Chris Williams was found guilty on all counts related to his work at a state-licensed medical marijuana caregiver organization, which was the subject of a federal raid in March of 2011. The verdict was reached by the jury shortly after 5:00 p.m. today and Mr. Williams was taken into custody by law enforcement officers. Chris faces mandatory minimum sentences which run into decades, and could be as high as 85 to 90 years. Maximum sentences run for several lifetimes.
“It’s a tragedy,” said Chris Lindsey, president of the MTCIA, and former partner of Chris Williams in 2009. “Federal law needs to change and respect the wishes of the citizens, who overwhelmingly favor the availability of medical marijuana for those in need. Federal law makes no allowance for it, and Mr. Williams will pay a heavy price for the government’s refusal to bend to the will of voters in Montana and around the country.”
Mr. Williams will remain in custody until he is sentenced. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set by the court, but is likely to take place in approximately 90 days.
“It is sad that Chris was tried for what he did and for what he believed in, but he couldn’t actually talk about what happened with the jury,” said Lindsey. “They didn’t get the whole story because of the way criminal trials are run. Chris and his attorney did the best they could to get their story in front of the jury, but the system does not allow it.”
“Chris faces mandatory minimum sentences which run into decades, and could be as high as 85 to 90 years. Maximum sentences run for several lifetimes.”
Our thoughts are with Chris Williams tonight. For his family, his loved ones, his friends and co-workers. All other words fail me, right now.
This is such a tragedy. Chris, my prayers are with you and your family for comfort and peace. God be with you.
THis has to change. The government needs to devote its resources to real problems!
I thought when a person took the stand, they swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In Chris’ case, the system would not let him tell the truth. There is something very wrong with the system.
Are we really moving forward in this battle to educate our fellow Americans? our neighbors? We need Cannabis OFF the schedule 1 drug list in Washington. That is the ONLY way the Feds will be unable to prosecute!
i have been saying this for years…. we need to put some resources toward getting it off the Schedule 1 drug list. Once its off the schedule 1 drug list we can then finally re-love-ution-ize this multi-talented plant and then hopefully people like Chris can get their sentences revoked and be free again.
On a sidenote, im hoping everyone gets out to vote this fall so it will be a message to the govt that we actually did know what we voted for in 2004. We want this herb to be available to Montanans who truly need it and the feds need to leave us the hell alone….we voted it in, majority rules, now GTFO.
The rescheduling issue is going to court this month.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2012/jul/30/medical_marijuana_rescheduling_l
“A decade after the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC) filed its petition seeking to have marijuana moved from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the federal courts will finally review the scientific evidence regarding the therapeutic efficacy of marijuana. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals announced late last week that it will hear oral arguments in October in a lawsuit filed by Americans for Safe Access (ASA) to force the government to act.”
Oh, you know that will never happen. How much evidence do they need before they remove it from the Schedule I list? Probably an entire mountain.. and even if they get it, they will still deny and burn the evidence to the ground.
I think we should all be really pissed about now. Since when is it okay to suppress evidence and convict without both sides being able to tell the WHOLE story. That is at least how our judicial system started out. What infuriates me more is that we, the people, pay for this!
Chris was not granted a fair trial!