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Steve Kubby, former LP candidate for Gov. of Calif., has been taken into custody by the local police for the purpose of denying him his legal medical cannabis (marijuana)
Help Support Steve Kubby, Prisoner and Victim of the Drug War
Steve Kubby -- a prominent medical marijuana activist, former Libertarian candidate for governor of California and contender for the LP's 2000 vice-presidential nomination -- was forced to return to the US from Canada yesterday and is now in the custody of our beloved drug warriors.
Placer county law-enforcement officials are lying about the very serious life threatening condition of Steve Kubby. Only one UC David cancer specialist, Dr. Fred Meyers - who has never examined Steve Kubby, nor researched his medical facts - makes specious claims about Steve's proven need for medical cannabis. Steve did not flee Placer County to Canada to avoid incarceration. He went to Canada with permission of the court to accept a job offer. Only after the prosecution appealed Steve's misdemeanor conviction - asking that it be made a felony - and other shenanigans on the part of law enforcement, the prosecution and the court came to light - did Steve decided that it would be very life threatening to return. Steve is not one of the authors of Prop. 215 and has never claimed to be. Steve was instrumental in finding the funders who funded paid signature gatherers without which the initiative would not have made it to a successful vote.
Steve will die without his medicine -- and odds are he isn't going to get it in jail. YOUR actions in response to the alert are making a difference - please redouble your efforts!
------- PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE -------
YOU, The People, ARE making a Defference! KEEP IT UP!Flyers to SPREAD the WORD! PRINT and DISTRIBUTE THESE IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE. Visit: HYPERLINK "http://mercycenters.org/action/Help_Kubby.html" http://mercycenters.org/action/Help_Kubby.html for copies and more.
(1) go to HYPERLINK "http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0322.html" Alert: Steve Kubby Is in the Placer County Jail - provided by MAPinc (thanx!) - and Contact all the offices listed in the alert. Further, it helps if you copy MAPinc on your communication and any responses. Use the feedback button on the very bottom of the web page.
(2) Please call the jail nurse at 530-745-8500 and request that Steve be provided with immediate medical attention. Your calls are important! For more on the jail see HYPERLINK "http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/" www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/.
Visiting Steve. To see list of inmates, go to > HYPERLINK "http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/jailreports/incustody_BN.htm" www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/jailreports/incustody_BN.htm page/scroll down to Kubby. Click on the line. Details come up. His current vis sched:
Thursday 9:15 PM, Sunday 7:15 PM
Click here HYPERLINK "http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/visit.htm" http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/visit.htm for Visitation schedule info, and here HYPERLINK "http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/inmrules.htm" www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/inmrules.htm for rules and regs. For directions to the Jail and general info, visit: HYPERLINK "http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/" www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/
Calling Steve. No direct call in, you have to mail him your phone number - must be a land line, no cell numbers - AND schedule a time for him to call. It will be like long distance where you need to be there to accept the call. There is a charge - $2 (?, or something like that). Click here
HYPERLINK "http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/inmrules.htm" www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/inmrules.htm
for more on the rules and regs.
Writing. NOTE: while Letters of support may be sent to the same address as money orders, No letters may accompany MO's!
------- Sending Stuff. MOs should be made out to Steve Kubby, No letters may accompany the money orders. Send to same address as Letters of support. Click here HYPERLINK "http://www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/inmrules.htm" www.placer.ca.gov/sheriff/jail/inmrules.htm for more on the rules and regs. The address:
Steve Kubby BK 49899 c/o Placer Co Jail 2775 Richardson Drive Auburn, CA 95603 -------
Also, You can -
- Contact Steve's attorney Bill McPike via email: HYPERLINK "mailto:mcpike@psnw.com" mcpike@psnw.com
- Join Steve's e-Mail list at: HYPERLINK "http://www.kubby.org/00-subscribe.html" www.kubby.org/00-subscribe.html
- Keep up to date via Steve's website at: HYPERLINK "http://www.kubby.org" www.kubby.org
PROTEST INHUMANE TREATMENT OF STEVE KUBBY!
(3) Kubby's attorney, Bill McPike, urges supporters to call on the Placer County authorities to release Kubby immediately to voice your disapproval over Steve Kubby's inhumane treatment.
(4) Sign up for the Kubby-Announce email list at HYPERLINK "http://www.kubby.org/00-subscribe.html" www.kubby.org/00-subscribe.html.
