Peter McWilliams
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{{Infobox Person
| name = Peter Alexander McWilliams
| image =
| image_size =
| caption = McWilliams on a TV show
| birth_date = {{birth date|1949|8|5|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Michigan]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2000|6|14|1949|8|5|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| occupation = [[Author]], [[activist]]
| spouse =
| parents =
| children =
}}
'''Peter Alexander McWilliams''' ([[August 5]], [[1949]] – [[June 14]], [[2000]]) was a [[writer]] and cannabis activist. A vocal supporter of [[medical cannabis]] due to being terminally ill with AIDS and cancer, McWilliams was investigated by the Federal [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] and convicted for violating federal marijuana laws, even though medical marijuana was legal under California state law. He later choked to death on his own vomit when he was forced to switch from cannabis to [[Marinol]] in order to remain free on bond pending sentencing.
== Early writings ==
McWilliams was born to a [[Roman Catholic]] family and raised outside of [[Detroit]] in Allen Park, [[Michigan]]. After attending [[Eastern Michigan University]], he read widely and was a fan of [[Paul Krassner]]'s periodical ''[[The Realist]]'' and [[Albert Ellis]]' [[Rational emotive behavior therapy|rational emotive therapy]]. After experimenting with [[yoga]] and [[LSD]] he also did [[group therapy]] with Melba Colgrove, Ph.D.
McWilliams began [[transcendental meditation]] with [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] and wrote both ''The TM Book'' (by himself) and then later ''TM'' with Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D., leaving the TM organization shortly after introduction of its "Sidhi Program." He was next active in [[Erhard Seminars Training]] with [[Werner Erhard]] whom he greatly admired and also Stuart Emory's "Actualizations" [[LGAT]] before meeting [[John-Roger]] Hinkins in the fall of 1978 and its "Insights" program.
He wrote nearly 40 books that he [[self-publishing|self-published]] under the names Versemonger Press and Prelude Press, including ''Surviving the Loss of a Love'' (1971), ''The Word Processing Book'' (1982), ''Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned About Life in School but Didn't'' (1990), and ''[[Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do|Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Society]]'' (1993). Many of these are liberally sprinkled with selected [[quotations]] intended to illuminate the points he is making, often humorously.
''Life 101'' and a few subsequent books were also credited to [[John-Roger]] (Roger Delano Hinkins), the leader of the Church of the [[Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness]] and McWilliams's spiritual advisor during that time. McWilliams later repudiated the movement, claiming to be the sole author of the books, which clearly are written in his style.
All the books for which he holds [[copyright]] are available for reading at no charge at his web site. A notable exception is [[Life 102 (book)|''Life 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You'']]. McWilliams agreed to abandon the copyright to John-Roger to settle [[libel]] [[litigation]] over the contents of the book, and later asked that the book be removed from circulation in a notarized letter[http://www.life102.com/life102.pdf], stating "the content of the book is no longer one with which I would like to have my name associated".[http://www.life102.com/]
== Medical Marijuana ==
In [[1996]] [[California Proposition 215 (1996)|California Proposition 215]] was approved by the voters that allowed terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana. The same year, Peter McWilliams was diagnosed with both [[cancer]] and [[AIDS]] and was among the roughly forty percent of terminally ill patients who experience extreme nausea as a side effect of medications used to treat such diseases. Advocates of medical marijuana (and many medical researchers)<ref name="MarijuanaAntiemetic">{{cite journal
| last = Doblin
| first = Richard
| coauthors = Mark A. R. Kleiman
| title = Marijuana as Antiemetic Medicine: A Survey of Oncologists' Experiences and Attitudes
| journal = Journal of Clinical Oncology
| volume = 9
| issue = 7
| pages = 1314–1319
| year = 1991
| url = http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/mmjdobl.cfm
| accessdate = 2007-01-02 }}</ref> believe that the drug is an [[antiemetic]], which eliminates the nausea associated with cancer and AIDS medications, thus allowing the medications to work effectively and enabling the patient to maintain their appetite and diet.
