MEDICINAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE DIES

Myron "Karl" Mower, a longtime Sonora resident and medicinal
marijuana proponent, died Friday at a Fresno hospital. He was 44 years old.

He was born in Washington, D.C. and moved to California when he was
four weeks old. He grew up in the Bay Area and moved to Sonora in 1982.

Mr. Mower, a diabetic since he was 9, was brought to trial for
illegal marijuana possession in 1998, after Tuolumne County narcotics
agents searched his Twain Harte-area home and found 31 marijuana
plants growing in his basement and among the vegetables in his backyard garden.

He was allowed to grow marijuana by Proposition 215, a medicinal
marijuana law passed by California voters in 1996. But investigators
said he was growing more than local laws allowed for personal use.

Mr. Mower said he smoked about eight grams of pot per day to
alleviate his near constant pain, subdue his nausea and persistent
vomiting, aid him in eating and drinking, and clear his vision so he
could make out basic shapes with the less than 10 percent capacity
that remained in his left eye. He had been declared legally blind at 21.

He was nevertheless convicted in Tuolumne County Superior Court and
sentenced to five years probation and a $1,000 fine. Mr. Mower
appealed the decision, eventually bringing his case to the California
Supreme Court. In 2002, the high court unanimously overturned his conviction.

The decision was seen as a landmark, more clearly defining the rights
of patients and legal procedures in dealing with growers of medical
marijuana for personal use.

"What he lived for the most was helping people," said his wife,
Laurie. "He was very happy when the court decision was made. Very happy."

Mr. Mower died of respiratory failure as a result of pneumonia. He
was placed on a respirator but made the decision to have it turned
off earlier last week.

"He didn't want to live on a respirator," his mother, Mary McClinton, said.

Mr. Mower is survived by his wife of 12 years, Laurie; stepson,
Michael; mother and stepfather, Mary McClinton and Roger Selsor, of
Fresno; brother and sister-in-law, Michael T. and Shelley Mower, of
Grants Pass, Ore.; niece and nephew, Mariah and Cameron Mower, of
Grants Pass; and mother-in-law, Sherry Johnson, and her family, of Sonora.

No services will be held.

McClinton said she will miss her son's positive nature, even in the
face of his pain and adversity.

"I will miss his smile and his phone calls," she said. "He checked in
with me every day."

His wife, Laurie, echoed those sentiments: "He had a great sense of
humor. Considering how sick he was, he was a trouper. He was like the
Energizer Bunny - he just kept going and going."

Donations in his name may be made to the American Diabetes Society,
P.O. Box 1131, Fairfax, VA 22038-1131.