NJ Medical Cannabis Patient Brian Powers had his day in court yesterday for his alleged medical marijuana crime.
Powers was arrested in New Brunswick in November for cannabis possession although he is a patient who had his proper medical marijuana card and proper medical cannabis from an Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) on him at the time. A Middlesex County sheriff’s deputy arrested him while he was smoking from a pipe on the sidewalk outside the county courthouse. He had been in the area working, walked a block, and stepped outside for a quick smoke and found himself in trouble.
NJ Medical Cannabis Patient Under Attack From Police
Powers was charged with possession felonies, along with obstruction of justice for spitting on the officer. His medical marijuana (better known as medical cannabis) was bought from Garden State Dispensary near his home and was in its properly labeled container when he was arrested. Ultimately, he was held for three hours and then released.
If he had his camera, he likely would have filmed it and not been arrested.
He flatly denies deliberately spitting on the officer. It was speculated that spittle might have come out while he was speaking accidentally.
After initially having his case transferred to New Brunswick municipal court from Middlesex County court, it seemed that his medical marijuana crime charges have been dropped along with the threat of jail time under a felony. He still has to fight a disorderly conduct charge on February 13th in a formal trial. He is maintaining his not guilty charge.
Powers has been an official medical patient in the NJMM program for a year while getting treated for anxiety and depression. Powers has been in and out of treatment for depression and anxiety since he was in his 20’s with little impact. However, he has seen great improvements from his medicine as an NJ medical cannabis patient.
Fighting the Law
Powers had sought to represent himself in the case and get the charges dropped quickly. He had consulted a lawyer for advice on the matter prior to going to court. The judge advised him to get a proper lawyer, saying if she had to file a motion for discovery on the case, she would have to hire a lawyer to do so as well.
Powers is not happy about the situation.
“Throw the father of 5 children in jail because a pig doesn’t know the law,” Powers said regarding the case. “This whole fucking system is run by pigs. I got a living to make and because a pig doesn’t know the law, so now I’m out money and time?”
“Make a living off of poor people’s blood, that’s why they do,” Powers said.
Medical Marijuana Crime Blowback
Powers is a family man with 5 boys, a Labor Organizer and advocate, a radical leader of the campaign for 15 an hour in NJ. He is a resident of Avenel in Woodbridge.
In addition, he is also a bit of a media tycoon with his firm NJ Revolution Radio which does podcasts.
His business partner Heather Warburton posted on Facebook, “Tomorrow, my friend and business partner Brian is going to court to defend himself against criminal charges connected to possessing cannabis. He is a medical patient and still had his medicine in the bag from the dispensary. The pigs in New Brunswick didnt care about things like the law. They saw a long-haired hippie sitting on a bench smoking weed. And decided their feelings were more important than anything else. They handcuffed him and shoved him into a wall. Feel free to call the Middlesex County Prosecutor. Ask why they are harassing sick people trying to use their completely legal medication.”
According to Powers, he had at least four pings on Facebook that people had done so.
Sativa Cross, led by Edward “Lefty” Grimes, joined Powers in New Brunswick to give him moral support. Lefty was also trying to get arrested outside the courthouse. with his friend Michelle Burns. She has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and needs an electronic wheelchair to get around. In the cold weather, Burns was trying to light her joints and get arrested, as an act of civil disobedience. Lefty filmed her while officers were entering the county courthouse.
Burns did not succeed in getting arrested.
Powers said they had learned from his experience.
“I helped train pigs,” Powers declared. “I’m the pig whisperer.”
Lefty said Powers said “pig” 28 times yesterday. He personally preferred the term “Fake Christian.”
