TAYLOR GETS LIGHT SENTENCE FROM YAVAPAI

Convicted cannabis grower Robert Terrell Taylor, who was sentenced to five
years in Arizona State Prison in October -- has received a relatively light
sentence in Yavapai County for his cultivation of some 287 marijuana plants
while he was on the run from pot-growing charges in Graham County.

Taylor got a one-year concurrent sentence from Yavapai County Superior
Court Judge William T. Kiger on Dec. 10, with a $750 fine and a three-
month term of community supervision.

His wife Angela, who lives in their home south of Safford with her four
children, said she was glad the Yavapai sentencing did not add extra time
to her husband's five-year imprisonment.

In a letter to the Courier from the Arizona State Prison, Taylor wrote of
his affection for the people of the Gila Valley, his medical condition, and
cited several studies which indicated cannabis to be less harmful than is
popularly believed.

"I would like to express my love and concern for the people of this
valley," he wrote.

"I left very reluctantly with my family because our future didn't look too
bright if we stayed. We are a very close family and we did not want to be
apart."

Taylor said his personal use of cannabis treated his colitis and gall
bladder troubles, which were aggravated by prison food, causing weight loss.

"For some 16 years, I had successfully treated my own medical conditions in
a self-sufficient way," Taylor wrote.

Taylor cited numerous cases of research to lend credence to the idea that
cannabis use was more beneficial than harmful.

"In Amsterdam, Holland, for about 30 years, the government has adopted a
policy of tolerance and non-prosecution of cannabis smokers. Cannabis is
available in about 800 cafes and programs for hard drug users. Holland has
seen a substantial reduction in cannabis consumption among teenagers and a
33 percent drop in the number of heroin addicts. Crystal meth is unheard
of. The strategy of separating cannabis sales from hard drug dealers by
bringing pot above ground has been quite successful. In 1998, despite
constant pressure from the U.S. Government and the Drug Enforcement Agency,
the Dutch government has totally refused to recriminalize," Taylor wrote.

Several well-wishers who learned of Taylor's incarceration in the Arizona
State Prison system have helped his wife Angela and her children by giving
firewood and other assistance.