McWilliams became a strong supporter of medical marijuana and published ''[[Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do]]'' as a critic of [[victimless crime]] or ''consensual crime laws'' (to wit, as the premise of the book states, "any act which is a crime, which does not ''physically'' harm the person or property of another"; a stance shared by historical political philosopher [[John Stuart Mill]]), including the laws against marijuana. The book made him a hero among [[civil libertarian]]s and critics of American [[drug prohibition]]. (The book's title is taken from the [[8-bar blues|blues]] [[blues standard|standard]] "[[Ain't Nobody's Business]]".)
McWilliams spoke before the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] National Convention in [[1998]] where he came out as a [[gay]] man who was diagnosed with both [[cancer]] and [[AIDS]] and thus had a personal stake in the [[California]] law legalizing [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] for medical reasons.
Along with the book ''Ain't'', McWilliams was a vocal activist for medical marijuana and was helping [[Todd McCormick]] (who suffered from cancer since childhood) write a book titled ''How To Grow Medical Marijuana''. Both men became the subject of a Federal [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] investigation; their homes were searched and research was seized to gather evidence towards charging both men with violating federal drug laws.
McWilliams claimed he was specifically targeted for arrest and prosecution because he was such an articulate and effective opponent of drug prohibition, as both [[Los Angeles County]] Sheriff's Deputies and [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] agents told him they frequently found copies of ''Ain't Nobody's Business...'' in the homes of those they arrested for marijuana possession. [http://www.petermcwilliams.org/mirrors/www.petertrial.com/affidavit_of_peter_mcwilliams.htm] [http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wbova/fn/earth/2000_6_03.htm]
McWilliams and McCormick were arrested and charged with violating federal drug laws concerning marijuana. The financial support that McWilliams gave to McCormick was used as evidence that he was a ''drug kingpin''. At his trial, the judge ruled that McWilliams was not allowed to mention in court that he was terminally ill, that using medical marijuana was (in his opinion) keeping him alive, or that his usage of medical marijuana was legal under California state law. Even as he vomited repeatedly during court proceedings, McWilliams was, under such legal conditions, not allowed to explain his condition or its connection to the charges against him.
As a creative outlet and way to reach supporters during his trial, McWilliam's began to blog the current events of his life on his website petertrial.com. McWilliams in his humorous, informative style, would share his thoughts with the world, about his trial, medical condition and medical marijuana's effect on his life.<ref>http://www.petermcwilliams.org/mirrors/www.petertrial.com/intro-0.htm</ref>
Due to the gag restrictions, he was forced to plead guilty and hope that the judge would show leniency. Through his website<ref>http://www.petermcwilliams.org/mirrors/www.petertrial.com/letters.htm</ref>, McWilliams asked supporters to send e-mails and letters to the presiding judge in an effort to allow McWilliams to serve his sentence under house arrest, where he could continue writing and have access to medical care. During this time, McWilliams continued writing articles highly critical of the laws against marijuana, including an open letter (published in [[Liberty (1987)|''Liberty'']] magazine) to [[Microsoft]] founder and CEO [[Bill Gates]] which called on him to join the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]].
ABC News reporter [[John Stossel]] had been a supporter of McWilliams' plight and had produced a ''Give Me A Break'' segment on Peter McWilliams a few days before McWilliams died in [[2000]]. [http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n790/a05.html]
== Death while out on bond pending sentencing ==
On June 14 of [[2000]], McWilliams was found dead in his apartment. Some claim that he choked to death on his own vomit, while others claim he died of a heart attack. His mother's house had been used to collateralize the bond on which he was allowed to remain free pending sentencing, a condition of which was that he refrain from using cannabis. For fear of losing his mother's house, he did so, again forgoing the medication needed to control his symptoms. He had access to [[Marinol]], but it was ineffective for him about two-thirds of the time.[http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n849/a10.html]
<blockquote>''The federal prosecutor personally called my mother to tell her that if I was found with even a trace of medical marijuana, her house would be taken away.'' [http://marijuananews.com/peter_mcwilliams_still_held_on_.htm]
</blockquote>
[[Richard Cowan]] and many critics of the U. S. drug policies have described his death as [[murder]] by the U. S. government, insofar as they denied him the use of the [[medical marijuana]] which might have prevented his death. Others (including McWilliams himself, in ''Ain't'') suggest those involved in such tragedies as his are otherwise good people whose dedication to the law had allowed them to be used for the purpose of enforcing unnecessarily cruel, unnecessarily expensive, and simply unnecessary laws, for the purpose of enforcing a morality that is in the interests of satisfying the moral offense of a segment of the American population, rather than satisfying the legitimate interests of America or Americans.
