Victims

Every week, we at the Marijuana Policy Project confront extreme government abuses like the ones you'll read about below, as the war on marijuana users rages on. This war is littered with casualties — and even fatalities.

With the help of our dues-paying members, MPP is working to end the persecution and destruction of people like you'll read about here.

Bryan Epis

Chronic pain sufferer Bryan Epis was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for growing medical marijuana for himself and others. He served more than two years of his sentence before being released while the Supreme Court considered Gonzales v. Raich. In 2010, he was sent back to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Peter McWilliams

Writer, poet and publisher Peter McWilliams used medical marijuana to relieve the pain he suffered from cancer and AIDS. He also took advantage of his prominence as a writer and public figure to advocate in favor of medical marijuana laws. As a result, he was investigated, raided, arrested, and put on trial by the federal government. In 2000, while out on bond and unable to use marijuana to ease his nausea, he began vomiting, choked on his vomit, and died.

Jeffre and Alice Sanderson

Jeffre Sanderson and his wife, Alice Wiegand, owned a garden that supplied medical marijuana to ten patients under California state law. But because the federal government did not recognize California’s Compassionate Use Act, the couple was arrested in 2006 and had their children turned over to social services.