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Joe is a 20-year-old straight-A college student from Lebanon County who was never in trouble with the law until October.Now he worries about a prospective employer going online and finding that Joe pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a charge that makes it sound like he is prone to fighting.

Joe wasn’t busted for fighting. He was arrested for being in the same car as someone who police caught with a small amount of marijuana.Officials in Lackawanna County, where Joe was arrested, said he could avoid a license suspension and drug conviction by pleading guilty to disorderly conduct. They also said Joe could keep his record clean by completing substance abuse classes and counseling, a process known as Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition or ARD.Joe said he didn’t have $1,500 the courts wanted for ARD, so he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.“What they didn’t tell me and what I didn’t learn is that engaging in fighting is the tag that goes with every disorderly conduct charge. That’s the opposite of me. I’ve never fought. It is just an incredibly inaccurate depiction of who I am,” Joe said.Joe asked that his real name not be used. He worries knowledge of his pot bust could hurt his chances to get a job.People shouldn’t have to choose between the lesser of two evils for getting arrested for a small amount of marijuana, said Cumberland County Public Defender Taylor Andrews, who retired recently after 34 years.Andrews said Pennsylvania should follow states like California, Massachusetts and New York that have decriminalized possession of a small amount of pot — about an ounce or less — to the equivalent of a traffic ticket.“That strikes me as a sane response,” said Andrews. “There are people who have used marijuana and it has not affected their careers and their lives. It becomes almost a random thing, if they are caught and prosecuted, then their lives are significantly affected, where the prosecution has a greater affect than the actual drug.”But don’t look for any easing of Pennsylvania’s pot laws, despite others states’ steps toward making it legal to smoke and grow marijuana.Andrews emphasized he favors relaxing the law only for adults.In November, California voters rejected Proposition 19, which would have allowed people over 21 to grow and possess marijuana and for municipalities to collect taxes on retail sales of pot. Proposition 19 lost by only 53 percent to 46 percent and supporters vow to try again.That Proposition 19 got as far as it did is a game-changer, said Harry Levine, who has studied marijuana arrests as a sociology professor at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.“California is the largest state in the U.S., with 40 million people and the eighth largest economy in the world. By itself that had an enormous effect on the national conversation. It allowed for a more elevated conversation” in the country about decriminalizing marijuana, Levine said.State and local government budget woes could favor relaxing pot laws. Former-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t support Proposition 19, but signed legislation to decriminalize possession of a small amount of marijuana because he agreed with those who said California couldn’t afford devoting court resources to such cases.Andrews said, “It’s a misuse of police time and resources to be focusing a lot on just marijuana possession” when alcohol abuse is the far greater evil.“The biggest slice of the (court) docket are DUI (driving under the influence) cases and most DUI cases are alcohol,” Andrews said. “If you look at your domestic violence cases in virtually 80 percent of them somebody is liquored up. You look in your bad checks, forgery, embezzlement cases, invariably somebody’s life is out of control and often that is correlated with alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is the biggest common denominator. It was when I started in the 1970s and it still is.”Public supportPublic support for legalizing pot in Pennsylvania is only 33 percent, but that’s up from 22 percent two years ago, according to a 2010 survey by Franklin & Marshall College.G. Terry Madonna, a political analyst at Franklin & Marshall who co-authored the survey, said he thinks public support would be even higher for reducing the penalty for possession of a small amount of pot, perhaps even to a traffic ticket as in the other states. He said that’s a question the survey hasn’t asked yet but might in light of California’s decision.Madonna said public support was highest — 80 percent — for legislation that would allow marijuana for medicinal use. State lawmakers considered such legislation during the 2009-10 session and Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia, plans to re-introduce a medical marijuana bill this year.But medical marijuana and even decriminalizing is a far cry from outright legalization.“We are in a very conservative state culturally,” Madonna said. “We do have a gaming culture. We are far more accepting of the lottery, horse racing and casinos. But we don’t have a drug culture. You are always going to find a segment of the population that will have moral objections” to relaxing pot laws, regardless of any perceived monetary benefit.He said the state budget crunch is forcing the re-evaluation of the cost benefit of strong-on-crime policies popular in the 1990s, such as sentencing guidelines that can lead to prison for people arrested multiple times for having a little pot.But Madonna sees as slim prospects for relaxing pot laws in this state soon, especially since voters just elected a more conservative legislature and governor.Jack Carroll, executive director of Cumberland County Drug and Alcohol Commission, sees no sentiment for legalized marijuana in Pennsylvania, given the state House 198-1 vote this year to ban synthetic marijuana. The ban awaited Senate action.Pot casesMidstate district attorneys don’t see pot cases as an undue burden on courts. They say a first-time offender busted for a small amount of pot usually gets ARD.“We’ve made it as non-criminal as you can possibly make it,” said Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed.The district attorneys don’t support decriminalizing pot. They see marijuana as leading to abuse of more serious drugs like heroin and cocaine. The prosecutors also worry relaxing pot laws will cause more people to use it.Perry County District Attorney Charles Chenot said “I’ve seen what smoking pot can do to a person. It really truly is a mind-altering substance. It influences your ability to drive, walk and reason. It is a substance that leads to other drugs. By decriminalizing we are kind of giving up on our war on drugs.”PossessionDauphin is the only midstate county where the number of cases filed in court for people arrested for having a small amount of marijuana exceedsed the number of DUI cases from 2005 to 2009, according to data provided by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Dauphin’s pot cases in recent years even exceed those of York County, which has larger population than Dauphin.Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico Jr. said a lot of the small pot possession cases come from people who are arrested at concerts in Hersheypark.Otherwise, Marsico said many of the small pot arrests are accompanied by other charges. Often, people who are already on supervised probation for other offenses get caught with marijuana, as do individuals police stop on the street for suspicious behavior, Marsico said.In June, Philadelphia created a diversion court where anyone arrested with up to 30 grams of pot would pay a fine. The city said the program would divert more than 4,700 possession cases from its criminal courts.Marsico said he is watching Philadelphia to see how its diversion court goes. “The small amount of marijuana alone is not bogging down our court system but it is certainly something we should take a look at going further.”Gov. Tom Corbett while running for governor said he opposed expanding Philadelphia’s pot decriminalization court outside the city. Marsico said he does not believe Dauphin would need state approval to set up a pot diversion court similar to Philadelphia’s.Joe still smokes pot about four times a year.“I do more harm to myself eating bowls of ice cream,” he said. “We all know marijuana is not a healthy thing to do, the same as with cigarettes, fatty foods and alcohol.“In excess all these things are bad for you. But what it comes down to is these are decisions of individuals. As Americans we are allowed to do unhealthy things,” he said.