(5) Here is how we may be able to get some notice of his situation. A few minutes of your time could save Steve Kubby's life.
Time is of the essence. What is proposed here may not seem like much, but it's better than sitting around feeling powerless and it may do some good. It may create some buzz about Steve outside the libertarian and the medical marijuana activist communities. You can help do that at no financial cost ... just a few minutes of your time:
- 1) Point your browser at HYPERLINK "http://www.technorati.com" www.technorati.com and search for the phrase "Steve Kubby." That in itself does some good -- we've pushed Steve's name to number 9 on the list of top searches at Technorati, the blogosphere's search engine of record, which should elicit more coverage, more attention, etc. But there's more:
- 2) When the search results come up, visit the blog articles listed AND
- 3) "Bookmark" any or all of those articles on any or all of the following sites:
HYPERLINK "http://del.icio.us" http://del.icio.us, HYPERLINK "http://www.furl.net" http://www.furl.net, HYPERLINK "http://www.simpy.com" http://www.simpy.com, HYPERLINK "http://www.spurl.net" http://www.spurl.net, HYPERLINK "http://www.reddit.com" http://www.reddit.com, HYPERLINK "http://www.blinklist.com" http://www.blinklist.com
All of the sites above feature material on their front pages based on how popularity -- how many people "bookmarked" that material. Even 100 "bookmarks" or so will get Steve Kubby's name and story on their front pages for awhile, where it will be noticed by more bloggers.
No, the blogosphere can't save Steve Kubby by itself, but it can draw attention to his case, get activists pumped up to do other things to help, and help attract "mainstream media" attention. The first step is to get people asking who the hell Steve Kubby is. Once they ask -- and have an answer -- they're more likely to act. Thanks in advance.
Maybe, if enough of us push, SOMEONE in the mainstream media may get wind of the cannabis and drug reform community being pissed off, concerned and in need of coverage about Steve's plight
more Action Notes - Media
More on HYPERLINK "http://www.technorati.com/" Technorati. Technorati searches ONLY blogs. It is real time like Google and is free. A Washington DC PR guy showed me this website several months ago and explained that all media producers and assignment editors has someone watching Technorati for story ideas.
For the past 5+ days, "Steve Kubby" has been the number one searched title on Technorati. Take a look. There are plenty of recognizable blog names like DPA, Drug War Rant and Cannabis Culture but there are also plenty of other blogs drawing attn to this. And those media people using Technorati cannot ignore the many references.
Try other searches like "drug war" or "drug prohibition". Our issues are being spoken about in many places outside of our reform circle and this gives us another place to spread the msg.
More MEDIA Contacts
- NBC News contact: HYPERLINK "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10285339/" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10285339/
Local affiliates: HYPERLINK "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3098358/" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3098358/
- Tim Russert and NBC's Meet the Press: Mailbox: HYPERLINK "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872152/" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872152/ What would you like to ask this week's Meet the Press guests? : HYPERLINK "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6913788/" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6913788/
- Larry King: HYPERLINK "http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?12" www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?12
- CBS news: HYPERLINK "http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/indepth/main500142.shtml" www.cbsnews.com/sections/indepth/main500142.shtml (contact button at bottom of page, creates a boxed window, no URL) Local affiliates: HYPERLINK "http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/07/31/utility/main517034.shtml" www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/07/31/utility/main517034.shtml
- ABC News: Message board (registration, create ID): HYPERLINK "http://forums.go.com/abcnews/forum?start=0&forumID=47&byThread=true" http://forums.go.com/abcnews/forum?start=0&forumID=47&byThread=true Contact: HYPERLINK "http://abcnews.go.com/Reference/story?id=54216" http://abcnews.go.com/Reference/story?id=54216 Local affiliates: HYPERLINK "http://my.abcnews.go.com/localpage" http://my.abcnews.go.com/localpage
Twice before when Steve was jailed your phone calls and messages saved his life. Thanks for your effort and support.
It's not what others do -- It's what YOU do
Messages from/about the Gulag
I spoke with the nurse who transferred me to another nurse who is fielding questions for Steve. I stated I was concerned about him receiving enough pain medication and she said that while medical info is confidential she could assure me he was receiving the best of care. When I ststed there seemd to be some concern from the family that he was not receiving proper pain management she said that anyone who could visit him here will see that he is. And that is all she would say.
