A22: Join Rocking Reggae Benefit for Convicted Medical Marijuana Provider in Santa Cruz!

On Friday, April 22, a reggae extravaganza featuring Rocker-T, SoulWise and R-evolution will be held at Vet's Memorial Hall, 847 Front St., Downtown Santa Cruz, from 8 p.m. to midnight. The evening of music, food and raffle drawings is a fundraiser for the legal defense of Roger Mentch, a medical marijuana provider and caregiver who currently faces up to seven years imprisonment for possessing 1 1/2 oz. of marijuana.

Show your solidarity with Roger by attending this fundraiser, have a fun time and educate yourself about the current political oppression of medical marijuana providers in California and the rest of the United States.

Roger Mentch formed the Hemporium, LLC. a professional caregiving service in 2003. Previously he was a Unix Administrator in the Bay Area before being layed off. Since the inception of the Hemporium, Roger has followed all guidelines for dispensing Medical Marijuana under state law. Although he started the business before the medical marijuana patient card was started, he operated under the guidelines of that Santa Cruz County program after it was begun.

Besides the Mentch's conviction, Santa Cruz's Pacific Cannabis Cooperative was shut down this past month. Since the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana was raided in September 2002, the two most recent actions have effectively cut off the medical marijuana supply in Santa Cruz County. The only option for many medical marijuana patients is to travel an hour and a half or more to the San Francisco Bay Area to a medical marijuana dispensary. For many, this is not an option because of immobility and lack of financial resources. It is also problematic because many Bay Area medical marijuana dispensaries are coming under law enforcement scrutiny and several have recently been shut down.

Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance for $10 at:

-Chopstix Restaurant, Hwy. 9, Felton, or
-Glass Roots, 2015 N. Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

Tickets will be available at the door on the night of the event for $15 - 20.

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For Further Information on Roger's Case:

Medical Marijuana Provider and In-Home Caregiver On Trial in Santa Cruz
http://santacruz.indymedia.org/newswire/display/16819/index.php

Reopen The Pacific Cannabis Cooperative
http://santacruz.indymedia.org/newswire/display/17328/index.php

Listen to Interview of Roger Mentch Interview on Bathrobespierre's Broadsides (interview is halfway through file)
http://www.santacruzcopwatch.org/robert/brb050310.mp3