Pubdate: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 1998 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Author: Gil Hopenstand MEDICAL-POT ACTIVISTS PROTEST CONVICTION OF CO-OP FOUNDER DRUGS: Supporters Of Martin Chavez Say Their Fight Centers On The Issue Of Choice For The Ill. Medical-marijuana advocates Thursday condemned the conviction of Orange County Cannabis Co-op founder Marvin Chavez on eight drug charges and vowed not to let their fight fade away. Some wore cannabis-leaf leis or lit up pipes outside Orange County Superior Court in Westminster, about 100 feet from the Police Department. "This is a miscarriage of justice. It's not what my founding fathers died for. This is a freedom issue," said Thomas Pollard, a landscaper from Fountain Valley who helped secure the drug for a friend who eventually succumbed to cancer. Pollard was a reluctant witness in Chavez's prosecution. "It's an issue of whether people have the (choice) of what makes them feel better. Who can decide that for me better than me?" he asked. Advocates hope that another local case awaiting trial will protect the use of medicinal marijuana guaranteed under Proposition 215, passed in 1996. The co-director of Chavez's co-op, Jack Shachter of Garden Grove, is accused of possessing the drug with the intent to sell. Shachter said he can prove the marijuana was his by prescription from a doctor, and he is confident a trial will conclude in his favor. "This is a victimless crime. There is no complainant," said patient advocate Steve McWilliams. McWilliams said county health officials should help ill Orange County residents get the medicinal marijuana they need. One idea advocates are considering: building a warehouse in the county where they could legally raise cannabis. Regardless of what the courts decide will be Chavez's fate, supporters said, some patients still need marijuana to cope with pain. Legal wrangling could continue for months, they said, but they're hurting now. "It's our lives, not just Marvin's," said Mira Ingram, 31, of Garden Grove, who said she needs marijuana to ease her carpal tunnel syndrome and the arthritis in her hands and feet. "We're hoping with Gray Davis as governor, maybe something can pass through the state Legislature," she said. - --- Checked-by: Patrick Henry