Source: San Francisco Bay Times (CA) Contact: 525 Bryant St., San Francisco CA 94107 Pubdate: Thurs, 6 August 1998 Author: Ann Rostow PWA LINGERS IN L.A. JAIL WITHOUT MEDICATION FOR DAYS On July 30, the ACLU of Southern California sent a "strongly worded" letter to U.S. Attorney Nora Manella, demanding that she compel the Federal Detention Center in Los Angeles to provide AIDS medicine to inmate Peter McWilliams. McWilliams, a best-selling author and a proponent of medical marijuana who has both AIDS and cancer, has been in jail since July 23 for paying the rent on a piece of property where police allege marijuana plants are being raised for sale. McWilliams takes medication six times a day, a cocktail regime of protease inhibitors which -- as everyone but his jailers seem to know -- must be followed without fail to avoid developing resistance to treatment. The following day at a bail hearing, ACLU lawyer Taylor Flynn told the Bay Times that the issue was raised and the "judge was outraged," ordering the medicines to be resumed at once. As of Aug. 3, Flynn said she understands that McWilliams is getting some, but not all, of his drugs. "I'm waiting to get a detailed list of what medications he has and has not received so that I can call up the prosecutors to make sure he is getting the correct medications and there's no more dallying around with this." Flynn calls the situation appalling. "It's tantamount to a death sentence. It's unconscionable for anyone, but this is someone who hasn't been convicted of a crime." - --- Checked-by: Mike Gogulski