Charged with a cannabis crime?
Now what?
Once you have submitted your defendant form we ask that you call into A Cup of Joe which airs as a podcast as well as is live steamed on Facebook and YouTube every Wednesday at 5:00 pm PST. With viewership in the thousands every week this is a powerful tool to gain support. If you are a defendant you are guaranteed time to speak live on the show. The call in number is 1-646-929-2495. All of our past shows are archived at A Cup of Joe.
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ACTIVE CHAPTERS
Headquarters chapter – covering Southern California Contact: Joe Grumbine Email: grumbinejoe@gmail.com Phone: 1-951-436-6312 Rock n Fire chapter – covering Central California Contact: Scott and Niki Email: adiamondqy@gmail.com Phone: 559-356-0358 NorCal chapter – covering Northern California Contact: Tom Korby Email: tdkfishinbuds@gmail.com Kansas chapter – currently covering all of Kansas Contact: Sarah and Mike Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/THSI.KANSAS/about/?ref=page_internal Phone: 316-409-9789 MISSOURI Hope for Change and the End of Prohibition Contact: Dana and Sue Bland Email: ozarkhillbillydad@yahoo.com OHIO Creative Care Beacon Chapter – currently covering all of Ohio Contact: Glenn and Peggy Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thsohio1/ Phone: 419- 863-0498 TEXAS Cannabis Open Carry Chapter Contact: Candis Dyer Email: Cannabisopencarrywalks@gmail.com WHAT IS COURT SUPPORT?
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. LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGNS
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THE NEXT STEPS THAT AFFECT THE OUTCOME ARE YOURS TO TAKE
Cannabis law is undergoing a piece-meal reform as more people across the nation come to realize it shouldn’t be illegal. Be prepared for laws and outcomes to vary drastically depending where your case takes place. Your physical location and type of charge must first be evaluated.
Do you have an attorney? If your charges are serious, you may want to consult with attorneys and see what resources you can manage to retain one. Hiring an attorney is too much money for many of us who live week-to-week, paycheck-to-paycheck, so you should do a lot of research yourself or educate your public defender if you are unable to hire a paid (hopefully cannabis friendly/educated) attorney.
The steps to completing a trial require defendants to appear before the courts numerous times for bail hearings, pre-trial hearings, motions and more. It is important to know that for purposes of bail, you are presumed guilty of any charge the DA can bring up against you no matter how little evidence actually exists to support the charges. These charges are often dropped later in the trial. What this means is that defendants often find themselves shocked to face large bail amounts based on merit-less charges that still land them behind bars for the duration of the trial or until they are able to post bail.
The Courts will often offer a plea deal that should be considered depending on your physical location, laws, and charges. You and your attorney know your case best. Depending on your life and responsibilities, a quiet and simple resolution may be what you feel meets your personal situation best. However, plea deals are acceptance of guilt in a crime and often times include jail or prison time as well as probation, heavy fines, fees and limits on your life for years to come. Take the deal or not, it will cost you at this point.
Your other option is to refuse the plea deal and take it to trial by jury of your peers. It is a scary thought to have a court organized to question you, your life and your actions. However, this could be an opportunity to both teach your community about cannabis and possibly be found “not guilty” through Jury Nullification. This option also could end up in a conviction often-times landing you in a similar position as taking the plea deal. It is a risk. If everyone took their cannabis cases to court, they would likely have to stop filing new cases for lack of funding to prosecute them. If you choose to take it to trial, we would suggest gathering as many friends, family members, and leaders/citizens from your local community to help with court support and locate or Start a THSI Chapter in your area.
In the United States and Canada, Voir direoriginally referred to an oath taken by jurors to tell the truth. Today the term generally refers to the process by which prospective jurors are questioned about their backgrounds and potential biases before being selected for a jury. It is a process where both sides select jurors for removal until the seats and alternates are filled with the jurors they are most satisfied with. This is where many open minded people are eliminated from the group. Sharing an understanding of Jury Nullification concept at this point will result in dismissal.
Do you have an attorney? If your charges are serious, you may want to consult with attorneys and see what resources you can manage to retain one. Hiring an attorney is too much money for many of us who live week-to-week, paycheck-to-paycheck, so you should do a lot of research yourself or educate your public defender if you are unable to hire a paid (hopefully cannabis friendly/educated) attorney.
The steps to completing a trial require defendants to appear before the courts numerous times for bail hearings, pre-trial hearings, motions and more. It is important to know that for purposes of bail, you are presumed guilty of any charge the DA can bring up against you no matter how little evidence actually exists to support the charges. These charges are often dropped later in the trial. What this means is that defendants often find themselves shocked to face large bail amounts based on merit-less charges that still land them behind bars for the duration of the trial or until they are able to post bail.
The Courts will often offer a plea deal that should be considered depending on your physical location, laws, and charges. You and your attorney know your case best. Depending on your life and responsibilities, a quiet and simple resolution may be what you feel meets your personal situation best. However, plea deals are acceptance of guilt in a crime and often times include jail or prison time as well as probation, heavy fines, fees and limits on your life for years to come. Take the deal or not, it will cost you at this point.
Your other option is to refuse the plea deal and take it to trial by jury of your peers. It is a scary thought to have a court organized to question you, your life and your actions. However, this could be an opportunity to both teach your community about cannabis and possibly be found “not guilty” through Jury Nullification. This option also could end up in a conviction often-times landing you in a similar position as taking the plea deal. It is a risk. If everyone took their cannabis cases to court, they would likely have to stop filing new cases for lack of funding to prosecute them. If you choose to take it to trial, we would suggest gathering as many friends, family members, and leaders/citizens from your local community to help with court support and locate or Start a THSI Chapter in your area.
In the United States and Canada, Voir direoriginally referred to an oath taken by jurors to tell the truth. Today the term generally refers to the process by which prospective jurors are questioned about their backgrounds and potential biases before being selected for a jury. It is a process where both sides select jurors for removal until the seats and alternates are filled with the jurors they are most satisfied with. This is where many open minded people are eliminated from the group. Sharing an understanding of Jury Nullification concept at this point will result in dismissal.