Mary Mon, 30 Jan 2006
At 05:28 PM Pacific 1/29/06, Michele Kubby wrote: "A contact in Placer has just called to give me an update on Steve. I'm so glad someone heard from him.
His main concern at this point is that Placer is not documenting the effects of his disease on his body or taking his illness seriously. His blood pressure is at 166/108. Placer is not testing for blood in his urine, either. Placer has also turned down Steve's request for Tylenol pain killer.
Steve wanted to express his gratitude for the calls. They are making a difference. One Sergeant, named Sanders has made sure that Steve is warm and has a blanket and pillow now, because of your concern.
One thing my friend did say, Steve sounds amped and angry. This is to be expected because of the adrenaline in his body.
I hope this is resolved on Tuesday. Thanks for being there."
Sometime shortly after midnight Saturday, 1/28/06:
"Unfortunately I missed Steve's call today because of an interview. No problem, Steve called our Auburn contacts and described the circumstances of his day.
It seems that Placer has moved him from the infirmary to solitary confinement. He has a cell all to himself and he was freezing. Again they are ignoring his pleas for a blanket and have left him to shiver and chatter in a cold cell. Remember, this is in the foothills of the Western Sierra. It is very cold and the cold is a damp cold. I'm afraid he will be looking at getting pneumonia soon if he is not warmed up.
This is exactly the cruel and inhumane treatment I described to Canadian officials, that would happen if Steve were returned to the US. I also told them repeatedly that Steve would be immediately arrested upon his arrival at SFO, which is exactly what happened. Of course the Canadian government officials that judged our case responded to my pleas for protection from this grim future by turning a blind eye, ignoring evidence, and refusing to do the right thing when they could. They cannot see what they have done, for to do so would have to mean that they were wrong and have made a terrible life threatening mistake.
This, of course, is exactly the position that Placer is in. To admit that they are wrong about the life saving properties of cannabis is impossible. Better to test this theory out and see if it can really save a life.
Steve always liked to give us good news. So, the good news about today is that the Marinol is helping to control the rectal bleeding he was experiencing as well as the blood pressure. Of course Marinol does not contain the catacholimes present in the whole plant, and these have been shown by Dr. Guzman of Spain to have the properties of inhibiting a protein necessary for blood vessel development, which results in the cancer tissue being denied nutrients as well as teaching cancer cells to die.
With Marinol, Steve is only partly protected. Because Marinol uses only the THC active portion of the cannabis plant, his tumors are now free to grow again. This type of tumor is particularly apt to grow into the spinal cord, brain and organs.
Now, the bad news is that Placer has not taken his blood pressure since he arrived yesterday. Steve must be on a constant monitor in order to gauge the severity of his medical condition. At any time, his blood pressure can skyrocket. Being freezing cold stresses the body which releases more chemicals which worsens the danger.
This is a game of chicken and Steve doesn't have much of a chance. He has been stripped of all rights, including his right to the special diet he needs. Steve can have a blood pressure attack from eating a bar of chocolate or eating foods with MSG in them. In addition, most low quality meats, like those served in jails, are full of steroids, which are basically food for Steve's tumor to eat and then make even more adrenaline chemicals to rack his body. Unless he can eat his very limited diet of tofu, dill, garlic, and hemp oil salad, plus his oatmeal cookies, he is going stimulate the tumor even more to produce adrenaline chemicals.
A human's right to care for his or her body as he or she choses, should be recognized by governments. What we put into our bodies to heal us and keep us balanced or relieve our pain, is our right. Especially if that person is suffering from a serious and rare type of cancer.
This all brings me to the most disturbing news of the day: Steve asked our friend to relay that Placer deputies have forced/intimidated him into signing a waiver which states that Steve absolves Placer County of any responsibility if he dies in their care, because he has refused to take conventional, alpha and beta blocker blood pressure medication.
The problem with this medication, is that it only protects Steve from a certain level of blood pressure attacks. If Steve's body decides to raise his blood pressure over the protection of the alpha and beta blockers, then it will be like Mt. Vesuvius erupting and unless he is in a hospital with access to an IV drip, he will not get the blood pressure medication he would need to control the life threatening blood pressures wreaking his body.
Placer County is playing with fire. I pray that they educate themselves on what happens when fire gets out of control."
- Michele Kubby
The NEWs
Kubby Hearing @ the Placer County Courthouse by freeman. Source: HYPERLINK "http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/01/1799514.php" http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/01/1799514.php
We left San Francisco in the predawn hours with two vanloads of patients to drive up to Auburn for Steve Kubby's hearing at the Placer County Jail. We were all very concerned about Steve, as he couldn't even get a Tylenol for his pain and only after a massive call-in campaign to Placer County officials did a sympathetic deputy sheriff give him an extra blanket and pillow.
He was receiving Marinol from the prison nurse, but he needs more then THC, the principle active ingredient in Marinol. He was separated from the rest of the inmate population, because his vomiting disturbed the other inmates.
Placer County is the most conservative county in California and District Attorney Brad Fennochio has spent a great deal of tax dollars on persecuting medical cannabis patients. We expected a hostile environment, and knew that news of Steve's incarceration was the talk of Auburn.
As we were setting up, we talked to an attorney from the Public Defender's office. She was exasperated and said she was fed up with the Placer County legal system and that she'd be leaving soon to work in Nevada County.
Bill McPike, Steve's attorney arrived and went to the DA's office. He said Steve was hanging on and that our presence here was encouraging to him and gave him strength, although Steve had lost fifteen to twenty pounds.
The entire Sacramento news media had converged and we decided to start the press conference. I gave them an update on Steve's condition and answered their questions about Steve's legal status and tried to clarify a few details about our position, which is: get Steve his medicine, put him in the infirmary or release him to house arrest.
The courtroom was small, holding only fifty people. Only a few folks were able to make it in, but the room was packed. The bailiff led the other people in custody into the court. Steve was led in by himself. He was in shackles, but waved to the crowd and smiled. He looked in good spirits, but was slightly disheveled and thin. You could see that he was in obvious pain, but he seemed game to fight on.
The hearing was an afterthought, Steve pled not guilty to violating the terms of his probation, and he was scheduled to appear on Friday, February 3rd, 2006 at 8:30 AM.
The Assistant District Attorney Cattran, made a few statements outside, which amounted to a lot of double talk. If Steve dies while in custody, Cattran will be the person responsible.
We are going to continue organizing around Steve's case and plan to go to Auburn Friday.
That's all for now, as I have to get ready for another meeting. If anybody knows how to get hold of Cheech Marin, have him contact me ASAP.
Tim Meehan HYPERLINK "mailto:tmeehan@connect.carleton.ca" tmeehan@connect.carleton.ca HYPERLINK "http://www.hempevolution.org" www.hempevolution.org Tue, 31 Jan 2006
Kubby asks judge to let him use cannabis in jail By Art Campos -- Bee Staff Writer Published 5:09 pm PST Tuesday, January 31, 2006 Source: HYPERLINK "http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14136111p-14964886c.html" http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14136111p-14964886c.html
AUBURN -- Medical marijuana activist Steve Kubby asked a Placer County judge today to let him use cannabis while he serves a 120-day jail sentence for a drug conviction in 2000. The Placer sheriff's department said it is opposed to the idea.
Kubby has contended that he will die in jail if he is not allowed to use cannabis to treat his condition.
Undersheriff Steve D'Arcy said his department's policy is that marijuana will not be furnished in any form to an inmate.
The 59-year-old Kubby made the request through his attorney during a hearing in Placer Superior Court in which the lawyer also asked that his client be released from jail to serve the sentence at his new home in Marin County. The attorney, Bill McPike, said Kubby could wear an electronic device so that his movements could be monitored by authorities.
Judge Robert McElhany made no ruling and scheduled another hearing for Friday. The District Attorney's Office said it has made no recommendation regarding the requests made today.
Kubby was in court today for arraignment on a charge that he violated probation by moving to Vancouver, Canada, in 2001 to avoid serving the 120-day sentence. Kubby formally entered a denial to the charge. A jury had found him guilty of a felony charge of possession of peyote and of a charge of possession of a psychedelic mushroom. The latter charge was later reduced by a judge from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Placer sheriff's deputies found the drugs during a 1999 raid on Kubby's home in the Lake Tahoe area. Also found in the home were 265 marijuana plants, which Kubby said he needed for medical use to control a rare form of adrenal cancer. The jury voted 11-1 to acquit him of illegal possession of the cannabis.
Kubby was deported from Canada on Thursday and was arrested by police after his airplane landed at San Francisco International Airport.
