick had cancer nine times before he was ten." That's the >journalistic shorthand for what happened to Todd McCormick. >The longhand truth is far worse. >Starting at the age of two, McCormick had a series of tumors known as >Histiocytosis X. Now science knows this to be a benign tumor of childhood >that usually goes away on its own. When Todd McCormick was two, >unfortunately, medical science treated Histiocytosis X as a malignant cancer >requiring aggressive treatment. This included chemotherapy, radiation, and >surgery-all of which were inflicted on young Todd nine times between the >ages of two and ten. >Thanks to improper medical treatment-not cancer-Todd has the top five >vertebra of his spine surgically fused together and has one hip, frozen by >radiation, the size of an eight year-old boy. A specialist who studied the >adult Todd's X-rays but had never met Todd was shocked to find that Todd was >not permanently confined to a wheelchair. >For over a decade the medical profession, through a mistake-an honest >mistake, a government-approved mistake, but a mistake nonetheless-made Todd >unnecessarily and permanently disabled. In addition, the treatment more than >likely has shortened his life. >Now the government that sanctioned Todd's mutilation as "FDA-approved proper >medical procedure" want to put him in jail for the rest of his life for >attempting to treat his pain brought on by governmental incompetence. And, >adding insult to injury, the government tells us it is doing all this to >"protect the children." >Where was the government when Todd was two and in need of some protection? >As you can see, this whole story is a little long for the lead in most >newspapers or as a television soundbite, so it became shortened to, "Todd >McCormick had cancer nine times before he was ten." >Todd and I met at the end of 1996 while I was researching a book on medical >marijuana. AIDS and cancer in March 1996, and the nausea brought on by the >treatment of same, convinced me of marijuana's medicinal effectiveness. If I >lived, I told myself, I would not rest until medical marijuana was available >to every sick person in America who needed it. I lived, but I'm a long way >from my goal. But back to late 1996. >Todd had just returned to California from a self-imposed exile in Amsterdam >after the passage of Proposition 215. What a treasure trove of information >is Todd McCormick! Self-medicating with Todd is a university education in >Cannabis sativa. Not only was he clearly an expert grower, he was also >working on determining which strains of marijuana worked best for specific >medical conditions. >Todd explained that medical marijuana is one of the most advanced and >versatile plants in the entire Plant Kingdom. Marijuana has a male plant and >a female plant-very rare in botany. Most plants have both sexes in the same >plant. >Because there are two sexes, medical marijuana can be bred, the offspring >taking on the characteristics of both mama and papa. In more than 5,000 >years of human medical use, this breeding has led to an almost uncountable >(more than 30,000, at least) variations of the medical marijuana plant. >Todd's goal was (and is) to identify which strains (variations) best treat >which illnesses. >For example, some medical marijuana is known for deep bodily relaxation. >These strains are good for people with muscle spasms, chronic bodily >tension, and pain. Other medical marijuana, however, produces the purely >mental responses of alertness, clarity, and creativity. These strains might >be best for nausea, depression, and pain. >Yes, pain relief appears on both lists, as pain relief is one of the many >medical benefits of marijuana that appear in just about every strain. >Medical marijuana has the unique ability to filter out pain-either emotional >or physical-while allowing pleasure and the sense of touch to pass through. >This was scientifically confirmed in October 1997 by a report from the >Society for Neuroscience. >(Please see the Medical Marijuana Magazine Online >www.marijuanamagazine.com-for more details on this report and other medical >uses of marijuana.) >Todd had edited a magazine called HempLife in Holland. He had hoped to start >a United States edition, but I persuaded him to write a book first. > > >================================================================ > >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list . >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: