President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to you as a wife and mother of two young daughters, whose 34-year old husband, Matthew Davies, faces 10 years or more in federal prison for providing medical marijuana to sick people in California, even though he complied with state law concerning medicinal cannabis. My questions to you are simple:
Mr. President, my husband is not a criminal and shouldn't be treated like one. Matt is not a drug dealer or trafficker. He's not driving around in a fancy car and living in some plush mansion--trust me. My husband is a regular guy, and we're a regular, middle-class family. Yet even though Matt took great pains to follow state and local law, he is currently facing a severe prison sentence. This all seems so surreal.
Last month you told Barbara Walters that federal law enforcement authorities would not go after people in Colorado and Washington for marijuana-related crimes because it makes no sense for the government to "focus on recreational drug users in a state that has already said that under state law that's legal." You said that the federal government has "bigger fish to fry."
If that's true, why are federal prosecutors in Sacramento threatening my husband, Matt, with 10 years to life in federal prison for providing medical marijuana to California patients who are legally allowed to possess and use it? Matt did nothing illegal under our state and local laws. He has no criminal record. He is a hard-working family man and a loving, kind husband and father.
We are confused and absolutely terrified.
I remember when Matt first told me about his hopes of providing medical cannabis to patients. At first, I thought he was crazy. But, we talked about how his grandfather wasted away from cancer and was in so much pain at the end of his life, and how medical marijuana could have helped him. We also talked about how it is perfectly legal in California to use marijuana for medicinal purposes and to provide it to people who have been legally prescribed the medication.
Matt explained to me how he wanted to do things right--to pay taxes, to provide good jobs, and to reduce the price of medicine for patients.
But I was still worried. Even though California has legalized medical marijuana, I was afraid that the federal government could still come after him. Matt had thought this through as well. He showed me an official memo from your Department of Justice saying that the federal government has no interest in prosecuting folks for using and providing medical marijuana so long as they comply with their state's laws. Just like you told Barbara Walters last month, the federal government, it seemed to us, had "bigger fish to fry."
So, Matt moved forward with his plans. To protect his family, Matt spent thousands of dollars on lawyers who would ensure that he complied with every part of state law. When I saw how careful he was, I eventually became comfortable with what Matt was doing. He felt like he was offering a valuable service to people in need, many of whom are vulnerable and terminally ill. Matt truly believed that he was doing a good thing.
And he was. My husband provided medical marijuana to patients for a little over one year. It was not his full-time job--he actually runs a local family-owned restaurant where he manages 30 employees--but it was a second job that he felt quite passionate about. Through his non-profit work, Matt employed dozens of people; all of them paid taxes. All of this was out in the open--he even had business permits from state and local governments. The dispensaries that Matt helped run made it possible for patients to safely and reliably access their legally prescribed medication. Many of them appreciated the fact that they didn't have to try to "hook up" their medication though some drug dealer on the street.
Despite employing dozens of people and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal, state and local taxes and fees, Matt kept his non-profit salary low: he made less than $50,000 total. He obviously didn't do it for the money.
We would have never gone down this road had we thought for a moment that the federal government would prosecute Matt for running a completely above-board operation that is perfectly legal where we live. Nothing is worth Matt's liberty. And I cannot even bear to think of our daughters growing up without their father. This is a nightmare.
Mr. President, I ask you, I beg of you, to convey the position you took on national television last month to your local law enforcement agents. Or, even better, come to Stockton, California and see for yourself. Sit down with Matt and hear our story. My husband is not the "bigger fish to fry." Please drop this case and put an end to our family's nightmare.
Yours with hope and sincerity,
Molly Davies
WATCH MOLLY DAVIES ON HUFFPOST LIVE:
Matthew was also quoted in other articles as saying, when he started his venture, that he wanted to get in on the ground floor of a promising and fast growing enterprise.
So continuing to run dispensaries and cultivating marijuana after that run in with the Federal Govt aside from the attention other dispensaries were getting is anything BUT careful as portrayed here (how is directly breaking a federal statue after already being threatened with prosecution careful?) and his motivations seem to be a bit more calculating than the picture painted here. The 50 K he paid himself is purposely set to stay within the norm for exec directors of non-profits and he risked being shut down by the state if he paid himself much more than that let alone attracting the Feds attention.
My guess is he was hoping eventually the laws would be relaxed on both the Federal and State level and he could turn it into a for profit organization. He knew the risk.
Marijuana needs to be regulated and taxed like alcohol and tabacco.
Watch the documentary "The House We Live In" produced by Brad Pitt, Danny Glover, and Russell Simmons.
We need to stop focusing on the costly, benign, and wasted resources associated with organic harmless herbs and spend the effort/cost on unemployment issues, poverty, children, and the list goes on and on.
If he gets a 2 year suspended sentence this is non issue, and Pres is right to focus on real issues.
But when this 'war' is won I think we will see a large economic surge mainly through growing and multiple uses of hemp.
About 2 hours after going to sleep, Seattle Narcotics showed up at my doorstep to check out my garden. Our state limit is 15 plants...unless you are growing for another patient. I informed them that I could have 6 gays boys over to my house in 15 minutes with their letters and that they were wasting their time. They gave up and left me, the plants, the lights, the carbon filter, the ventilation system...everything.
is what ''our'' government does..
they think it's what makes them relevant.
and it is
Well, the President addressed the issue with a single line..., "I don't know what this says about the online crowd", with a smirk and that flashy smile. Then he dismissed the entire legalization issue for the entire townhall, and went on to address all the less-voted-for ideas and issues.
This was not a good start for what was promised to be an open, transparent, and inclusive discussion. When someone starts out like that, it makes it easier and easier for them to brush people off as they go along.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans took part in this gimmick. Most were left disappointed. The entire townhall was a flop, in the end. I didn't participate in any more of them, and I unsubscribed from his emailing list, that I had been a part of since early in his campaign. My 'bromance' with the man I had just voted to be President, was over.
He was dishonest, dismissive, and ridiculed the very people who cared enough to participate. There was never any hint of an apology.
In 2008, President Obama was the first person from either of the 2-Party system that I ever voted for, for President, since I became old enough 30+ years ago.[ I always voted independent or 3rd Party]. In 2012 , I didn't make that mistake again....,
Good luck, Molly. I mean this sincerely. You are going to need it.....,
I don't want Pot dealers advertising to my kids; and you shouldn't either.
Those of you who want liberalization need to think more along the lines of ABC store, and Cigarette ad restrictions than wild wild west.
When that was raised at the meeting, the attorney general said, well, we don't have the resources and the time to be going after those people."
Cut and pasted from interview of David Keene (NRA pres) by Judy Woorduff on PBS Newshour Jan 15, refering to meeting with Vice President Biden.