KUBBY CASE BECOMING MEDIA CIRCUS Marijuana Activist to Appear in Court Today
The topic of jailed medical marijuana activist Steve Kubby is gaining popularity on the Internet as he reports failing health and poor medical attention in Placer County Jail.
Placer county law-enforcement officials say they are treating Kubby humanely as they do all inmates. Kubby, 59, has reportedly spoken with supporters since his Friday incarceration. Fred Colburn, of Meadow Vista, has been friends with Kubby since the activist ran as the Libertarian candidate for governor on the 1997/1998 ballot. He said he spoke to Kubby early Monday morning.
"Steve's thinking they are deliberately punishing him (in jail)," Colburn said. "He's only had one blanket, is vomiting and can't keep food down."
Kubby, who fled Placer County to Canada to avoid incarceration in 2000 was arrested on a no-bail warrant Thursday and transferred to Placer County Jail Friday.
Kubby contends he must have marijuana daily in order to survive and stave off the affects of a rare form of adrenal cancer. He credits a Canadian doctor who agrees with him, but UC David cancer specialists said there is no scientific evidence to support Kubby's claim that marijuana is keeping him alive.
Dr. Fred Meyers, professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine for UC Davis Medical Center, has said there is no medical proof that smoking marijuana cures or alleviates the symptoms of the adrenal cancer that Kubby is said to have.
Kubby's Canadian doctor said cannabis alleviates the symptoms of Kubby's adrenal cancer.
"(Kubby's) kind of cancer, metastatic pheochromocytoma, releases adrenaline into the blood and these drugs speed up your heart making your body run faster," said Dr. Joe Connors, a medical oncologist for British Columbia Cancer Agency in a telephone interview Monday.
Connors said that too much adrenaline keeps Kubby's body in a constant state of "flight or fight."
"The marijuana he had been smoking helped," Connors said.
Despite reports posted on numerous Web sites and blogs about Kubby's physical condition, jail official's report that he appears to be doing well.
"He's been seen by the medical staff and he's being taken care of," Capt. John Fitzgerald, of the Placer County Sheriff's Department said Monday. "I can't elaborate because medical records are confidential."
Technorati.com, a Web site that reports it tracks 26.7 million sites and 1.9 billion links, lists Kubby as its most searched topic Monday above Ted Koppel and Ipod.
Many of the postings are duplicates of press releases posted on Kubby's own Website Kubby.com.
In one posting, Michele Kubby said she was able to get a prescription for the drug Marinol for her husband.
Marinol has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration to treat "nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy for patients who have failed to respond adequately to conventional treatments," according to the Marinol.com Web site.
"When Steve first entered the jail, his blood pressure had risen to 170 over 120. The jail medical staff were concerned and administered the Marinol," Michele Kubby wrote in an e-mail. "Steve says he feels his blood pressure lowering, but he can tell that Marinol is not going to be effective in the long run."
E-mails and blogs report that Kubby is in "solitary confinement," and allowed only one blanket. Jail personnel say Kubby is separated from other inmates for his own safety.
"He's in N-tank in a private cell, not in the general population," Fitzgerald said. "He classifies to be in a private cell for numerous reasons including his safety."
Michele Kubby, who remains in Canada with the couple's two children, said she plans to be in California soon but will not make today's court appearance.
"I will not be able to make the hearing time on Tuesday. I hope anyone who goes tells him I am thinking of him and love him very much," Michele Kubby wrote in an e-mail sent to the Journal.
The Kubby family had been seeking to stay in Canada, however, the Canadian Border Services rejected the family's bid for protection Dec. 9 and ordered them out of the country.
Kubby fled to Canada with his family in an effort to avoid incarceration after a 2000 conviction in Placer County on charges of possession of mescaline and psilocybin.
He was transported to Placer County jail Friday afternoon and is scheduled to be arraigned at 1 p.m. in Dept. 13 of Placer County Superior court today.
Kubby will most likely have to serve his custody time of 120 days and address his probation violation, which could give him additional time behind bars.
He was also one of the authors of Prop. 215, the compassionate-use act passed by the voters of the state of California in 1996.
Newshawk: HYPERLINK "http://www.cannabisnews.com/" http://www.cannabisnews.com/ Pubdate: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 Source: Auburn Journal (CA) Copyright: 2006 Gold Country Media Contact: HYPERLINK "mailto:ajournal@goldcountrymedia.com
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