Martin Martinez
Practical experience and continued education in the cultivation and use of medical marijuana:
| 1986 to Present: | Following a near-fatal motorcycle crash, cannabis was discovered a superior pain reliever compared to a wide range of narcotic and non-narcotic drugs prescribed by physicians. After 22 fractures, 13 surgeries, and 15 years of severe chronic pain, the crippled carpenter remains surprisingly active. |
| 1996: | Arrested in possession of 88 marijuana plants, raised medical necessity defense in Seattle, WA-hung jury, 8 to 4 in favor of acquittal. |
| 1996: | Member Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Co-operative in CA. |
| 1997: | Member Green Cross Patient Co-operative in WA. |
| 1997: | Arrested in possession of 56 marijuana plants-continued litigation. |
| 1997: | King County Prosecutor changed position, freeing Martinez from jail time just as WA State legalized the use of marijuana as medicine by popular vote. |
| 1998: | Relocated to Northern California, continued researching and writing on the medical uses of cannabis, including personal-care experience with individual patients suffering from AIDS, Hepatitis C, and severe chronic pain. |
| 1998: | Invited to speak on panel at national NORML Conference in Washington DC by esteemed medical author Lester Grinspoon MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. |
| 1999: | Self-published Cannabis Indications, a short book exploring modern research on mankind's oldest medicine-distributed by nation's largest topical distributor. |
| 1999: | Worked with several medical marijuana patient groups in the Bay Area and in Sonoma County, CA, as well as continued work with groups in Seattle, WA. |
| 2000: | Marijuana cultivation expert Ed Rosenthal published The New Prescription-Marijuana as Medicine by Martin Martinez, and edited by Francis Podrebarac, MD, (Quick American Archives, Oakland, CA 2000) the most complete collection of modern research on nature's greatest medicine currently available in print, includes executive summary of government-funded Institute of Medicine Report. |
| 2000: | Attended First National Clinical Conference on Medical Marijuana at the Iowa School of Nursing, an AMA credited course schedule. |
| 2000: | Attended Medical Marijuana Conference at San Francisco General Hospital, an AMA credited course schedule. |
| 2000: | Invited to speak at Lindesmith Shadow Convention in Los Angeles. |
| 2000: | Continued work with patient groups in CA and WA, including participation in large and small indoor and outdoor marijuana gardens as well as personal instruction of qualified patients on cultivation and use of medical marijuana. |
| 2000: | Continued work with patients in Seattle led to formation of collective gardens legal under WA state law. |
| 2001: | Prepared testimony with Dr. Podrebarac for presentation before WA State Senate Hearings. |
| 2001: | Invited to testify before WA State House of Representatives on qualification of "60 day supply" clause of RCW 69.51A. |
| 2001: | Invited to sign books at Lindesmith/Drug Policy Foundation Conference in New Mexico. |
| 2001: | Helped prepare testimony for criminal trial of medical marijuana case in Sonoma County, CA. |
| 2001: | Martinez was one of 30 patients to petition the US Supreme Court for the legal use of medical marijuana under US vs. Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Co-operative. |
| 2001: | Launched CannabisMD.org, a medical marijuana research and information resource site. |
| 2001: | Qualified as expert witness at trial in Superior Court of Washington--defendant's sentence reduced. | 2001: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Bangs, Lewis County, Cause No. 001-00625-4 |
| 2002: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Levine--case dismissed January |
| 2002: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Buckner, Grays Harbor County, Cause No. 01-1-00592-1 |
| 2002: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Ginn, Thurston County , Cause No. 02-1-00799-0 |
| 2002: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Real Property Known As 10522 3rd. Ave. NW, King County, Cause No. 02-2-14640-6 |
| 2003: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Spohn, Seattle, Cause No. 02-C-02573-7 SEA |
| 2003: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA vs. Foster, Whatcom County |
| 2003: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Reyes, Thurston County, Cause No. 03-1-196-5 |
| 2003: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Preinesberger, Pacific County, Cause No. 03-1-00054-0 |
| 2003: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Knight, Kitsap County, Cause No. 02-1-01592-0 |
| 2003: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Lomax, Kitsap County, Cause No. 02-1-00962-8 |
| 2003: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Holzman, King County, Cause No. 02-1-06959-9 SEA |
| 2004: | Debated merits of medical marijuana in opposition to Federal Attorney Jim McKay before WA state Bar Association | 2004: | Testified at trial in State of WA v. Ginn, Thurston County, Cause No. 02-1-00799-0 | 2004: | Compiled detailed 6 month survey of marijuana patients for peer-reviewed research paper Rational Guidelines for Dosing by UW physician Greg Carter, MD | 2005: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Hayes/Smith, Thurston County, Cause No. 05-1 | 2005: | Produced The Miracles of Marijuana DVD released to national market | 2006: | Invited to testify before WA state Senate on SB 5943, a bill to reinforce protections for marijuana patients | 2006: | invited to speak at national NORML conference in San Francisco | 2007: | Sponsored by ACLU and State Senator Kohl-Welles to testify as an advocate for ESB 6032, a bill to update protections of medical marijuana patients in WA state. 6032 was signed by Gov. Gregoire May 8, 2007. | 2007: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Svik - case dismissed | 2007: | Disclosed as expert witness in State of WA v. Bartanan - case dismissed | 2007: | Martin Martinez received the Peter McWilliams Award for excellence in advocacy from the National Organization of Marijuana Reform and Legalization. |