. A12 Police Return Seized Marijuana
Police officers in Mountain View,
Calif., returned marijuana plants they had seized from someone who
used the drug for medical reasons. Supporters of
medicinal marijuana called it a first. The police took six
plants and equipment from Edward Willis, a 43yearold
electrician who began to get sick from AIDS about a year
ago. But after pleas from Mr. Willis's wife, the police
returned the marijuana. The reversal came at the direction
of a Santa Clara County prosecutor, who said the county
would not prosecute anyone who cultivates marijuana solely
for medicinal purposes. In November, voters in California
approved a referendum legalizing the medical use of
marijuana.