Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Marijuana Grower with Multiple Sclerosis Faces 20 Years in Prison
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 16, 2009
Modified Dec 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 16, 2009
Modified Dec 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
37-year-old John Ray Wilson has multiple sclerosis, and he's found that smoking the leaves of a certain plant helps alleviate his symptoms. So he grew 17 of the plants in the ground on his property. But the government of New Jersey believes that plant is evil and must be driven from the earth, so the Attorney General is trying to send Wilson to prison. For twenty years. The plant, obviously, is marijuana, and America, obviously, is really screwed up. The most serious charge against Wilson is that he was operating a drug production facility, and unfortunately for him, the judge has forbidden his lawyers from making any mention his illness during the trial.
Superior Court Judge and human paraquat Robert Reed ruled in July that the decision to allow medical marijuana was a matter for the Legislature and inadmissible in court. Wilson's lawyer says, "Imagine going to trial and you can't tell the jury why you were doing what you were doing?... We're not having one hand tied behind us, we're having two hands tied behind us... He is not a dealer, he is not involved in any distribution, he is trying to treat himself. And the state of New Jersey wants to put him in prison for 20 years? It's outrageous. You're better off being a crooked politician; you've got a much better chance of not being charged with anything."
The Jersey State Senate has actually passed a bill that would allow the use of marijuana under certain medical circumstances, and a similar measure is pending in the Assembly, the Star-Ledger reports. If the bill becomes law, New Jersey would become the 14th state to stop being so insane and legalize medical marijuana. But it will probably be too late for Wilson, whose case has sparked angry protests outside the Somerville court. Below, check out a great video of the sick, rightfully infuriated demonstrators.
Medical marijuana advocates protest at Somerset courthouse
Tagged
john ray wilson
medical marijuana
ms
multiple sclerosis
new jersey
pot
sick
trial
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .