HILO >> Big Island medical marijuana advocate and non-partisan gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Adler said he took his marijuana to jail with him last weekend. Marijuana advocate
totes drug to jailBy Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.comAdler was arrested Oct. 5 after he failed to appear at a court conference to prepare for his scheduled Dec. 3 trial on charges he possessed 55 marijuana plants in 1999. Adler said he didn't have a lawyer, so he didn't know about the conference.
The advocate said that when police arrived at his home to arrest him, he asked his wife, Nuan, to bring him his pipe, lighter, marijuana, and state medical marijuana registry card. Police waited until he had those items, then took him to jail, he said.
At the jail, police took the items away, leaving him with no medical marijuana, he said, adding that the marijuana was noted among his possessions and returned to him when he left jail Monday.
Police declined to comment to the Star-Bulletin on what possessions Adler had.
In jail, Adler said he asked police to call his wife to bring him legal Marinol pills, containing synthetic THC, the active substance in marijuana. Adler said he has a prescription for the pills to treat his asthma.
Police improperly relayed the message, so his wife brought real marijuana instead, he said. When she showed up with it, police arrested and charged her for possession, then released her.
On Monday, Judge Greg Nakamura accepted Adler's explanation that he didn't know about the pretrial conference and released him.
Adler said he kept his Prisoner Personal Property Receipt filled out by police which includes the notation, "Film canister containing marijuana." After getting out of jail, he had the document laminated, he said.