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Hawaii: THC Minister Roger Christie released to halfway house: Says he'll continue to fight for marijuana legalization
KITV4 Friday 12 Sep 2014 "Thank you for the love and support all this time," he said, while adding, "We still got a big job to do." Far from contrite or apologetic, Christie is vowing to lead the fight to legalize marijuana in Hawaii. In 2000 state lawmakers approved the use of medicinal marijuana, but just this week a Marijuana Dispensary System Task Force issued a report saying there's no legal way for patients to obtain the drug. Christie says that's exactly what he was doing on the Big Island before his arrest in July 2010. "We helped for 10 years doing that," Christie told KITV4. "So, now the state realized that the supposed crime that all of us, the Green 14 were convicted of, is now something that's necessary." In April, Christie and his wife Share were sentenced to multiple years in jail after agreeing to a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Roger received a five-year sentence, with four years of supervised release. But after more than four years of time served without bail, Christie was transferred to the Mahoney Hale halfway house before he returns to Puna on the Big Island. "In seven days I can get a furlough to leave the premises, and Nov. 14, I get to fly home," he said. Christie, an ordained minister, continues to claim he received assurances from local law enforcement officials that he would be left alone. However, he says that all changed when he helped spearhead a Big Island ballot initiative in 2008 that made the personal use of marijuana on private property the lowest law enforcement priority for cops. The movement was known as Project Peaceful Sky. "It's because we cut away the federal grants from helicopter eradication on the Big Island that the local HPD called the DEA and said, 'We got to stop this guy some kind of way,'" said Christie. In 1978 Christie ran for mayor of Denver, Colorado, on a pro-marijuana platform. While he was in prison in Honolulu, his home state legalized the recreational use for those 21 and older. The irony of it all is not lost on Christie, who turned 65 in June. "So, I planted a little seed of consciousness back in the day," said Christie. "I'm so proud of my home state for really being a leader in the world now for the compassionate treatment of people that need it the most." Once he leaves the halfway house, Christie will do some campaigning with Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Jeff Davis, who picked him up from prison after his release. Christie believes it won't be long before Hawaii joins Colorado and Washington in legalizing the drug he calls sacrament. "Now, all I've got to do is paddle a little bit and I think I can stand on this wave of all the support for liberating cannabis for all the great things that it can do for people," he said. "It's going to become known as mandatory for good health." Christie’s wife received a jail sentence of 27 months, followed by three years of supervised released. However, she was allowed to return to the couple’s home in Puna as she awaits a decision on a pending appeal. Under terms agreed to in federal court, Share Christie must report to prison 45 days after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco issues a ruling. http://www.kitv.com/news/thc-minister-roger-christie-released-to-halfway-house/28024208#ixzz3D62UzbWK
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