It’s hard to watch the twisted medical marijuana power play in California and not cringe a little. What happened to that rogue hippie state, living by its own wacky free-minded rules and dancing around buck naked through fields of daisies? The federal and state government have combined efforts to rule the state with an iron fist, needlessly and clearly for its own benefit. Now California seems to be falling, like a New Age long-haired giant, to its aging knees.

But signs of hope arise in it’s kinky, smoggy epicenter, Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles City Council’s effort to close down the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries next week could face a serious challenge Wednesday, when activists say they will submit a petition with 50,000 signatures to overturn a recently approved ban.

The petition that will be turned over to the L.A. City Clerk’s Office calls for a referendum next March on the new ordinance banning storefront dispensaries effective Sept. 6. But the petition’s immediate effect will be to prevent the ordinance from even going into effect.

The City Council voted last month to ban the dispensaries, citing conflicting court opinions about whether the city can legally regulate cannabis collectives. While banning storefront dispensaries, the city will allow licensed patients or caregivers to grow and transport their own medical marijuana under the ordinance.

After the vote, the City Attorney’s Office sent letters to 1,046 suspected dispensary locations, warning them to shut down by Sept. 6 — or face court action and a $2,500 fine for every day they remain open past the deadline.

Medical marijuana supporters quickly mounted a signature-gathering effort in hopes of forcing a referendum on the issue. A minimum of 27,425 signatures is required to get the issue on the ballot, according to petition- drive organizers, who say they’ve collected around twice that many.

Read more…and check out the comments, a decent barometer of public opinion.

Here are some old school Cali images by photographer Hugh Holland (first image) and Jeff Divine. And as always, turn on, tune in and drop out, man.

Opening image: photographer unknown.

California in the good old days

My Cali Hippie Shot:

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Other blogs:

on Opensalon.com

Hot Buttered Media

Freedomisgreen.com will be helping with a letter writing effort for marijuana prisoners.

Several studies suggest a prisoner’s mental health is dependent on contact
with the outside world. Many prisoners consider mail as one of their only
highlights:

“One cannot fully understand the therapeutic effects one receives from
correspondence with his or her peers on the outside.” (M.J., Hagerstown, MD)

“Mail is the only thing to look forward to in here.” (J.S., Camp Lejeune,
NC)

Read more about the therapeutic benefits of receiving mail while in prison:

http://www.writeaprisoner.com/why-write-a-prisoner/default.aspx

Editor Beth Mann has some tips:

What should you write? Anything. Prisoners benefit from seemingly mundane
letters about your daily life to words of inspiration to pieces of creative
writing to news or current events. The important part is simply reaching
out.

We will post the letters though support pages or print and send via regular mail with the NORML Women’s Alliance.

Please keep in mind that all of the prisoner’s mail is read by authorities.

– Please send text only, no images or attachments
– Put the prisoner’s name in subject line of email
– Send separate emails for each prisoner
– Up to 1,000 words per letter
– By sending a letter through freedomisgreen.com we may contact you and ask that your letter be posted on the site to bring awareness to victims of prohibition. You may decline and we will still forward your letter directly to the prisoner.

– Send your emails to [email protected]

Questions? [email protected]

Thank you for participating!

1/11/2012 – Wellness Connection of Maine opened their facility in Hallowell this week and has permits to open two more facilities this year. When fully operational the group will be the largest medical marijuana provider in the state.

WGME reported yesterday:

Mayor Charlotte Warren says she’s heard no complaints about this dispensary locating in Hallowell.  The mayor says “They’ve met with our Chief of Police, they’ve met with the city manager.  I feel very confident that they run a tight ship.  They know what they’re doing.  And I don’t have concerns about that.” read more

There are only eight permits for medical marijuana dispensaries in Maine. The limits created fierce competition. Berkeley Patients Group of California spun off an arm called Northeast Patients Group to get a piece of the new market but eventually internal relationships went sour. Controversy over start-up funding and business interests became public after a lawsuit last year.

Former NBA player Cutino Mobley tried for a marijuana dispensary license in Rhode Island. Then he turned up some funding for the Northeast operation in Maine. With the new money and name Wellness Connection weathered the lawsuit by the former backers in California and moved ahead.

Still their plans are to operate the first year at a significant financial loss.

In July estimates filed with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the group said it expected to serve 540 patients and lose $1.75 million. read more

From a patient perspective Maine has one of the most robust medical cannabis programs in the country. Home cultivation is allowed and so are caregivers, who maintain a solid network. Last year the Medical Marijuana Patient Privacy Protection Act passed making registration with the state voluntary and preventing municipalities from over-regulating medical cannabis.

The dispensaries in Maine are seen as a compliment to overall patient access and not as the sole-source for medical marijuana.

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

Robert Platshorn served the longest sentence for any non-violent marijuana offense in US history: Thirty years in federal prison with no parole. It was all for smuggling tons of pot back in the 1970’s when he went by the name Bobby Tuna. On April 9th Magnolia Pictures will bring Bobby to the Philadelphia Cine Fest for a screening of a new documentary called Square Grouper that tells his story. Platshorn grew up right on South St. and this will mark his first trip back to the area since being released from prison.

PhillyNORML is planning a homecoming for Bob and his family. Details to follow next week.

He sat down with me for a 2009 interview about his autobiography Black Tuna Diaries: The Story of America’s Most Notorious Marijuana Smuggler LISTEN HERE MP3

Bobby’s real skill was as a salesman and a dealmaker. He cut his teeth as a pitchman on the boardwalk in Atlantic City selling all kinds of wares. When he got into moving huge bails of marijuana he used boats and airplanes, but never any violence. The equally amazing story is a whole new chapter of Bobby today. He reconnected with his wife and son on a slow but steady path to re-build his life. Platshorn has also invested himself as an advocate for marijuana law reform. He has a regular column in High Times Magazine and currently works with local NORML chapters.

The next step for Bob is starting a Silver Tour to educate seniors about the benefits of cannabis. His approach has already seen some positive impact. After speaking in Florida, state Rep. Jeff Clemens recently introduced a resolution to legalize medical marijuana. Many are moved by Bob’s perspective and story along with his enduring sense of humor that is an inspiration after he served so many years in a cell for pot.

