POLICE RETURN MARIJUANA TO CANDIDATE

In a reversal of what usually happens, police gave Jonathan Adler marijuana
Monday morning.

About an ounce of dried marijuana buds in a Tupperware container that was
taken from Adler's wife, Nuansawat, 10 months ago was returned to Adler at
the state courthouse in Hilo under order from Third District Court Judge
Jeffrey Choi.

Adler, 50, was the fourth Big Island resident in recent weeks to get back
marijuana that had been seized by police. All four residents had state -
issued permits to possess and use marijuana for medical reasons.

The longtime marijuana advocate had tried to get the marijuana back last
week after getting the court order Tuesday, but was told he needed to wait
until Monday because the marijuana was evidence in a criminal case. Evidence
is normally kept for 30 days in the event of an appeal.

Adler's marijuana was seized after he was arrested on a bench warrant for
failing to make a court appearance for a 1998 marijuana charge in which
police seized 98 plants from his Hawaiian Paradise Park home. Police
instructed Nuansawat by telephone to bring her husband's medicine to the
police station. When she brought the marijuana buds instead of Adler's
Marinol, a marijuana extract, she was arrested for possession. She was later
convicted of a misdemeanor and fined $25.

Adler said all the marijuana taken was returned to him "and now it's all
cured. They made my stuff better just by keeping it." Afterward, he smoked
some in the courthouse parking lot.

Adler has a state medical permit to use the otherwise illegal drug and
claims he smokes it to ease pain from a head injury suffered in an
automobile accident. In the past Adler has also sought to use marijuana
legally to treat insomnia and asthma.

Adler also claims a legal exemption that would allow him to use marijuana as
a religious sacrament. The religious exemption was rejected in June however
by Third Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura, who convicted Adler of a felony
charge of commercial promotion of marijuana. Adler is due to be sentenced
Aug. 26, and he plans to appeal the judge's ruling.

Adler is also on the Hawaii ballot as a Natural Law party candidate for
governor, but his candidacy may be in question if sentenced on the felony
charge.