By Hunter Holliman, National Field Coordinator, Americans for Safe Access
Last month, on June 11th, Michigan medical marijuana patient Jerry Duval surrendered to federal authorities to serve a whopping 10-year prison sentence, even though he was never in violation of the state’s medical marijuana law. Jerry is a kidney-pancreas transplant recipient who also suffers from heart disease and glaucoma. Nevertheless, the Obama Administration saw fit to arrest, prosecute, and imprison Jerry at a cost of more than $1 million.
This is not just a tragedy for the Duval family, though they were hit hard (as a result of the same case, Jerry’s son Jeremy is serving 5 years and the Duvals lost their family farm to forfeiture). Since surrendering, Jerry’s health has been deteriorating quickly due to lack of access to medication and adequate medical care, despite being an inmate in a Federal Medical Center.
In light of the unique medical needs that are clearly not being met by FMC Devens, Jerry has submitted a Compassionate Release request so that he can serve out the rest of his sentence under house arrest and continue his medical treatment with doctors capable of properly monitoring his advanced medical needs.
Read Jerry’s Compassionate Release Request here
Here’s a few easy ways to support Jerry’s request for Compassionate Release:
- Fax the Director of the Bureau of Prisons
- Sign the Change.org petition
- If you’re in NYC, come to a free fundraiser event this Saturday, July 27th hosted by Jerry’s Stepson Justin Marr (Steph Sherer will be at this event).
Thank you in advance for your help in saving Jerry’s life …
