CHAVEZ IS HOME

Marvin Chavez,founder of the Orange County Patient Doctor Nurse
Support Group for medical marijuana patients, returned to Orange
County and he's ready to resume his work - with a few key
differences.

Mr. Chavez, readers might recall, came home April 21 after serving 15
months in state prison for marijuana sales. He was released on bail
pending his appeal.

"I almost feel as if I haven't broken stride," he told us Thursday.
"I've found a new nurse to review applications, I'm catching up on
paperwork and making plans to get the group going again."

Under the terms of his bail, Mr. Chavez is not allowed to distribute
marijuana, but he wants the group to operate for education and
support, with regular meetings and a business location. He intends to
begin meeting with local officials soon. "We made some mistakes last
time, but we want to try to get all the details right this time, to
operate openly and lawfully," he said.

Mr. Chavez, who still uses marijuana (with a doctor's recommendation)
to treat symptoms of a debilitating back disorder, told us he asked
for cannabis whenever he visited the infirmary in prison, but prison
doctors would not furnish it. He struck up a correspondence with Dr.
Lester Grinspoon of Harvard, who has done extensive research and
writing on the medical marijuana. Mr. Chavez is scheduled to appear on
Prime Story, on Orange County Newschannel Monday at 7 p.m.

We hope local officials will meet with Mr. Chavez and his group and
cooperate in getting Prop. 215 implemented lawfully.