Time: Thu Nov 14 22:16:55 1996 To: cheechwz@mindspring.com (A H Clements) From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: Compassionate Class Action for Medicalization of Marijuana Cc: Bcc: Ashley, Would you be so kind as to request permission of Mr. Hirsch for me to send him some of the press releases I have written for the Internet? I would rather do it this way, then to send him those files without prior notice. Thanks! /s/ Paul Mitchell At 11:06 PM 11/14/96 -0600, you wrote: > Hey hey Paul, > > I have read your posts on constitutional law, though I do admit most >goes right over my head. > > There is a Compassionate Class Action for Medicalization of Marijuana, >of which I will be a plaintiff. I have put the initial announcement >below. > > The lead attorney is Larry Hirsch of Philadelphia. > > Since this CCAMM will touch on constitutional matters, I thought you may >be interested in sharing your experience and advice with Mr. Hirch. > > take care --- peace --- ashley in atlanta > >************************************************ > > Lawrence Elliott Hirsch, Counselor at Law, 1700 Sansom Street, >Suite 501, Philadelphia, PA 19103; telephone (215)496-9530; FAX >(215)496-9532; E-mail LEH36@aol.com, intends to file a national class >action lawsuit against the United States government, seeking declaratory >judgments and injunctive relief on behalf of all medical marijuana >candidates. The litigation will be initiated in the United States District >Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, on or before November 22, >1996. > [[[Forwarder's note: Filing will probably be in mid December]]] > > In a national class action, one or more members of a class may sue >as representative parties on behalf of all. There must be issues of law or >fact which are common to the class. The claims of the representative >parties must be typical of the claims of the class. The representative >parties are bound to fairly and adequately protect the interests of the >class. Class actions were created to facilitate justice when the potential >class is so numerous that individual joinder of all members is >impracticable. A class action is the perfect vehicle for raising the >Federal, Constitutional issues surrounding the "medicalization of >marijuana". > > In our case, the class action will be brought on behalf of all sick >and disenfranchised citizens to enforce their constitutional rights to use >cannabis to heal themselves without arbitrary government interference and >criminalization. > > "Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances >known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a wide variety of >therapeutic applications, including: > • relieving nausea and increasing appetite; > • reducing intraocular ("within the eye") pressure: > • reducing muscle spasms and spasticity; and > • relieving mild to moderate chronic pain. > > Thousands of patients and their doctors have found marijuana to be >beneficial in treating AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, >epilepsy, chronic pain, and other serious conditions. For many people, >marijuana is the only medicine with a suitable degree of safety and >efficacy. > > However, only eight people in the United States are presently >allowed to use marijuana as a medicine, through a federal program closed to >all new applicants since 1991. People who need medicinal marijuana are >left with two terrible choices: (1) continue to suffer, or (2) obtain >marijuana illegally and risk the following consequences: > • insufficient supplies due to prohibition-inflated prices > or scarcity; > • impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated > marijuana; and > • arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, >probation, and criminal records." > > Although cannabis has been demonized and used as a tool of >political oppression, its known benefits have deep historical roots and >almost universal acceptance. > > The class action is blessed to have Joan Bello as its National >Director of Communications and Networking for the "Compassionate Class >Action for Medicalization of Marijuana". Joan has recently published a >book entitled "The Benefits of Marijuana", a phenomenal work based on years >of extensive and thorough research. Any person interested in learning >about the benefits of marijuana should read this book. Although we expect >"The Benefits of Marijuana" to be a huge best seller and become a classic >in its field, it is now available only by mail order. Each copy ordered >directly from Joan will be personalized and autographed at a price of $18 >per copy plus $3.60 (total) for shipping and handling on all orders. >Checks or money orders should be made payable to: >LIFESERVICES and addressed to Joan Bello at P.O. Box 4314, Boca Raton, >Florida 33429. > > It is estimated that more than 30 million people are directly >impacted by the marijuana medicalization issues. The initial named >plaintiffs/representatives will be people from all over the country who >suffer from a variety of sicknesses and disorders which make them >candidates to receive marijuana as medicine. > > The "Compassionate Class Action for Medicalization of Marijuana" >will be asking our federal judicial system for a declaration that the >governments prohibition of medical marijuana is unconstitutional, and for a >judicial decree, ordering among other things, that the government make >marijuana available to those with a medical need, and to enable medical >candidates to cultivate cannabis for their consumption and healing. > > The legal foundation for the suit will be predicated primarily on >the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution which >guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws, and due process of >law. Only eight people in the United States of America have the legal >right to receive marijuana from the federal government. Arbitrary >restriction of this right, when there are millions of candidates who need >cannabis for their healing is unconstitutional. The Federal prohibition >effectively nullifies the power of each state to fashion their own >regulatory structure. > > Marijuana has been unjustly demonized by the government in concert >with certain corporate interests with hidden and political agendas. > > With respect to the medical marijuana "body count", the government >can score its "victims" in its war on drugs in the tens of millions. > > We are confident that after a full presentation of the evidence, >the data and the literature in the "Compassionate Class Action for >Medicalization of Marijuana", that the big lies of the government/big >business conspiracy that has led to the deprivation of constitutional >rights of all of the people affected by the class action will be exposed, >and that justice will prevail. > > Planning of support infrastructure for the "Compassionate Class >Action for Medicalization of Marijuana" is being finalized. Many >attorneys, sufferers, activists and organizations throughout the country >have already lent their support to the implementation to the class action. >It is anticipated that the class action will attract all of the vast >support that it needs because of its inherent righteousness, and its legal, >equitable and constitutional soundness. > > Further information may be obtained by contacting Lawrence Elliott >Hirsch or Joel Ian Herzfeld or Ryan Perlman, assistants to Mr. Hirsch. > > > > > Ashley H. Clements > 1416 Brookvalley lane > Atlanta, Ga. 30324 > (404) 636-6426 > > A.H.Clements@mindspring.com > > > >
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