FAMILY RALLIES FOR MEDICINAL POT USE

BRONSON - Joseph Tacl was holding his walking cane in one hand and his
membership card for a California marijuana purchasing cooperative in the
other hand Wednesday afternoon outside the Levy County Courthouse as he
tried to draw attention to his case.

When Tacl and his wife and adult son return to the courthouse at the end of
April to face trial on marijuana charges, their attorney will argue that
use of cannabis is a medical necessity for Tacl.

Tacl, who will be 46 next week, his wife of 25 years, Anne, and the
couple's 20 year old son, Michael, were all arrested in May 1998 and
charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of more than 20 grams of
marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Levy County Sheriff's
Department said the arrests were made after a helicopter team spotted five
marijuana plants being grown outside the Tacl home between Bronson and
Williston.

Joseph Tacl said he began using marijuana to relieve pain in 1993 after he
was hit by a car while he was a pedestrian. He was declared permanently
disabled after the accident, unable to return to his 14- year career as a
car salesman.

"I have doctors who offer me narcotics for my pain, but I can't take them
- -- I get violently ill from narcotics," Tacl said.

Tacl's attorney, Andy Fine of Gainesville, said Tacl got his first
prescription for marijuana from a doctor in November 1995.

"He (Tacl) got that prescription from a doctor (Robert Trossel) who was
trained at Boston University and is now setting up a clinic in Spain," Fine
said. Tacl said two other doctors also prescribed marijuana for him and he
expects to have at least one of them to testify during his trial later this
month.

Anne Tacl said her husband started growing his own marijuana after it
became too expensive to buy from others.

The Tacls used to live in California, but moved to Levy County 20 months
ago to help Joseph Tacl's parents. The couple had planned to move back to
California where marijuana purchases for medical purposes are legal.

"But we were waiting for our son to graduate from high school so that he
didn't have to change schools, and then we got arrested so we can't go
until this is taken care of," Joseph Tacl said.

The Cannabis Action Network helped the Tacls stage their protest Wednesday,
carrying signs, talking with a few of the people entering and leaving the
courthouse and encouraging people to sign a petition making marijuana legal
in Florida for specific certified medical purposes.

"We want people to know that there is an alternative to narcotics which can
cost hundreds a month," said Kevin Aplin of the Cannabis Action Network.

A jury will be selected April 26 and the Tacls' trial will begin on the
27th or 28th.