POZ

Medical Marijuana and HIV Meds Could Put a Defendant in Jail

AIDS activists who were arrested during a peaceful protest in Washington, DC, are speaking out against the U.S. Attorney’s new policy of drug-testing people charged with nonviolent crimes such as civil disobedience. Specifically, the attorney allows defendants to enter into a deferred prosecution agreement, meaning the charges will be dropped once they meet the conditions of the agreement—such as performing 32 hours of community service in DC and having three consecutive negative drug tests. The government does not take into consideration whether defendants have a prescription for medical marijuana or whether they take medications that may result in a false positive, as some HIV meds might do. Because of the drug testing requirement, at least two AIDS activists now face possible jail time and a criminal record for their nonviolent protest. They are asking the U.S. Attorney to drop the charges.  Click here for more.