Peter McWilliams was a writer, poet and self-publisher, primarily known as the best-selling author of several self-help books. In 1996 -- the same year California became the first state to pass a medical marijuana law -- McWilliams was diagnosed with cancer and AIDS. Soon after, he became an activist on behalf of medical marijuana, speaking out nationally and writing in defense of the newfound medicine that eased his suffering and was legal under state law.
Shortly after 6 a.m. on December 18, 1997, DEA agents raided McWilliams' home and office, putting him in handcuffs while they combed through his possessions and personal writings in search of evidence that could result in charges of violating federal marijuana laws. Among the items seized were McWilliams' computer and back-up drives, which contained all unpublished drafts of "A Question of Compassion: An AIDS Cancer Patient Explores Medical Marijuana," the book he had been working on in the two years since his diagnosis.
Eventually McWilliams was charged with violating federal laws for growing marijuana plants. During his trial, the federal judge in California forbid McWilliams from mentioning that he was terminally ill and that he found relief from marijuana -- which was legal under state law -- even as he vomited several times in court.
On June 14, 2000, while out on bond, McWilliams was found dead in his apartment. Without the marijuana that eased his nausea, he had suffered a severe bout of vomiting, choked on his vomit, and died. He was 50 years old.
