GreenSurfer
Well-Known Member
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]NJ man with MS on trial for growing marijuana[/FONT]
SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey man with multiple sclerosis was allowed to mention his medical condition only once after he took the stand Wednesday to defend himself against marijuana charges.
John Wilson, 37, told jurors he had grown marijuana plants behind his Franklin Township rental property and took the drug for personal use. After lawyers talked privately with the judge, Wilson was allowed to make brief mention of his medical condition.
Wilson testified that he told officers who arrived at his home Aug. 18, 2008 after a police helicopter spotted marijuana plants in his backyard that "I was not a drug dealer, and I was using the marijuana to treat my MS."
Superior Court Judge Robert Breed ruled earlier that the reason Wilson was growing the plants was irrelevant because state law does not allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill to make the state the 14th in the country to legalize marijuana for medical use.
Breed said he would instruct the jury after closing arguments Thursday that personal use was not an allowable defense for marijuana use.
The trial played out as almost two simultaneous proceedings one in which the jury heard Wilson answer a few questions before they were sent out of the room, the other in which the judge wrangled with lawyers over what language, subjects and phrasing would be permissible.
Wilson was charged with maintaining a drug manufacturing facility, manufacturing marijuana and possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms. If convicted, he could get up to 20 years in prison.
Outside the courthouse, Ray Wilson said his son was being unfairly charged under a law "made for drug kingpins, not for MS patients."
"He gets arrested for being sick and using marijuana, and then can't say anything about it. It's like they've cut his tongue out," the elder Wilson said as a handful of proponents of medical marijuana cheered him on.
Defense lawyer James Wronko said the charges were excessive for someone trying to treat a medical condition that he was restricted from discussing.
Deputy Attorney General Russell Curley, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.
SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey man with multiple sclerosis was allowed to mention his medical condition only once after he took the stand Wednesday to defend himself against marijuana charges.
John Wilson, 37, told jurors he had grown marijuana plants behind his Franklin Township rental property and took the drug for personal use. After lawyers talked privately with the judge, Wilson was allowed to make brief mention of his medical condition.
Wilson testified that he told officers who arrived at his home Aug. 18, 2008 after a police helicopter spotted marijuana plants in his backyard that "I was not a drug dealer, and I was using the marijuana to treat my MS."
Superior Court Judge Robert Breed ruled earlier that the reason Wilson was growing the plants was irrelevant because state law does not allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill to make the state the 14th in the country to legalize marijuana for medical use.
Breed said he would instruct the jury after closing arguments Thursday that personal use was not an allowable defense for marijuana use.
The trial played out as almost two simultaneous proceedings one in which the jury heard Wilson answer a few questions before they were sent out of the room, the other in which the judge wrangled with lawyers over what language, subjects and phrasing would be permissible.
Wilson was charged with maintaining a drug manufacturing facility, manufacturing marijuana and possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms. If convicted, he could get up to 20 years in prison.
Outside the courthouse, Ray Wilson said his son was being unfairly charged under a law "made for drug kingpins, not for MS patients."
"He gets arrested for being sick and using marijuana, and then can't say anything about it. It's like they've cut his tongue out," the elder Wilson said as a handful of proponents of medical marijuana cheered him on.
Defense lawyer James Wronko said the charges were excessive for someone trying to treat a medical condition that he was restricted from discussing.
Deputy Attorney General Russell Curley, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.
