Submitted on: October 16, 1993

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After only about two hours of deliberation, a San Diego jury returned
verdicts of Not Guilty for Samuel Skipper after deciding yesterday,
October 15th, that hiv+ Skipper has a medical need to use marijuana and
acquitted him on two felony charges of growing marijuana at his home.

During the trial Skipper admitted he grew the marijuana in his house and
backyard, saying he needed to eat the illegal drug at each meal to fight
off the nausea and weight loss which are symptoms of the virus.

Skipper says he will continue to eat the marijuana at every meal.
During the course of his trial, he took a marijuana/peanut butter
sandwich hoping to present it as evidence only to have it immediately
seized.

Bob Lenzi, a 37-year old La Jolla financial planner, serving as jury
foreman, told reporters that jurors quickly agreed that Skipper "...
proved his defense of having a medical need to use marijuana because he
has the hiv virus that results in aids and because he had shown symptoms
associated with aids."  "He proved he had a necessity to use cannabis to
save his own life," Lenzi said.

Skipper faced five years and eight months in prison on the two felony
charges.  His legal problems, however, did not end yesterday since he
now faces probation revocation because he pleaded guilty to growing
marijuana in 1991.  Drug agents are still not blocked from returning to
his home and arresting him again if they find marijuana.

Skipper's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Juliana Humphrey, however,
has indicated she will file motions asking the judge to remove the
probation condition which allows police to search Skipper's home without
a warrant, indicating this would clear the way for him to continue to
grow marijuana at his home to alleviate symptoms of the aids virus.  Ms.
Humphrey said, "If that's something our society can deal with, then
hopefully the District Attorney's office can, too.  Hopefully that's the
end of it."

Skipper said since he began regularly using marijuana he has been able
to maintain his weight and has shown few signs of aids symptoms, despite
the fact many of his friends with the aids virus have died while using
such drugs as AZT.

District Attorney Williams had told jurors they had to decide whether
Skipper's decision to grow and consume marijuana was reasonable, saying,
"To stay in your sanctuary and ignore the rest of the world is all
right, but it's not objectively reasonable when dealing with a medical
problem."

Skipper's attorney, Ms. Humphrey, countered by telling jurors her client
should not be expected to wait for other medicines to fail him and for
his medical condition to grow worse before allowing him the use of
marijuana.  "How many ineffective, blind-alley lethal medicines do you
have to take and see someone die from," she asked, "before you can
choose what you know works?"

Glaucoma sufferer Bob Randall of Washington, D.C. testifed during the
trial that he is one of only nine people in the United States who can
legally use marijuana to alleviate his suffering.  After 15 years the
Bush Administration ended this Compassionate Investigational New Drug
program.  Randall testified that legislatures in 35 states have asked
the federal government to ressurrect the Compassionate Investigational
New Drug program, and that President Clinton's surgeon general, Joycelyn
Elders, has indicated she may do that.

Get out the keyboard, folks, and let your politicians know how you feel.

A letter of congratulations to Skipper's attorney just might be in
order, as well.

            Ms. Juliana Humphrey
            Deputy Public Defender
            San Diego County (MS C-277)
            233 "A" Street
            San Diego, CA 92101

And while you're at it, a letter to the judge asking him to remove
Skipper's probation condition which allows police to search his home
without a warrant, indicating this would clear the way for him to
continue to grow marijuana at his home to alleviate symptoms of the aids
virus, just might do a lot of help, as well!

            Honorable Norbert Ehrenfreund
            Superior Court, State of California
            San Diego County Courthouse (MS C-44)
            220 West Broadway
            San Diego, CA 92101

If you're inclined to write, please do so quickly as this type of
probation hearing is usually held rather quickly.