Square Grouper from Rakontur Films and directed by Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) is scheduled for a 4:20PM screening at the Ritz Theater in Philadelphia on Saturday April 9, 2011.

Check out more screenings on the East Coast –  http://www.squaregroupermovie.com/events/

4/29/2011 – The medical cannabis program enacted by the Garden State in January 2010 has not yet gone into practice. Now things have become even more complex. The first six permits for non-profit Alternative Treatments Centers were granted to groups with deep pockets and strong political influence. But that did not stop NJ Attorney General Paula Dow from sending a letter to the US Department of Justice asking for clarification.

The move last week put the nascent cannabis program in the federal government’s harsh spotlight. The April 22, 2011 letter states, in part:

As the state’s chief legal adviser to all of the departments in the Executive Branch, many of which are participating in carrying out the medical marijuana legislation, it is critical that I properly advise them as to the potential criminal and civil ramifications of their actions in carrying out their duties.

Accordingly, I ask that you provide me with clear guidance as to the enforcement position of the Department of Justice relative to New Jersey’s medical marijuana legislation and the scope of the entities and individuals who may be subject to civil suit or criminal prosecution. Read more

Medical cannabis advocates in New Jersey see the DOJ query as another hurdle thrown up by Governor Chris Christie.

“A more appropriate approach would be for the state Attorney General to insist that the federal government reschedule marijuana from its absurd Schedule I status, “ said Ken Wolski the executive director of The Coalition for Medical Marijuana NJ (CMMNJ).

”Schedule I drugs have no accepted medical uses in the U.S.  Yet New Jersey—along with 14 other states and the District of Columbia—acknowledged medical uses for marijuana through legislation.  Another dozen states are considering similar legislation, “ said Wolski, a registered nurse.

“State officials should not look to the federal government for guidance on medical marijuana,” Wolski added. “The feds are clearly locked into a position that denies current advances in science and denies the reality of an ever-growing national awareness about the medical uses of cannabis.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been conducting raids of medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington, Colorado, Montana and California. Twenty-eight raids happened in the month of March, over a dozen now in April.

No one has been arrested in any of the DEA actions that feature federal agents in paramilitary teams training automatic weapons on seriously ill patients and dispensary employees. Federal agents remove marijuana and money on the premises and then clear out the bank accounts of the businesses. New raids happened just yesterday in Spokane, WA.

The federal tactic of targeting financial assets may be particularly concerning to the medical cannabis operators in New Jersey. The six facilities are set to supply marijuana in one of the nation’s most populous states. Even with the restrictions on medical qualifications and limits of just two ounces per month for patients, the corporate-styled NJ ATCs may prove to be more expansive than the small-business models employed elsewhere.

Several of the NJ ATC groups are planning to capitalize with tens of millions of dollars.  Because these are non-profits there are no business loans, only cash. That could make them attractive targets.

New Jersey was also the first state to pass a medical marijuana law that did not allow for home cultivation. Patients must rely on the ATCs for all access to legal cannabis. When raids happen in other states they do not shut down the entire marijuana system. If similar DEA actions happened to the six NJ facilities then every single registered patient in the state would be without their medicine.

US Attorneys recently made thinly veiled threats against state employees who are tasked with the oversight of medical marijuana programs. After receiving such a letter Washington’s Governor Chris Gregoire is saying she will veto a new law authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries.

Experts urged state officials not to fold in the face of the Fed’s aggressive bluff. Hugh Spitzer, a University of Washington law professor and top constitutional scholar, sent a letter to Gregoire reported in the Spokesman-Review:

“Washington’s governor should not stand in for the federal government to frustrate the will of Washington’s voters and a legislative policy decision favoring the type of regulatory control encompassed by (the bill),” Spitzer said. Read more

Nicholas Scutari, the state Senator form New Jersey who sponsored the medical marijuana law, cut though the spin when he told the Newark Star-Ledger : “Asking the U.S. Attorney General to confirm their position appears to be merely another stall tactic by this administration,” Scutari said.

There are thousands of seriously ill New Jersey residents accessing the underground marijuana market today. After the successive delays many have already given up on the state system. They have resolved to continue risking arrest for their medication.

