Sandusky still supported by patients, employees

While Aaron Sandusky waits in federal prison to be sentenced, his supporters are remaining active on the outside.

A group of Sandusky's former employees and friends have started a petition on We The People, a website created by the White House for citizens to petition the government.

The petition is requesting President Barack Obama to pardon Sandusky on the basis he was operating a medical marijuana dispensary legally under state law.

"My ultimate goal would be that Aaron is pardoned and released from prison. This petition is one step in that direction, and I will not give up until that happens," said Darlene Buenrostro, former G3 employee, in an email.

Buenrostro is helping to collect the required 25,000 signatures needed for the petition to get to White House officials.

She has sent the petition to former members of G3, family and friends asking they sign it and pass it on to others willing to help.

Sandusky, president of the now-closed Upland-based medical marijuana cooperative G3 Holistic Inc., is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7 on two counts of violating federal marijuana laws.

He's facing 11 to 14 years in federal prison and up to $10 million in fines.

Sandusky said it's the patients who suffer most as a result of these laws because now that his cooperative is closed, they have to find their medicine elsewhere.

"I've heard from quite a few of those patients who are fighting now because of those actions and they go back to the medications that were hurting them more than helping them get through their ailments," Sandusky said.

"Those are the people that suffer the most in this kind of action by the federal government."

Chris Kenner, a medical marijuana patient who was a member of G3 and friend of Sandusky, said since the cooperative was shut down, he's had to undergo multiple surgeries and is now on prescription medication.

"I'm back using narcotics for my pain instead of being able to use marijuana for the pain and that scares me because I've been addicted to these pills before," Kenner said. "It took me being put in the hospital and in a coma to get off of them. I don't think I can go through that again."

Kenner said he has been unable to find an open cooperative in San Bernardino County.

"Right now it seems like every place in San Bernardino has been closed," he said. "I cannot find a place in San Bernardino. This is getting scary."

Kenner said he and some other patients have discussed several ways of helping Sandusky, such as concerts to raise money for his legal fees and even a march in Washington D.C.

"We want to get enough people like a million patients to march on Washington to show them there are people out there that need this medication that are actually sick," Kenner said. "I think their opinion of it is we just have teens and partiers out here in California that like smoking weed so we made it legal."

Kenner said he and Sandusky's supporters plan to fill the courtroom on sentencing day.

They have also sent letters to Judge Percy Anderson, who was Sandusky's trial judge and is scheduled to sentence him in January.

But, many of the letters have been returned to sender.

"My mother, two of her friends and their friends sent letters and they all came back marked refused," Kenner said. "We're all hanging on to those to give to the attorneys just in case they use them in the appeal."

Sandusky said he has received calls and letters from patients and friends.

"It's a struggle in here watching what's going on outside and hearing about what's going on outside and me sitting in jail and losing everything that we've done and patients that are suffering," he said. "There's nothing good about this."

Some of Sandusky's supporters have been writing letters to Sandusky said he has gotten support from larger groups such as Californians for Local and Safe Alternatives, but not much from Americans for Safe Access or Norml.

He said many of these groups have their hands full fighting for state initiatives and local initiatives related to medical marijuana.

"Meanwhile, I'm taking on the local government through the case that's going to be heard by the California State Supreme Court next year, I hope," he said. "Oral arguments are this year and now I'm taking on the federal government which is the ultimate David and Goliath."

The petition can be viewed here.
