Pubdate: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Orange County Register Contact: P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711 Fax: (714) 565-3657 Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ Section: Commentary,page 2 Note: See MAP archives for more on McWilliams Peter McWilliams added to subjectline by MAP EDITORIAL UPDATE Peter McWilliams,the Los Angeles author, publisher and cancer survivor living with AIDS,faces sentencing March 27 on federal marijuana charges and has asked people to write letters to the judge pleading that he be allowed to serve his sentence under home detention. McWilliams was arrested in July 1998 on federal marijuana charges, after having given an advance to Todd McCormick, a medical marijuana patient, for a book (see www.petertrial.com for more details). Last November prosecutors got an order barring him from telling the jury that he has AIDS, that marijuana is medicine, that the federal government gives marijuana to eight patients, or that California passed Prop. 215. Stripped of any defense and facing a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence, he pleaded to a lesser charge. He is asking that letters addressed to Hon. George King be sent to him at 8165 Mannix Dr., L.A., CA 90046. Also on the medical marijuana front, the trial of Steve and Michele Kubby on marijuana sales and cultivation charges is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Placer County. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea