Gov. Frank Keating (R) today freed two violent offenders who were serving respectively, a life sentence and a 50-year sentence, but for a second time, denied parole for medical marijuana patient Will Foster, despite the state parole board’s unanimous recommendation to release him.
Foster, who was denied parole by the governor in January 1999, has served four years of a 20-year sentence for cultivating marijuana in a 25 square foot underground shelter, which he grew to alleviate the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. He was initially given a 93-year sentence, but that sentence was reduced by an appeals court that found the original sentence to be excessive.
“It looks as if my case has become more political than I ever imagined,” Foster said about the governor’s decision. “He hasn’t broken my spirit though.”
Foster said he is up for parole again in August.
“It’s simple,” said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director. “Will Foster should be paroled and immediately returned to the care of his family. Gov. Keating has always fancied himself a drug warrior, but what kind of message is he trying to send by paroling violent criminals while keeping Mr. Foster in prison — despite the parole board’s unanimous recommendation to release him, not once but twice. If Gov. Keating is really a player on George W. BushÕs presidential team, he should consider acting like a ‘compassionate conservative.'”
NORML strongly urges concerned citizens from across the country to contact the governor and demand parole for Will Foster. Contact Gov. Frank Keating at the following address: State Capitol Building, Room 212 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: (405) 521-2342 Fax: (405) 521-3353 Email: governor@gov.state.ok.us For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751.
