Document:California Press Release 29 January 1999 Libertarians Disappointed with Lockyer
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- NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
- 400 Capitol Mall, Suite 900
- Sacramento, CA 95814
- (916) 449-3941
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- For immediate release: January 29, 1999
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- For additional information:
- Juan Ros, Executive Director
- Phone: (818) 506-0200
- Fax: (818) 506-0212
- Mailto:director@ca.lp.org
- Web: http://www.ca.lp.org/
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Libertarians 'disappointed' with Lockyer, call for meeting to discuss Kubby case
SACRAMENTO -- Leaders of the Libertarian Party of California have called for a meeting with state Attorney General Bill Lockyer to discuss the prosecution of Steve and Michele Kubby, the state party announced today.
The request for a face-to-face meeting with Lockyer comes in response to a statement by Lockyer spokeswoman Hilary McLean in which she acknowledged that Lockyer would not be intervening in the Kubby case despite a deluge of faxes and emails from concerned Californians.
In a letter faxed to Lockyer today, state party executive director Juan Ros expressed "great disappointment" with Lockyer's decision. Ros "respectfully and emphatically" called on Lockyer to "schedule, as soon as possible, a face-to-face meeting with Libertarian Party state officials and other leaders of the medical marijuana movement to discuss the Kubby case and other pending Prop. 215 cases."
"We hope Mr. Lockyer takes this request very seriously," Ros noted. "Placer County law enforcement is ignoring the will of the voters and harassing two innocent people. It is the Attorney General's constitutional responsibility to intervene."
Steve Kubby, the 1998 Libertarian candidate for governor, and his wife Michele were arrested in a police raid of their Olympic Valley home on January 19. The Kubbys entered pleas of not guilty to charges of unauthorized cultivation, harvesting, and processing of marijuana, possession with intent to sell, and conspiracy yesterday in Tahoe City.
The Kubbys have admitted taking medical marijuana for personal use under doctor's orders -- Steve for adrenal cancer and hypertension, Michele for irritable bowel syndrome. They vehemently deny any charges that they were selling marijuana. Use of medical marijuana for personal use was made legal after voters passed Proposition 215 in November, 1996.
In addition to the meeting, Ros urged Lockyer to establish guidelines so that medical marijuana patients can know that they are obeying the law and publish procedures for local law enforcement to avoid any improper police action such as what the Kubbys experienced.
"Libertarians will continue to put pressure on the Attorney General until he decides to live up to his oath of office and ensure that the law is being adequately and uniformly enforced," Ros said. "He expressed his support for the plight of medical marijuana patients during his campaign. Now it's time for Mr. Lockyer to show that he meant what he said."