“Everyone’s Favorite Felon”: An Interview with Bernie Ellis
By Jeff Rosenzweig
February 5th, 2011

http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2011/02/05/everyones-favorite-felon-an-interview-with-bernie-ellis-2/

“Convicted felon.” What comes to mind when you read those words? Perhaps you immediately visualize a mobster, a Capone, a Gotti. Or maybe a white-collar crook, a Madoff, a Skilling, an Ebbers. Or a murderer, a rapist, a bank robber, a gangbanger.

Bernie Ellis is a convicted felon. His crime was growing medical marijuana for his own use and for the use of four terminally-ill neighbors, a service for which he took no payment.

While he avoided prison time, he received four years of probation (later reduced by half) and spent 18 months confined in a Bureau of Prisons halfway house in Nashville.

-snip-

A piece he contributed last week to the Democrats for Progress Blog
http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2011/01/31/i-am-applying-for-a-presidential-pardon-for-my-medical-cannabis-conviction-will-you-help/
fills in more of his astonishing story, and his current efforts to secure a Presidential pardon.

-snip-

***

this interview is excellent, and deeply moving.



peace

That's worth repeating.. loudly!

Marijuana laws lead to hard drug use – not marijuana use itself.

Preach it, Brother Bernie!


Here is the lead-up to that quote, for context:

"Most credible research on marijuana has debunked the canard that marijuana is a “gateway” drug that leads inevitably to harder drug use. I have read that research and believe it, with one very critically important exception.

When I was locked up in the federal Bureau of Prisons halfway house, I had many of my “homies” there who had been involved in the criminal justice system and subject to random drug tests for lengthy periods of time. They told me that they quickly learned that they could get plastered on alcohol or strung out on cocaine, methamphetamine, pills and/or heroin on a Friday night and piss clean on Monday.

However, if they smoked marijuana for recreation or relief on Friday night (which most of them preferred to do), they would piss dirty for two to four weeks. It doesn’t take a “rocket surgeon” to do that math. Marijuana laws lead to hard drug use – not marijuana use itself."


K&R for Bernie, someone I'm proud to call my friend..

Peace,

Ghost

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x359592


Thanks for getting this ball rolling. I was really thankful for the interview. I hope folks will visit the above-linked thread also to give me feedback on the interview. Thanks kindly.

Please send letters of support for Bernie if you can

:kick: Too late to rec :blush: