MARIJUANA ADVOCATE GIDEON ISRAEL TO GO FREE

TACOMA, Wash. - Gideon Israel, a marijuana advocate who made his 42-acre
"Rainbow Valley" ranch a mecca for aging hippies, says his six months in
jail were a chance to meet new friends, minister to those in trouble and
focus on his health.

"It's been quite an adventure," Israel said last week as he prepared to be
released from the Thurston County Jail. "I've probably met 1,000 men who
live here locally in the county. I've probably made hundreds of friends.
It's been quite a social event." With time off for good behavior, Israel
will have served about two-thirds of his nine-month sentence for a drug
conviction when he is released Tuesday morning.

Then Inmate 27414, now 50 years old, will make his home in his native Lacey.

Israel can't go back to Rainbow Valley, the 42 acres on the Black River
where he lived for 14 years and held the communal celebrations that made
him famous.

In October, Israel pleaded guilty to three felony counts involving
marijuana, LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. In exchange, prosecutors dropped
more serious charges.

But as part of his plea agreement, Israel cannot live at Rainbow Valley --
nor visit there for longer than 48 hours at a time -- or stage a concert in
the county for 10 years.

What happens to the land will be decided by the courts.

Israel signed away any rights to Rainbow Valley last fall but later claimed
he didn't own it. Prosecutors say the land trust Israel formed was a sham
to hide the land from authorities. Arguments about who owns the property
will be heard during a trial this fall.

If Israel was a bane to authorities while he lived in south Thurston County
- -- fighting with police over everything from teen drug use on his property
to zoning violations -- he was anything but that in jail.

"He's been a very good prisoner," associate administrator Mark Bolton said.
"He's basically a peace-loving guy. He's been absolutely no problem."

Being in jail taught him about problems in the jail system he never knew
existed, Israel said. The man who claims he was framed by police said he
won't forget the many men whose sentences seemed too extreme for their crimes.

"I'm going to be an advocate for peace and love, and that includes not
imprisoning our people unreasonably," Israel said.

But Israel said his top priority will be losing weight and taking care of
himself.

He was given a heart pacemaker in May, and he has dropped more than 60
pounds during his sentence. He weighed 350 pounds when he reported to jail
in March.

"I feel healthier than I've ever been," he said. "This has been a model
place for eating a balanced diet."

He's also got a lot of plans for the rest of this month.

Israel's friends and followers have planned a "welcome home" celebration
for him Aug. 21 at Rainbow Valley. The next day, he plans to speak at the
Seattle Hemp Fest at Myrtle Edwards Park north of Pier 70. Then, he plans
to participate in Hemp Education Day at the state Capitol on Aug. 29.

Israel said one thing he won't do is smoke any marijuana during the seven
months he will be on probation.

Another thing he has no plans to do is get a regular job. He said he will
live like he always has -- "on faith. I've got a full-time job working for
Jesus Christ."

"The definition of Gideon is `Warrior of God,"' Israel said. "So I know God
will have another assignment for me."