<blockquote>''When his elderly mother pledged her house as security for the bail, they threatened that the government would seize her house if her son simply failed a drug test, not just if he were to flee. She would not be intimidated, but now her son is dead as the result of the conditions of the bail. These are the "family values" of America's war on the sick and dying.'' [http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n833/a06.html]
</blockquote>
In October of [[2001]], John Stossel reported again on McWilliams's story. The segment, entitled ''Sex, Drugs and Consenting Adults'', included footage of the late author and was highly critical of victimless crime laws.
==Quotes by Peter McWilliams==
* "Marijuana is the finest anti-nausea medication known to science." -- 1998 LP National Convention
* "Within seconds of the first toke, the nausea was gone, vanished with the smoke into the air." -- ''A Question of Compassion: An AIDS-Cancer Patient Explores Medical Marijuana''
* "The Drug War is another Viet Nam." -- ''The DEA Wishes Me a Nice Day''
* "To avoid situations in which you might make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all." -- ''Life 101''
* "Life is not a struggle, it's a wiggle."--''How to Survive the Loss of a Love''
==Bibliography (partial)==
* McWilliams, Peter, ''[[Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do|Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society]]''. Most of these works available online at http://mcwilliams.com
* McWilliams, Peter, ''Do It! Let's Get Off Our Buts (revised edition)''
* McWilliams, Peter, ''How to Heal Depression'', also by Harold Bloomfield
* McWilliams, Peter, ''How to Survive the Loss of a Love'', also by Melba Colgrove and Harold Bloomfield
* McWilliams, Peter, ''Hypericum and Depression'', also by Harold Bloomfield and Mikael Nordfors
* McWilliams, Peter, ''Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned About Life in School -- But Didn't''
* McWilliams, Peter, [[Life 102 (book)|''Life 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You'']]. This book no longer available as part of legal settlement.
* McWilliams, Peter, ''Love 101: To Love Oneself is the Beginning of a Lifelong Romance''
* McWilliams, Peter, ''Portraits: A Book of Photographs ''
* McWilliams, Peter, ''You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought''
* McWilliams, Peter, ''Come Love With Me and Be My Life''
== External links ==
*[http://www.mcwilliams.com Peter McWilliams Web Site]
* ''[http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wbova/fn/earth/2000_6_03.htm The DEA Wishes Me a Nice Day]'' by Peter McWilliams, circa 1997
* ''[http://www.lp.org/lpn/9809-McWilliams.html McWilliams is arrested for "trying to save lives"]'' -- LP News September 1998
* Part One of ''[http://www.liberalvalues.org.nz/files/compass1.pdf A Question of Compassion: An AIDS-Cancer Patient Explores Medical Marijuana]'' by Peter McWilliams
* ''[http://www.harrybrowne.org/articles/McWilliams.htm Is Violence Justified?]'' by Peter McWilliams, February 20, [[1999]]
* ''[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=13238 Learning from Peter McWilliams]'' by [[Harry Browne]], 2000
* ''[http://www.november.org/thewall/cases/mcwilliams-p/mcwilliams-p.html Peter McWilliams R.I.P.]'' by [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], July 17, 2000, ''National Review''
== References ==
<references />
* [http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n833/a06.html An Indictment, Not an Obituary]
* [http://www.mischiefmarketing.com/mcwilliams/ Peter McWilliams Links]
* [http://www.petermcwilliams.org/ Memorial For Peter McWilliams]
* [http://www.petertrial.com/ Peter McWilliams Trial Page]
{{Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McWilliams, Peter}}
[[category:Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness]]
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:American activists]]
[[Category:American libertarians]]
[[Category:American motivational writers]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American self-help writers]]
[[Category:Michigan writers]]
[[Category:Gay writers]]
[[Category:AIDS-related deaths]]
[[Category:Cannabis activists]]
[[Category:Medicinal use of cannabis]]
[[Category:United States controlled substances law]]
[[Category:Eastern Michigan University alumni]]