Hello medical marijuana supporters,

This is a time of accelerated activity in the community. In the month of
November there will be many support group meetings across the state. In some
areas, testimonials from patients have been swaying governing bodies away from
outright dispensary bans. As a result, more reasonable regulations are being
implemented. We hope this positive trend continues.

The post-Raich persecution of patients also continues. Court support persists
as a crucial element of our activism. Please consider attending some of the
upcoming court appearances by cannabis advocates.

Next Sacramento/National Compassionate Coalition Meeting: November 16th at
7:00PM;
Location: River City Patient Center, 1512 C El Camino Ave, Sacramento, CA.

MAPP meeting: November 6th:
The Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project will meet on Sunday, November 6th, at
1:30pm, at the Cathedral City Public Library at 33520 Date Palm Drive at the
corner of Date Palm and Dave Kelly, one block north of Dinah Shore. The meeting
will be in two parts. Those interested in forming a cooperative should plan on
attending the 1:30 portion. All others who wish to attend the regular meeting
should come at 3:00. Cathedral City is located just south of Palm Springs, CA.

San Diego ASA Meeting: November 8th:
The bustling San Diego chapter of Americans for Safe Access to Medical Marijuana
meets the first Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be on Tuesday,
November 8th, from 7 to 8pm, in the green room at Twiggs Coffee House, 4590 Park
Boulevard, San Diego, California. http://sdasa.4mg.com/index.html

High Desert MAPP meeting: November 10th:
The High Desert Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project will meet at 1pm on November
10th at the Joshua Tree Community Center, 6171 Sunburst Street, Joshua Tree,
California. James Fenton, Director of the Public Health Department of San
Bernardino County, will be discussing the role of the San Bernardino Public
Health Department in the issuance of Medical Marijuana Patient ID Cards as
mandated by SB 420. Mr. Fenton will explain what the requirements are for
obtaining a card and how county residents can obtain a card. Mr. Fenton will
have applications forms for obtaining a medical marijuana ID card. San
Bernardino County will start accepting applications for cards beginning December
2005. Contact: Lanny Swerdlow 760-799-2055

VPA Meeting: November 13th:
The Valley Patients' Alliance meets on the second and fourth Sundays of each
month at 5PM. Location: 2176 Baldwin Road, in Stockton (see E-Dispensary for
directions). Meeting subject to cancellation, due to weather. Topics: need for
indoor meeting space, info center, patient outreach.

AAMC Meeting: November 26th:
The El Dorado chapter of the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis meets on the
4th Saturday of each month at the Garden Valley Grange, 4940 Marshall Road,
Garden Valley, California. Meetings are traditionally held between 2:15 and 4:20
p.m.

MCPC Meeting: November 26th:
The Merced County Patients Coalition will be meeting on Nov. 26, at 1:30 p.m.,
at 8859 W. Almond St. in Merced (see E-Dispensary for directions). At this
meeting the MCPC membership will elect officers, hold a speaker training session
(Nathan Sands), conduct a session on Cardio-Pulmonary Disease, and discuss group
organizing. Contact: nick@compassionatecoalition.org

Court Support:
Here are some useful links for checking calendars for federal court locations
that are nearby.

United States District Court Eastern District:
Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Redding, Yosemite
http://207.41.18.73/caed/staticOther/page_460.htm

United States District Court Northern District :
San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Eureka
http://www.cand.uscourts.gov/cand/calendar.nsf/Calendars?OpenView

Court Support for Joaquin: November 16th:
Joaquin will be in court on November 16th at 8:30am in Department 13 of the
Dewitt Center in Auburn, Ca. The DeWitt Center is located west of Hwy. 49,
between Bell and Atwood Roads, in North Auburn.

Auburn Proposed Dispensary Ban:
In an encouraging trend starting to take hold across the state, the city of
Auburn, Ca. voted to continue to allow medicinal cannabis dispensaries to
operate. This vote of the planning commission occurred despite a recommendation
by the police chief that dispensaries be banned outright.

Rally on the Capitol Steps - Sunday, April 9, 2006:
While it is still several months away, planning for the 5th Annual Sacramento
Medical Marijuana Rally has already begun. It will be from 12 noon until 6pm,
on the West Steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, and will
feature live music, speakers, and D.J.'s. Submissions are being accepted for an
alternative name for the event. A shorter, more concise, attention-getting,
direct and to-the-point name is sought. Suggestions may be submitted to:
peter@compassionatecoalition.org If you would like to speak at this event,
please contact Peter G. Keyes at: 916-456-7933.

Letter Campaign: Support Bryan Epis:

Bryan Epis is a medical marijuana patient who in 2002 was sentenced to ten years
in federal prison for growing medical marijuana. At his trial, Bryan was unable
to mention that he was growing for medical purposes, or even to mention the term
"medical marijuana." He was released from federal prison on August 9, 2004,
pending the result of the Raich v. Ashcroft Supreme Court decision.

