Washington Man Arrested for Marijuana on Hunger Strike

Jerry Laberdee

Medical marijuana activists and supporters rallied at the Federal Courthouse in Spokane, Washington today to protest the arrest of dispensary owner Jerry Laberdee last week.

Medical Herb Providers, a dispensary run by Laberdee was raided by federal agents and Spokane police last May as part of a broader crack down on dispensaries in Washington. Agents seized 32 pot plants, $1,400 in cash, several ounces of ready-to-smoke marijuana and several electronic devices and charged Laberdee with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.

Laberdee was released on the condition that he quit smoking pot, get rid of any he still had and submitted to random drug tests. Laberdee was arrested last week when he refused to submit to a drug test and he hasn't eaten since, saying he won't eat again until he's released and allowed to smoke medical marijuana. Laberdee uses medical marijuana for a variety of chronic pain issues.

"I want people to open their eyes and realize this is not just about marijuana, it's about our constitutional rights are being stripped away," Laberdee's daughter Jessica Vogel told the Seattle Weekly.

"People should be rioting in the streets," she said.

Vogel is encouraging people to send words of encouragement to her father at:

Jerry Laberdee
1100 W. Mallon St.
Spokane WA 99260
Cell block 4518w

The Chronicle salutes Jerry's brave efforts to stand up for the rights of medical marijuana patients everywhere. In our opinion he is a true defender of liberty and the American way. Hang in there brother!