Pot dealer’s hunger strike ends in death
In the six weeks leading up to his death Istvan Marton ate nothing and thought a lot.
The 69-year-old was on a hunger strike, appealing to the Canadian government to legalize marijuana, said his sister Juliana Bazso.
Bazso disapproved of her younger brother’s lifestyle — she says he was the local supplier of weed to the small Malcolm Island community of Sointula off the coast of B.C. — but went to visit Marton as he became progressively more sick.
“He was only half a size of what he was,” she said. His doctor, Jane Clelland, told the Times-Colonist that Marton’s weight dropped from 79 kilograms to 55 kilograms on his diet of juice, water and clear soup.
Marton died of a heart attack on Nov. 20. According to Clelland, his death was caused by a combination of the hunger strike and severe health problems.
Bazso said her unyielding, idealistic younger brother truly believed in his cause and thought of himself as a hero — though she did not believe his plan to change the law would work.
In an interview with the Times Colonist published the day before his death, Marton defended his drug dealing — mostly selling weed from local growers to the older island population for medicinal and some recreational use.
“I never hid it. I was the illegal supplier of marijuana for the island and I was really proud of it,” he said.
Any money he made was donated to underprivileged families, he added.
In January 2010, he was charged and convicted after the RCMP found 2.2 kilograms of marijuana in his home. He had also been charged of possession of controlled substances in a separate incident in October.
In the Times Colonist interview, he had said that his hunger strike would have gone on even if the charge was dropped.
The Hungarian immigrant’s love affair with pot began in the ’70s, said Bazso, adding that her brother — who had spent a few months in jail — had a challenging life.
While going through his belongings after his death, she found an envelope labeleld “my f---ing life” that contained photos and some papers. In it were musings from his final days, including a note that said his doctor should get a dozen red roses every Friday.
He also apparently promised his friends $10,000 for a last hurrah after his death, she said. But the eulogy of pot and beer will not happen — Marton only left medical and cable bills to pay and no will, said Bazso.
“He was a trusting soul and he thought everything was going to be taken care of,” she said.
Just three weeks before Marton’s death a group of high-profile health, academic and justice experts launched a campaign to legalize and regulate marijuana, a move they say will cut down gang violence and provide new tax revenue. A report released by the group, named Stop the Violence B.C., estimates there are about 430,000 cannabis users in B.C.
In response, the federal ministry of justice issued a brief statement saying the government has “no intention” of decriminalize or legalize marijuana.
The 69-year-old was on a hunger strike, appealing to the Canadian government to legalize marijuana, said his sister Juliana Bazso.
Bazso disapproved of her younger brother’s lifestyle — she says he was the local supplier of weed to the small Malcolm Island community of Sointula off the coast of B.C. — but went to visit Marton as he became progressively more sick.
“He was only half a size of what he was,” she said. His doctor, Jane Clelland, told the Times-Colonist that Marton’s weight dropped from 79 kilograms to 55 kilograms on his diet of juice, water and clear soup.
Marton died of a heart attack on Nov. 20. According to Clelland, his death was caused by a combination of the hunger strike and severe health problems.
Bazso said her unyielding, idealistic younger brother truly believed in his cause and thought of himself as a hero — though she did not believe his plan to change the law would work.
In an interview with the Times Colonist published the day before his death, Marton defended his drug dealing — mostly selling weed from local growers to the older island population for medicinal and some recreational use.
“I never hid it. I was the illegal supplier of marijuana for the island and I was really proud of it,” he said.
Any money he made was donated to underprivileged families, he added.
In January 2010, he was charged and convicted after the RCMP found 2.2 kilograms of marijuana in his home. He had also been charged of possession of controlled substances in a separate incident in October.
In the Times Colonist interview, he had said that his hunger strike would have gone on even if the charge was dropped.
The Hungarian immigrant’s love affair with pot began in the ’70s, said Bazso, adding that her brother — who had spent a few months in jail — had a challenging life.
While going through his belongings after his death, she found an envelope labeleld “my f---ing life” that contained photos and some papers. In it were musings from his final days, including a note that said his doctor should get a dozen red roses every Friday.
He also apparently promised his friends $10,000 for a last hurrah after his death, she said. But the eulogy of pot and beer will not happen — Marton only left medical and cable bills to pay and no will, said Bazso.
