| Peter Mcwilliams |
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EARLY WRITINGS After attending Eastern Michigan University , he studied under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi . He wrote nearly 40 books that he '' (1993). Many of these are liberally sprinkled with selected Quotations intended to illuminate the points he is making, often humorously. ''Life 101'' and a few subsequent books were also credited to John-Roger (Roger Delano Hinkins), the leader of the Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness and McWilliams's spiritual advisor during that time. McWilliams later repudiated the movement, claiming to be the sole author of the books, which clearly are written in his style. All the books for which he holds Litigation over the contents of the book. MEDICAL MARIJUANA In 1996 California Proposition 215 was approved by the voters that allowed terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana. The same year, Peter McWilliams was diagnosed with both Cancer and AIDS and was among the roughly forty percent of terminally ill patients that experience extreme nausea as a side effect of medications used to treat such diseases. Advocates of medical marijuana (and many medical researchers) believe that the drug is an Anti-emetic , which eliminates the nausea associated with cancer and AIDS medications, thus allowing the medications to work effectively and enabling the patient to maintain their appetite and diet. Mcwilliams became a strong supporter of medical marijuana and published ''Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do'' as a critic of Victimless Crime or ''consensual crime laws'' (to wit, as the premise of the book states, "any act which is a crime, which does not ''physically'' harm the person or property of another; a stance shared by historical political philosopher John Stuart Mill ), including the laws against marijuana. The book made him a hero among Civil Libertarian s and critics of American Drug Prohibition . McWilliams spoke before the Libertarian Party National Convention in 1998 where he came out as a Gay man that was diganosed with both Cancer and AIDS and thus had a personal stake in the California law legalizing Marijuana for medical reaons. Along with the book ''Ain't'', McWilliams was a vocal activist for medical marijuana and was helping Todd McCormick (who suffered from cancer since childhood) write a book titled ''How To Grow Medical Marijuana''. Both men became the subject of a Federal Drug Enforcement Agency investigation; their homes were searched and research was seized to gather evidence towards charging both men with violating federal drug laws. McWilliams and McCormick were arrested and charged with violating federal drug laws concerning marijuana. The financial support that McWilliams gave to McCormick was used as evidence that he was a ''drug kingpin''. At his trial, the judge ruled that McWilliams was not allowed to mention in court that he was terminally ill, that using medical marijuana was (in his opinion) keeping him alive, or that his usage of medical marijuana was legal under California state law. Even as he vomited repeatedly during court proceedings, McWilliams was, under such legal conditions, not allowed to explain his condition or its connection to the charges against him. Due to these restrictions, he was forced to plead guilty and hope that the judge would show leniency. McWilliams asked supporters to send e-mails and letters to the presiding judge in an effort to allow Mcwilliams to serve his sentence under house arrest, where he could continue writing and have access to medical care. During this time, McWilliams continued writing articles highly critical of the laws against marijuana, including an open letter (published in Liberty Magazine ) to Microsoft founder and CEO Bill Gates which called on him to join the Libertarian Party . ABC News reporter John Stossel had been a supporter of McWilliams' plight and had produced a ''Give Me A Break'' segment on Peter McWilliams a few days before McWilliams died in 2000 . {Link without Title} DEATH WHILE OUT ON BOND PENDING SENTENCING On June 14th of 2000 , McWilliams was found dead in his apartment. He had choked on his own vomit. His mother's house had been used to collateralize the bond on which he was allowed to remain free pending sentencing, a condition of which was that he refrain from using cannabis. For fear of losing his mother's house, he did so, again forgoing the medication needed to control his symptoms. He had access to Marinol , but it was ineffective for him about one-third of the time. {Link without Title} ''The federal prosecutor personally called my mother to tell her that if I was found with even a trace of medical marijuana, her house would be taken away.'' {Link without Title} Richard Cowan and many critics of the U.S. drug policies have described his death as Murder by the US government, insofar as they denied him the use of the Medical Marijuana which might have prevented his death. Others (including McWilliams himself, in ''Ain't'') suggest those involved in such tragedies as his are otherwise good people whose dedication to the law had allowed them to be used for the purpose of enforcing unnecessarily cruel, unnecessarily expensive, and simply unnecessary laws, for the purpose of enforcing a morality that is in the interests of satisfying the moral offense of a segment of the American population, rather than satisfying the legitimate interests of America or Americans. ''When his elderly mother pledged her house as security for the bail, they threatened that the government would seize her house if her son simply failed a drug test, not just if he were to flee. She would not be intimidated, but now her son is dead as the result of the conditions of the bail. These are the "family values" of America's war on the sick and dying.'' {Link without Title} In October of 2001 , John Stossel reported again on McWilliams's story. The segment, entitled ''Sex, Drugs and Consenting Adults'', included footage of the late author and was highly critical of victimless crime laws. QUOTES BY PETER MCWILLIAMS
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