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled against Raich, Epis is being re-sentenced.
United States Prosecutor Samuel Wong has filed his sentencing memorandum, in
which he is asking the judge to impose the same 10-year sentence. However, Judge
Frank Damrell has the opportunity to impose a lesser sentence, including one of
time served where Bryan would not have to return to federal prison. Since his
release, Bryan has started a successful business in the hotel industry, is a
taxpaying and contributing member of society. Bryan is also the primary
caretaker of his young daughter who needs her father at home, not sitting in a
federal prison cell. Clearly, Bryan Epis is no threat to society and we should
not be wasting taxpayer money keeping him incarcerated.

Bryan has requested that marijuana law reform supporters write the judge letters
on his behalf. If people don't come out in support of Bryan the judge will
probably cite that fact as evidence that Bryan was just a typical commercial pot
grower. Those who have conditions for which medical cannabis is an effective
treatment (or their caregivers) should talk about their conditions and explain
how medical cannabis helps. Bryan and his attorneys feel that this judge does
not believe that there is a legitimate medical use for cannabis, and we need to
convince him. First-hand stories from people whose relatives have died a painful
death from cancer, etc., and who found relief from cannabis would be especially
valuable.

Would you please help Bryan Epis by writing a letter to Judge Damrell asking him
to impose the minimum sentence in this case so that Bryan can continue to
support his family? Letters should be addressed to:
The Honorable Frank C. Damrell, Jr./ U.S. District Court/ 501 I Street, Suite
4-200/ Sacramento, CA 95814.

Please write on the envelope and at the top of the letter: "Re: Sentencing of
Bryan Epis, #97-381." Please remember to be respectful and courteous in your
letters, as any letters that come across as hostile or mean-spirited will hurt
Bryan rather than help. Letter-writers are advised to have their letters cleared
by Brenda Grantland, Bryan's attorney, before sending them to the judge. Ms.
Grantland can be reached at:
Address: 20 Sunnyside Suite A-204 Mill Valley, CA 94941
Phone: (415) 380-9143. Email: fearnol@nbn.com

Note: Bryan Epis' court hearing, originally scheduled for August 1, has been
postponed until November 28th.

Bryan Epis Resentencing Letter Campaign-Sample Letter:

Here is the letter that I sent to Judge Damrell, urging leniency in Bryan's
resentencing. You may use it for ideas, but please do not copy any part of it in
your letter to the judge. All letters to the judge should be personal.
Thanks.-Peter

Re: Sentencing of Bryan Epis, #97-381.

Honorable Judge Damrell,

Please sentence Bryan Epis to time served, or the absolute minimum sentence
possible.

Although Bryan was tried and convicted of conspiracy to manufacture over 1000
cannabis plants, the evidence clearly indicates that substantially fewer plants
were found.

I met Bryan right after his release from federal prison, and I have spoken with
Bryan on several occasions since then. I have found him to be a shy, sincere,
and thoughtful person. Bryan does not want to be a martyr, and consequently he
has gotten out of the medicinal cannabis industry entirely.

He has painstakingly abided by the terms of his release, including abstention
from using medicinal cannabis. His reunion with his daughter, Ashley, was a
tearful affair. Little Ashley ought not be further deprived of her father's care
as a result of the federal government's prosecution of medicinal cannabis
patients.

I use medicinal cannabis for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. On many days, my stomach
cramps are so bad that I am not able to leave the bed. Smoked medicinal cannabis
helps to mitigate this ailment. No other drug, including Marinol, is as
effective.

I watched my close personal friend, David Dwyre, die of cancer. Although the
fast-growing tumor killed him within six months of discovery, I witnessed the
ways that medicinal cannabis dramatically improved the quality of the last days
of his life. He was on drip morphine by then, and the smoked cannabis mitigated
his nausea, and helped him to feel more alive. The opiates made him feel like a
zombie, while the medicinal cannabis gently soothed him. An extremely active
person, David did not enjoy feeling like a zombie.

On July 11, 2005, Steven McWilliams, a medical marijuana patient, killed himself
in San Diego. The United States Supreme Court's wrongful ruling in the Raich
case is the central reason Steven took his life. Like Bryan, he feared returning
to federal prison. Also, like Bryan, he had been forbidden by the courts from
using medicinal cannabis.

A few years ago, another Southern California patient, Peter McWilliams, died by
choking on his own vomit. Peter served time on a cannabis cultivation charge,
despite his dual diagnosis of cancer and AIDS. While Peter was out on parole,
the terms of his release forbade him from using the medical marijuana that
alleviated his nausea and gave him an appetite.

If not for the federal government's war on medical marijuana patients, these men
might still be alive today.

Please show your compassion for Bryan, who never intended to break any laws. He
simply wanted to implement state law's mandate that patients receive safe access
to life-saving medicine. He has learned his lesson, and will never again put his
family through the agony that they have had to endure.

Thank you for your consideration.

The Compassionate Coalition is an all volunteer non profit educational
organization. Private donations are our only source of funding. We depend
entirely on your generocity to fund our ongoing projects. In order to help our
work continue, please make a paypal contribution today at:
peter@compassionatecoalition.org

Much appreciation to those who have already contributed. The ongoing monthly
pledges are especially welcome. Thank you for helping us to defend patients'
rights to have safe access to medical marijuana.

Sincerely,
Peter G. Keyes
Vice President/Treasurer
Compassionate Coalition
http://www.compassionatecoalition.org