An AIDS patient in Burlington County, who asked not to be named, said today, “Even if they do get this thing running I’ll still go get it [marijuana] on the street. Two ounces? Right! That was never going to be enough anyway.”

The US Department of Justice has confirmed receiving the inquiry letter from New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow, but DOJ offered no time line on a response.

Questions?       [email protected]     267 702 3731

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

I receive Google alerts every day for “women and marijuana” as part of my ongoing research for Freedom is Green. It’s usually a strange compendium of criminal reports (including two women who were found pantless in their car after St. Patrick’s day. Ladies, reign it in!), political and legal issues, and scientific reports.

One thing for sure: the alerts have been increasing in size and strangeness. Today, I read about the trial of one of the biggest marijuana crop busts in Australia’s history, spearheaded by a man who planned on using the funds for a massive anti-abortion campaign (to the tune of $69 million.)

Michael Bennet Gardner Sr. argued in his defense because, apparently, he possessed certain memories that would aid his cause:

Mr Gardner told the court he was in a unique position to argue against abortion as he could remember his time in the womb.

He said women who had abortions carried demons with them for the rest of their lives and argued society was doomed for allowing them to take place.

“Abortions are an act of treason against the reasons our men fought and died on the cliffs of Gallipoli,” Mr Gardner said.

He made his submissions wearing a ragged shirt that was missing the back panel, saying it was an ancient Jewish custom for grieving people to tear their clothes.

He apparently believes in shackling his children and forcing them into hard labor as well as torturing animals. So there you go. Radical conservatism and flagrant nutjobs aren’t beyond the use of marijuana to further their cause.

The right and the left continue to collide and intermingle in Connecticut, where Connecticut voters overwhelmingly support the use of medicinal marijuana with a doctor’s prescription, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

Great news, right?

Well, this same group also strongly supports the death penalty, calling a legislative proposal to abolish it a “bad idea” by a margin of 62-31 percent.

We seem like a nation (or a world) of a fractured and mercurial belief systems that changes from day to day. No surprise.

I’ll continue to monitor and relay the varied stories…though the pantsless women types always have a special place in my heart.

Here’s a little excerpt. (Note their refusal to don pants even after instructed by the cops. Rebel.):

Two women wearing nothing but shirts were found by a Baldwin Borough police officer inside of a gray Ford Focus stuck on the railroad tracks along Streets Run Road near Route 51 at around 2:59 a.m. on Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day.

When the officer approached the Focus, he smelled the strong odor of alcohol, according to his report.

The officer requested numerous times that the driver—Andrea M. Vennare, 23, of 233 Albany St. in Pittsburgh’s Ridgemont neighborhood—get dressed so that he could put her through field-sobriety tests, but Vennare refused. Eventually, Vennare failed all field-sobriety tests and a breath-analyzer test before being arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Vennare said that she accidentally drove onto the railroad tracks.

Before being taken to the Baldwin police station, Vennare and the other woman in the Focus—a 22 year old who has not been charged with any offenses—both finally put on their pants.

See? Happy ending.

On April 15th the District of Columbia will move ahead with their medical cannabis system by publishing regulations in the DC Register.  But the nation’s capital is following a similar path as New Jersey: Both are attempting to provide just a handful of centralized cultivation and dispensing centers without any provisions for patients to cultivate at home. DC and NJ have also delayed the implementation of their medical marijuana laws for over a year, the extra time has seen what should be simple regulations have evolve into complex even draconian rules.

The DCist reported today:

The medical marijuana program sketched out by District officials will be more restrictive than similar programs in other states. Only five dispensaries and 10 cultivation centers will be allowed, and each will pay significant fees for licenses and registration. Only patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis will qualify, and will be limited to two ounces a month. Home cultivation will not be permitted, which has rankled advocates and raised a tough question — where exactly will cultivation centers get seeds to grow the marijuana they will then provide to dispensaries? No clear answers have yet emerged, but at a February townhall on the program, one advocate hinted that plants seized by the Metropolitan Police Department may well be a source. (There’s still the unsettled issue of how the feds will respond to the program; a recent raid in Montana and an IRS investigation into the taxes of the country’s largest dispensary in California have some local advocates worried. read more

Still, Washington DC is planning for five dispensaries in a city of approximately 600,000 residents. New Jersey is putting in just six Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) sites to serve a state with nearly 10 million people.

