I represent Ms. Ashley Weber, the subject of Ms. Elizabeth Miller’s thoughtful article in the Boulder Weekly (“Between two laws,” Dec. 13). I was so affected by Ashley’s situation that I sought to represent her.
Ashley’s Section 8 housing assistance is being terminated by the Longmont Housing Authority. I believe such action is discriminatory and in need of immediate action. To that end, I have requested, among other things, that the termination of assistance be withdrawn and that she be permitted to use her medicine in the privacy of her own home.
If the termination is not withdrawn, I am prepared to proceed with litigation in the United States District Court, District of Colorado, to protect Ashley and her son from the harm that will be visited upon her. This will be a case of first impression in the United States and stands to establish precedent for the disabled, as well as medical marijuana users. For Ashley and her 3-year-old son Collin’s sake I hope it does not come to that.
Representatives [Cory] Gardner and [Jared] Polis have already contacted the Longmont Housing Authority on Ashley’s behalf.
I submit that the “low federal law enforcement” policy pronounced by President Obama last week is insufficient and places people like Ashley and Collin in harm’s way. It is time to move forward with legislation exempting medical marijuana from prosecution under the Controlled Substances Act. States’ rights is good politics, and Ashley and I are prepared to “go all the way” if necessary.
Please join us in this effort.
Jeff Gard, attorney/Boulder
For 35 years I have been the victim of the U.S. government’s “War on Citizens”! Forced to be a foot soldier in the trenches, defending my God-given right to ingest any food-plant I desire.
You can’t wage war on an inanimate object. It is tax-paying citizens with human hearts that have been harassed, tortured, fined and jailed by government authorities for decades!
Cannabis is not a drug and should never have been targeted as such. It is a very versatile, helpful and harmless plant if used properly. Fuel, textiles, food, paper, pain relief and getting people off their alcohol or narcotic addictions are just a few of the great uses for the cannabis plant.
The government’s propaganda war has been largely successful at ruining people’s lives and creating an American society where citizens fear and hate the police and their government.
Now, local housing authorities and their housing specialists have become DEA agents, kicking low-income, disabled people out of their much-needed subsidized housing, claiming that this is what the federal government would want them to do.
President Obama has now announced that the federal authorities should leave the people of Colorado and Washington alone!
I, however, just received a three-day eviction notice from the city of Boulder Housing Authority telling me to vacate my apartment. Merry Christmas!
This happened after I posted on my front door a full-page Boulder Weekly ad for Options Medical Center featuring my photograph and an article stating why my physician has for 10 years recommended medical marijuana for my health. Also posted was my Colorado legal patient “red card.”
I have never smoked inside my apartment, but unproven reports of smoke smell in the common hallway have possibly ruined my chances to remain housed now and in the future.
At Walnut Place Senior and Disabled Public Housing in Boulder, there are at least nine residents who possess red cards and plenty more living on every floor who regularly smoke. On any given day, you will smell marijuana in the public hallways, but it seems that I am the one targeted for harassment from the Housing Authority.
For 10 years, Colorado Constitutional Amendment 20 has stated that the only place a patient can medicate is inside the privacy of their homes!
Longmont Housing Authority has decided to take away a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher from a quadriplegic mother and her son for counting marijuana medicine bills as living expenses.
The Boulder City Housing Authority has tried to appear more consumer-friendly by changing their heavy-handed name from Authority to include the word “Partners”!
The people of Colorado have spoken! Constitutional Amendments 20 and 64 passed! Housing authorities must stick to their job of providing subsidies to people.
Randall Glaub/Boulder
Meat is murder
This year’s developments have certainly vindicated those of us who care about our health, our environment and our treatment of animals.
In January, first lady Michelle Obama unveiled revamped federal guidelines requiring school cafeterias to serve more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and less sodium and animal fat.
In March, a study involving nearly 38,000 men and 84,000 women by the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that one daily serving of meat is associated with a 13 percent to 20 percent increase in the risk of death from heart disease or cancer. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine estimates that prevalence of obesity among American adults will escalate to 42 percent by 2030, with a $550 billion increase in medical costs. The Humane Society exposed unconscionable atrocities among three pig producers in Oklahoma and a Pennsylvania egg farm. It’s little wonder that 7 percent of Americans consider themselves vegetarian or vegan, and 28 percent are actively reducing their meat consumption, leading to a 12 percent U.S. drop since 2007.
We should all consider following suit for this New Year’s resolution. Entering “live vegan” in a search engine brings tons of recipes and other useful information.
Stanley Silver/Boulder
