Court support is the simple, yet powerful, act of attending court proceeding for civil rights defendants. Standing in solidarity with someone who needs our help.
Support: : to endure bravely or quietly : bear
a (1) : to promote the interests or cause of (2) : to uphold or defend as valid or right : advocate supports fair play (3) : to argue or vote for supported the motion to lower taxes
Members of THSI Court Support Teams rise early in the morning, dress neatly – proudly adding THSI Solidarity Ribbon to their lapels – and often travel for miles to another city, county or state to reach an important cannabis court date for someone they barely know, or may not know at all. They perform this show of solidarity so that no cannabis defendant has to stand alone against the unjust and barbaric cannabis prohibition laws in the US.
Court Support shows that we stand in solidarity. We sit respectfully in courtrooms, with our Solidarity Ribbons in clear view. We take the time out of our busy lives to fill a seat, and observe our Court System in action while our presence serves as a reminder to all court participants that they serve the will of the people in the pursuit of freedom and justice.
Despite medical marijuana being legal in 22+ states and the nation’s capital, many legal medical marijuana patients and providers still find themselves facing a hostile court system, generally accustomed to punishing drug-offenders and lacking in both cannabis knowledge and human compassion. Usually defendants stand alone in the face of life-altering consequences in the hands of a zealous career-minded prosecutor and a public defender with little or no knowledge of cannabis law.
When courts are filled with ribbon-wearing support daily the need for change will be hard to ignore. Court Support is the single most effective action you can take to legalize cannabis.
Until we sit in a courtroom and look into the eyes of the judge and the jurors on a cannabis case, most of us have no idea how powerful our actions can be.
Find out why Court Support is so vital by contacting THSI today.
The purpose of court support to show that average law-abiding people do not support the criminal prosecution of those who grow and possess cannabis. For the message to be effective, we must show appropriate respect for the court and its proceedings. Please take the time to follow all of these guidelines to maximize the effect of our court support efforts. Failure to do so can result in your removal from the court room and negatively impact the defendant you hoped to support.
We always love and appreciate new help. If you feel like you would like to help out in this, please check out our volunteer section.
Great success has been found time and time again through letter writing. Many defendants have received no jail time or have received a reduced charge as a direct result of letter writing. Through a Call to Action via our website as well as various Facebook pages we manage along with your family and friends a request is put forth for letters on your behalf. The first letter writing campaign would be to the District Attorney requesting that your case be dropped. The judge may not receive any letters regarding your case until you have been found guilty as a result of a trial or you have pleaded out on your case. At the point that you are readying yourself for sentencing a campaign can be launched requesting no jail time at sentencing or at the least leniency.
Letter writing if done correctly can be a great tool. A printed stack of organized letters in your attorney's hands if you have one or yours if you don't is effective. There are some guidelines that we have developed and find useful.
LETTER WRITING GUIDELINES
District Attorney Letters: The first letter writing campaign would be to the District Attorney requesting that your case be dropped. The judge may not receive any letters regarding your case until you have been found guilty as a result of a trial or you have pleaded out on your case.
Important points to include in your letter are that cannabis crimes are victimless. Describe strengths the defendant has, what he/she has done for their community and will continue to do.
Sentencing Reference Letters: The judge may not receive any letters regarding your case until you have been found guilty as a result of a trial or you have pleaded out on your case. At the point that you are readying yourself for sentencing a campaign can be launched requesting no jail time at sentencing or at the least leniency. The same main points that you would include in a letter to the district attorney should be included in your sentencing letter.
The most important guideline to follow is to have all of the people who write letters on your behalf email, snail mail or directly hand you their reference letter. All of our family, friends and supporters have only our best interest in mind but that does not mean their letter is appropriate and/or helpful; therefore allowing yourself time to vet all letters ahead of time is imperative.
Prisoner Address List (pdf)
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Go to the website below and enter your address for a complete list of your current representatives. Letting your voice be heard is one of the most powerful tools you have.
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