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In that Spring, a marijuana seed sprouted
in an abandoned flowerpot on our sundeck. Having survived
the winter, it burst forth in the warm sunlight and we took
pity on it, fed it well and watched it grow. We added three
more seeds to this “volunteer” and soon four plants
were thriving. We looked upon them as insurance for when the
regular, illicit supplies of marijuana would dry up. We weren’t
worried; it was 1975, no one got busted for marijuana anymore.
Bob Randall w/ Marijuana Plants
“Procuring marijuana became
a regular part of our life and trying to cover the dry
spells became particularly important.. This uninvited
“volunteer” plant was the obvious solution
to my problem---grow enough marijuana to cover the dry
spells.”
Bob Randall
Sundeck where Randall grew marijuana
But we were busted through a fateful series
of events that culminated on an August afternoon when we returned
from vacation found a ransacked home, a search
warrant on the kitchen table, and a request from the D.C.
police to turn ourselves in.
Search Warrant from the Vice Squad for Nine (9) Cannabis
Plants
Read
Text of Search Warrant
Arrest Warrant for Robert C. Randall
Read
Text of Arrest Warrant
Bob was furious that the police had “stolen”
his medication and immediately began looking for help to prove
his medical need for the illegal drug. Like hundreds of busted
pot smokers he began with NORML, which was then headquartered
on M St. NW in Washington. He was ushered in to meet Keith
Stroup, founder and executive director. Keith listened to
Bob’s story, rummaged through the pile of papers on
his desk and pulled out a slim file labeled “medical
use”. He invited Bob to make copies of the contents
and gave him a few phone numbers of people in the federal
government who might have some information.
Keith Stroup w/Jane Silver and Vera Rubin, 1976
One of those contacts happily mailed us the
most recent copy of Marijuana & Health: Report
to Congress. A small section was entitled “Therapeutic
Aspects.” It gave an overview of the history
of medical use and provided a list of ongoing investigations
into marijuana’s medical utility. The very first noted
was
“Intraocular Pressure” and it revealed that
in 1971 – four years prior – Dr. Robert Hepler
had reported a drop in the IOP of normal subjects in a marijuana
study at UCLA. The report further noted, “Hepler has
started a program for treating patients with ocular hypertension
or glaucoma, particularly those whose IOP is not reduced with
conventional medications.”
NIDA: Marijuana Research
Findings 1976 |
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This report was a revelation to Bob. He had
been unaware that anyone else might know about marijuana’s
use in the treatment of glaucoma. Learning that the entire
federal government was aware AND funding research while D.C.
cops were busting us for possession was too much.
“I was stunned. There it was,
in hard, unyielding black and white, printed under the
stamp of the Department for Health, Education, and Welfare.
Delivered, by law, to Congress!”
Marijuana Rx, page 19
It would have been oh so simple to pay the
fine for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and move on with
our lives. But the information from the government not only
corroborated Bob’s thinking it gave him a possible ally,
a means to prove his claim that marijuana helped.
Over the next few months Bob contacted every
researcher in the country who had even the remotest involvement
with research on marijuana and elevated eye pressures. Bob
spent ten days in California under the care of the previously
noted Dr. Hepler. The tests at UCLA were exhaustingly thorough.
Hepler first tested every conceivable regimen of conventional
glaucoma medications but could not reduce Bob’s intraocular
eye pressures to a normal range. He then added oral THC to
the regimen with no success. Only after these tests did Hepler
give Bob inhaled marijuana. The results were, of course, positive.
Bob had a consistent, dose-related response to inhaled marijuana.
And Hepler demonstrated that therapeutic response was additive.
Without the marijuana no combination of existing drugs could
effectively lower the IOP.
Bob returned from California feeling jubilant
and victorious. Our lawyer, upon reading the letter which
Dr. Hepler sent to Bob confirming the importance of marijuana
for the maintenance of his sight, looked at Bob and declared,
“This is history!”
In that meeting, just 16 days into the Bicentennial
year of 1976, the seed of the next 20 years was sown. The
lawyer and his young associate were nearly delirious with
the prospects that Hepler’s research conclusions offered,
especially so when Bob declared that we wanted to “sue
someone. Without a guarantee of legal access,” he said,
“nothing is gained. I need a non criminal supply at
a reasonable price.”
This unleashed an even greater torrent of
legalese between the lawyer and associate. Peppered in the
Latin legal terms were familiar words like, “publicity,”
“history,” and “great case.” It was
a heady moment for all involved.
Continued
on Page 4
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