4/14/95
Jimmy Montgomery, a wheelchair-bound paraplegic who uses marijuana medically, was returned to an Oklahoma prison this month. Montgomery, who was featured on the ABC News special "America's War on Drugs: Searching for Solutions," was convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and initially sentenced to life in prison; this was later reduced to ten years. Montgomery was carrying two ounces of marijuana in the pouch of his wheelchair, an amount comparable to one or two packs of cigarettes. The only person to testify against Montgomery was an undersheriff named Lawless. This man has since been convicted on three counts of embezzlement of drug seized property in Sayer, OK and embezzlement of seized drug money.
Montgomery's suffers from a bone and flesh eating disorder and has a 10" hole in his left thigh and a 3" hole in his right buttock which are connected. He requires 3 to 4 changes of gauze bandages per day. Each week he needs to have 3 whirlpool baths followed by a shower to clean his wounds; he smoked marijuana to relieve the pain of his disorder.
He is now in a prison ward with 40 other men. He cannot take a shower after have his baths and this has created a dangerous health concern. One prison medic said his skin tissue is already beginning to break up, and Montgomery's physician considers this to be an immediately life- threatening situation.
Please contact the Governor's office to protest this barbaric violation
of human rights.
Call (405) 521-2342, fax 522-3492,
or write to
Gov. Frank Keating, State Capitol Building, Rm. 212, Oklahoma City, OK,
73105.
For more information call Oklahoma NORML at (405) 840-HEMP.
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