Jury Shows Compassion For Medical Marijuana Patient
AMARILLO, Texas — Drug enforcement continued to enforce unfair drug laws with zeal in Texas, arresting an HIV patient using marijuana to treat his illness. Jurors deliberated less than 15 minutes Tuesday before reaching a not guilty verdict for Tim Stevens, 53, whose attorney used the defense that marijuana use was a necessity to treat nausea and vomiting. Thank god the people of this country still have common sense.
According to Stevens’ attorney Jeff Blackburn, it’s the first successful use of the necessity defense in a Texas marijuana case, and can hopefully sway juries in the future to show their compassion in such unfair situations. "I think this verdict will help send a message to lawmakers to catch up with the way ordinary people really think," Blackburn said. "I think it’s important."
Stevens was arrested in October for smoking marijuana on the front porch of his house. Stevens, who was diagnosed with the HIV virus in 1986, suffers from nausea and cyclical vomiting syndrome, a severe condition that has caused him to be hospitalized in the past.
This is a great victory for the medical marijuana community, as it ultimately comes down to the jury, not the law, when deciding the verdict.
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