Applications to run the DC dispensaries are set for publication on April 17th, unless there is a federal government shutdown. The District of Columbia relies on federal funding for its municipal operations.

Read more Canna-Business news at Freedomisgreen.com

No Permit for Low Cost Marijuana Supplier in NJ

Amidst an era of medical marijuana proponents and educators suffering at the hands of repeated federal and local crackdowns, one woman holds her own. Her name is Liz McDuffie.

Growing up in Louisiana in the 1950s, Liz McDuffie’s only relief from debilitating migraines was pushing her skull against the headboard of her bed to release pressure. As an adult, the headaches continued to plague her, to the point that her only refuge was a dark room and a bag of ice.

Then, one day in 1969, on the advice of a doctor she met while teaching in Germany, she tried hashish. For the first time, she was able to function without the throbbing pain.
As her headaches subsided, they were replaced with an insatiable curiosity about the medicinal properties of cannabis. The deeper McDuffie dug, the more she realized how much the plant was shrouded in misinformation, despite its 3,000-year history.

After teaching for the U.S. Army and the Pasadena Unified School District, earning a postgraduate degree from USC’s School of Public Administration and running the upscale consignment boutique Ritz Resale, McDuffie shifted her focus. In a self-described “holy endeavor,” she dedicated her life to the one thing that had allowed her to reclaim hers.

“It seemed like it was the only road for me to take,” she says in an accent that still carries hints of Southern twang.

The passionate educator’s energy and determination belie her age. At 70, McDuffie’s petite frame is all the more accentuated as she stands where she’s most comfortable — in front of a classroom full of students. Her copper-streaked hair falls softly around her delicate glasses, but her fervor shines through, with eyes that rarely stray and hands that whirl to emphasize her words.

Her creed, at its core, is that “knowledge is power.”

“It all has to do with education,” she says. “That’s really how you change anything.”

Since 2006, McDuffie has been director of the Medical Cannabis Caregivers Directory, or MCC, a nonprofit center where students learn how to grow, use and sell medical marijuana.

Read more at LA Weekly.

 

Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Sex work and medical marijuana activism share common ground. Both parties understand that their cause is based on a victimless crime, needlessly stigmatized by society. Both parties have been on the wrong side of the law and have witnessed wasted lives and countless dollars in needless arrests. And both movements benefited immensely from Robyn Few, who passed away on September 12, 2012 from a long struggle with cancer.

Robyn Few, a native of Kentucky, USA, ran away from home at age 13 and later became an exotic dancer. After marrying and having a daughter in her twenties, she began to take college courses in the hopes of earning a degree in theater arts. She went to California in 1993 to pursue theater and become an activist. Acting and activism not being the highest paying jobs, Few turned to prostitution to pay the bills in 1996. She has worked tirelessly as an advocate and caregiver for medical marijuana and AIDS patients and has gained quite a reputation in the Bay Area activist community as an effective lobbyist for the issue. In June of 2002, the FBI arrested Few, under the direction of the U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Using the Patriot Act, Ashcroft was able to equate terrorism with prostitution and get additional funding for the very expensive investigation. She was convicted on one federal count of conspiracy to promote prostitution and received six months house arrest, which she finished serving in June 2004. Judge Marilyn Hall Patel allowed Few to continue her activism and volunteer efforts while under house arrest.

Dubbed the “patriotic prostitute,” a campaign centered on the idea that prostitution should be decriminalized to protect women from violence began in October 2003 with The Sex Workers Outreach Project. SWOP is an outgrowth of the anger and frustration that Few feels as a result of her federal bust. “Until prostitutes have equal protection under the law and equal rights as human beings, there is no justice. Until prostitutes are no longer criminals why would they come forward and allow themselves to become targets for law enforcement? Decriminalization is the beginning of the solution; it’s not the solution itself” — says Few.

Robyn Few was the Director of SWOP-USA and co-founder of the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, held on December 17th each year. SWOP helps sex workers and their organizations organize to protect their rights and fight against stigmatization and discrimination. It published media manual, citizen lobbying handbook and decriminalization fact sheets. Its volunteers and staff provide consultation on local, national and international campaigns and organize trainings on topics including lobbying, media, action planning, civil disobedience and strategy.