5/16/97
Will Foster, a medical marijuana user suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, who was recently sentenced by the state of Oklahoma to 93 years in prison for growing the forbidden medicine in a 5'x5' room in his basement, is currently being held at Limestone County Minimum Detention Facility in Groesbeck, TX. Since his sentencing on February 27th of this year, Mr. Foster has been denied access not only to his medication of choice, but also to medicine prescribed to him by his family doctor, Voltarin and Napersyn, both anti-inflammatory medications, and Vicodin, a pain medication.
Meg Foster, Will's wife, says that her husband's legs are swollen, discolored and extremely painful, and that her pleas that he be properly medicated have gone totally unheeded.
But the Fosters have another, more pressing problem. It seems that they are having a difficult time finding an attorney in or around Tulsa, Oklahoma who will handle their appeal. The problems, according to Mrs. Foster, stem both from the politicized nature of the case and the fact that one of their grounds for appeal is ineffective assistance of counsel, and that many attorneys are unwilling to "go after" a fellow member of the bar.
To help Will Foster get access to proper medical treatment, please write to:
Governor Frank Keating
2300 North Lincoln
Oklahoma City, OK, 73105-4885
If you are, or know someone who is licensed to practice law in Oklahoma, or is willing to apply to the Oklahoma Bar Association to be permitted to do so in this case, and is willing to speak with the Fosters concerning their case, please contact Meg Foster at (918) 584-0026 or (918) 592- 4273, or Adam Smith at DRCNet, (202) 362-0030.
Our original February bulletin on the Foster case is archived at <http://www.drcnet.org/rapid/1997/2-6-1.html>. An ongoing Will Foster web site is maintained at <http://www.gnv.fdt.net/~jrdawson/willfoster.htm>.
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