Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Thursday, July 25, 2002
Pamela J. Podger, Chronicle Staff Writer
Ms. Sweeney is survived by her 12-year-old daughter, Cassie, who will be raised by guardians that her mother selected in the final years of her 13-year battle with AIDS and hepatitis C.
Ms. Sweeney helped start and manage the now-defunct Flower Therapy clinic in San Francisco for medical marijuana. She was named by activist Dennis Peron as one of the people who inspired him to co-write state Proposition 215, the 1996 voter-approved initiative that legalized the medical use of marijuana. Friends said Ms. Sweeney frequently spoke about AIDS prevention at local schools, jails and prisons.
In 1992, Ms. Sweeney was arrested for growing two marijuana plants, which she used to alleviate the nausea from her medications, but friends said the Marin County district attorney's office had declined to prosecute. On Oct. 11, 1992, the town of Fairfax passed a resolution supporting the use of medical marijuana.
Longtime pal Stephenie Hendricks, an independent television producer, recalled an early 1990s episode of "Bay TV," the talk show with TV anchor Pete Wilson, where Ms. Sweeney spoke about medical marijuana with former U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello.
"She reached into her bra and pulled out a joint, lit it and blew smoke in their faces, saying, 'If you guys don't mellow out, you're going to get heart attacks,' " Hendricks recalled. "I'll never forget the look on Pete's face -- it was priceless, and Barbara was giggling with glee."
Pam Lynott of Larkspur, who helped out at Flower Therapy, which served about 3,000 people at its peak and operated from 1996 to 1999. Along with providing a safe place for people to take their medicine, the clinic hosted Sunday potluck dinners and Christmas, Thanksgiving and St. Patrick's Day events.
"She was a very dear friend of mine," Lynott said. "She had spunk and a heart of gold."
Ms. Sweeney was born May 4, 1953, in Bronx, N.Y. She graduated from Brown University in Providence, R.I., with majors in political science and education.
Friends said Ms. Sweeney was diagnosed with HIV in 1989 when she became pregnant. She believed she had been infected by her former husband, who used intravenous drugs.
Ms. Sweeney moved to Marin County about 20 years ago, most recently living in Fairfax.
Visitation hours are tonight from 7 to 8:30 at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, followed by a private memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for a college fund for Cassie Sweeney at the Fairfax branch of the Bank of America, located at 89 Broadway.
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