“He was a trusting soul and he thought everything was going to be taken care of,” she said.
Just three weeks before Marton’s death a group of high-profile health, academic and justice experts launched a campaign to legalize and regulate marijuana, a move they say will cut down gang violence and provide new tax revenue. A report released by the group, named Stop the Violence B.C., estimates there are about 430,000 cannabis users in B.C.
In response, the federal ministry of justice issued a brief statement saying the government has “no intention” of decriminalize or legalize marijuana.
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New Jersey (US)
N.J. lawmakers finalize rules governing medical marijuana program
TRENTON — Amid signs that New Jersey's medical marijuana program is in disarray, state officials have taken major steps to get six treatment centers serving thousands of patients up and running sometime next year.
The moves, made in the past week, include putting the finishing touches on rules to govern the program and requesting the six approved growers comply with a final round of evaluation before they plant their first crop.
But the government will not meet its goal of making pot available to patients before the end of the year.
The state's program, has been largely idle since it passed into law nearly two years ago, and has faced growing criticism in the past months. The actions follow recent Star-Ledger reports showing the program to be disorganized and far from ready to launch. The newspaper detailed concerns about the vetting of two proposed medical marijuana treatment centers and other problems with the program, including appeals filed by four separate centers challenging the state’s selection process.
In addition, patients and dispensary officials have growing concerns about the lack of progress in getting the centers up and running. The patients’ I.D. cards have not been made, and the health department is unsure if it will even publish the names of 108 physicians who have pre-registered for the program, leaving patients unsure how they can find an appropriate doctor.
Chris Goldstein of the patient advocacy group, the Coalition for Medical Marijuana of New Jersey, said he remains disappointed the program will not be running by the end of the year, as Christie said publicly in July. "There hasn’t been a promise kept yet by the legislature or governor," he said.
Roseanne Scotti, director of the Drug Policy Alliance of New Jersey and one of the primary proponents who helped passed the law in January 2010, was more upbeat about the incremental progress.
"We are disappointed it won’t be up and running by the end of the year, but progress is progress," she said.
Scotti said she also is encouraged the Department of Health and Senior Services officials noted in the rules they finalized Wednesday they were willing to revisit one of the most unpopular restrictions: limiting the potency level of the drug to no more than 10 percent.
The department will cap the potency level at 10 percent for now, but will "collect data from patients to evaluate whether the 10 percent limit on THC should be revisited in future rulemaking,’’ according to a written response from health officials following a March public hearing.
"We are thrilled the department is willing to consider this moving forward,’’ Scotti said.
The moves, made in the past week, include putting the finishing touches on rules to govern the program and requesting the six approved growers comply with a final round of evaluation before they plant their first crop.
But the government will not meet its goal of making pot available to patients before the end of the year.
The state's program, has been largely idle since it passed into law nearly two years ago, and has faced growing criticism in the past months. The actions follow recent Star-Ledger reports showing the program to be disorganized and far from ready to launch. The newspaper detailed concerns about the vetting of two proposed medical marijuana treatment centers and other problems with the program, including appeals filed by four separate centers challenging the state’s selection process.
In addition, patients and dispensary officials have growing concerns about the lack of progress in getting the centers up and running. The patients’ I.D. cards have not been made, and the health department is unsure if it will even publish the names of 108 physicians who have pre-registered for the program, leaving patients unsure how they can find an appropriate doctor.
Chris Goldstein of the patient advocacy group, the Coalition for Medical Marijuana of New Jersey, said he remains disappointed the program will not be running by the end of the year, as Christie said publicly in July. "There hasn’t been a promise kept yet by the legislature or governor," he said.
Roseanne Scotti, director of the Drug Policy Alliance of New Jersey and one of the primary proponents who helped passed the law in January 2010, was more upbeat about the incremental progress.
"We are disappointed it won’t be up and running by the end of the year, but progress is progress," she said.
Scotti said she also is encouraged the Department of Health and Senior Services officials noted in the rules they finalized Wednesday they were willing to revisit one of the most unpopular restrictions: limiting the potency level of the drug to no more than 10 percent.
The department will cap the potency level at 10 percent for now, but will "collect data from patients to evaluate whether the 10 percent limit on THC should be revisited in future rulemaking,’’ according to a written response from health officials following a March public hearing.
"We are thrilled the department is willing to consider this moving forward,’’ Scotti said.
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