mary december april popularly known american medical activist hospital volunteer known illegally distributing aids patients activist lobbied medical use helped pass achieve goals contributed establishment medical united_states arrested occasions arrest bringing increased local national international media attention medical movement appearance generated public sympathy cause undermined attempts district attorney office prosecute possession eventually gave permission distribute people aids arrests generated interest medical community motivated researchers propose clinical trials study effects hiv infected adults early life born chicago illinois december mother conservative named raised minneapolis minnesota attended catholic school age involved altercation nun tried cane fought teenager moved home found job worked adult life social activism appealed young age traveled chicago wisconsin campaign right miners form unions late 1940s worked activist promoting abortion rights women minneapolis world war moved san_francisco california met man dance married soon divorced marriage produced daughter born later moved nevada killed drunk driver car accident early 1970s returned san_francisco activism arrests met fellow activist district cafe shared cigarette working earned extra money selling laced known selling magical basket dollars baked sold profit house sold big pot supermarket street shot leg police raid business early 1980s dozen day advertised original recipe san_francisco bulletin boards calling delicious undercover police officer discovered night january police raided home found pounds dozen assortment drugs opened door reportedly told police thought guys coming years old arrested time media began calling mary pleaded guilty counts possession received years probation judge sentenced hours community service began working support group people hiv aids according hours worked variety places gay store project community service record time days longer community service continued work martin pores soup kitchen joined project responding demands emerging aids crises mary lost daughter auto accident adopted kid san_francisco customers gay men began coming aids early 1980s noticed helped syndrome found true cancer patients people donated began hundreds distributing sick people free charge monthly social security check helped purchase supplies december walking market street carrying bag chance met officers originally arrested way deliver friend cancer suffering effects officer contents bag found possession dozen taken city jail held multiple counts possession violation probation district attorney eventually dropped charges beginning volunteered weekly aids ward ward according wheel patients specimens lab ward honored volunteer year award author volunteer work book real gets life hospital center aids epidemic new_york early 1990s spoke meeting aids coalition power act possible use relief aids symptoms multiple studies demonstrated help loss appetite suffered patients undergoing therapy diseases like cancer aids illegal united_states classified schedule controlled substances act drug currently accepted medical use treatment united_states medicinal users subject arrest spite skeptical reception initial meeting act persisted told act later spoke group hand experience distributing laced people aids reporter noted time reception warmer skeptical helped work policy recommend state california available medicinal purposes protect physicians penalties medicinal passed support percent san_francisco voters november arrest proposition arrested time california july pouring batter home charged possession pounds released bail district attorney office attempted prosecute people bringing case international media coverage pleaded guilty counts marijuana possession acquitted charges attorney notes legal defense relied medical necessity defense united_states according kent able testify deliveries assist need advance individual greed nobility actions offense according law august testified medical hearing held board passed resolution making arrest prosecution people possession growing medical lowest priority board recognized volunteer work hospital declaring august mary day september joined act protest washington medical policies administration group delivered letter head requesting people aids receive immediate access fourteen years allowing small group individuals use medicinal purposes mason terminated federal government program march carter administration established program successfully argued medical necessity defense united_states addition mason controversial comments program arguing things people aids likely practice safe sexual behavior act asked mason resign post failed meet demands restore access served protest honor arrested month facing possession charges distributing aids patients outside invited mason follow days visit kids stands helped open medical united_states campaigned behalf statewide voter initiative allow patients possess personal medical use recommendation physician initiative passed percent vote state law states passed similar legislation honored grand marshal personal life appeared public wearing said sailor mouth dallas morning news observed letter words essential vocabulary considered illness death suffered chronic disease survived cancer walked artificial knees self consuming half morning half afternoon ease pain knees claimed allowed walk helped spring extreme pain longer able began losing weight told considered traveling michigan physician assisted suicide hands suffering fall august admitted surgery neck spine recovered operation received visitors later confined bed nursing home poor died heart attack age april april people including friend district attorney attended held honor told crowd people gathered memorial hero day remembered medical marijuana movement legacy associated_press cnn distributed stories arrests world brought campaign access medical wide audience public face american medical movement early 1990s winning support sympathy movement support gained momentum arrests publicized court case according dallas morning news cause fighting marijuana medical use heroine people aids cancer english news magazine efforts direct action issue change electoral support medical united_states california eased law use marijuana change allows doctor state drug believes patient pain public mood use marijuana ascribed chiefly arrest caught attention friend clinical professor physician amsterdam attending aids conference learned arrest way cnn read arrest newspaper sent letter aids program proposing mary institution consider conducting clinical trials syndrome aids patients inspired arrest collaborated develop protocol test effects appetite body weight years later proposed studies rejected research protocol short term effects patients infection finally approved study funded supplied publications claire california chronicles medical marijuana dvd mary isbn mary april 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