8/10/2004:Bryan James Epis was the first medical marijuana patient convicted in federal court after the passage of California’s Proposition 215. Butte County sheriff's officers discovered marijuana plants growing in the basement of his home in Chico and arrested him on June 25, 1997. He was convicted of growing medical marijuana for himself and other patients, and served two years of a ten-year sentence. He was released from prison on Monday afternoon at about 4:30pm (he is shown here moments after his release, with the federal prison at Terminal Island in the background behind him).
A press conference and rally, which featured an emotional reunion between Bryan Epis and his daughter, were held on Tuesday, August 10th at the Federal Building, at the corner of 5th and I streets in Sacramento. Speakers included Bryan Epis, his daughter, Ashley Epis, who is now 11; and his attorney, Brenda Grantland. More info about the case | Text of the Appeal | Previous coverage

NORML's Bryan Epis Info | Americans for Safe Access | Compassionate Medical Marijuana Billboard Campaign | Angel Justice | Raich v. Ashcroft