BILLBOARDS PROMOTE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Along with roadside advertisements for beer, liquor and fast food,
California motorists will now see billboards promoting medical marijuana.

The 30 billboards, which began appearing Wednesday in San Francisco and
across the state, feature an 8-year-old Chico girl whose father, Bryan Epis,
is serving 10 years on federal marijuana cultivation charges.

"Medical marijuana, compassion not federal prison," read the billboards,
which are sponsored by a host of marijuana groups.

They also show young Ashley Epis holding a sign that reads: "My Dad is not a
criminal."

California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996, allowing people to use
marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. The federal government, however,
does not recognize the medical marijuana law.