MEDICAL POT USERS HONOR LOCKYER

Angel Wings Patient Outreach Inc. Gives State's Attorney General

OAKLAND -- After a day facing questions about his handling of the gay
marriage controversy and a nascent recall effort, state Attorney General
Bill Lockyer was honored Tuesday by a medical marijuana patients' group for
his support of their legal case.

Other state and local officials were mostly no-shows at an awards ceremony
by Angel Wings Patient Outreach Inc. at downtown's Black Box Theater and
Gallery.

Lockyer spent about 15 minutes in front of television cameras outside the
theater, dismissing the recall talk as a move by the "extreme fringe of the
right wing of the Republican party."

Inside, he talked about his mother's and younger sister's deaths from
leukemia, saying their agony influenced him to support Proposition 215.

"What I used to say about my predecessor and about (Attorney General) John
Ashcroft is I suspect they go home at night and watch 'Reefer Madness' --
that's how out of date their views are," he said, referring to the 1930s
anti-marijuana propaganda film.

"We will continue wherever appropriate to assist with these struggles."

Angel McClary Raich gave Lockyer the "Triumph Over Fear" award she created
because he filed briefs in support of her lawsuit against Ashcroft.

She won an important legal victory in December when a federal appeals court
ruled that she and her caregivers are not subject to federal regulations
when they cultivate marijuana for her personal use, since there is no
interstate commerce involved.

McClary Raich uses marijuana every two hours to cope with a range of
illnesses, including an inoperable brain tumor, wasting syndrome and
chronic pain.

Her case will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The rail-thin McClary Raich wore a glittering floor-length gown as she
presented medals to Lockyer, her lawyers and a few other officials who
showed up.

"I am so eternally grateful to you," she said.