cannabisnews.com: Medical Pot Advocate Found Guilty 





Medical Pot Advocate Found Guilty 
Posted by CN Staff on February 01, 2003 at 08:55:05 PT
By Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 
A federal jury in San Francisco found Ed Rosenthal, one of the nation's most prominent marijuana advocates, guilty Friday of felony conspiracy and cultivation charges -- a triumph for federal prosecutors seeking to override California's endorsement of pot as medicine. Jurors deliberated less than a day before finding the 58-year-old Oakland resident -- a columnist for High Times and Cannabis Culture magazines and author of more than a dozen books -- guilty of all three felonies charged. Rosenthal faces a minimum of five years in prison. 
His wife, brother and daughter embraced one another and wept in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. Outside, demonstrators chanted and waved signs advocating his acquittal. The verdict ended the Bay Area's first federal medical-marijuana trial, part of a high-profile federal crackdown that started immediately after passage of Proposition 215, the 1996 California initiative that allowed seriously ill patients to obtain the drug with a doctor's approval. "There is no such thing as medical marijuana," Richard Meyer, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told the Associated Press. "We're Americans first, Californians second." The only defense victory Friday was a jury finding that Rosenthal conspired to grow more than 100 plants and not more than 1,000, which would have carried a mandatory 10-year sentence. The 100-plant finding requires at least a five- year term, which could be lessened only if Rosenthal were to cooperate with prosecutors, something he has shown no sign of doing. "We're going to fight this case all the way," he declared outside the courthouse. Besides conspiracy and cultivating more than 100 marijuana plants, Rosenthal was convicted of maintaining a place where marijuana was grown. Federal agents said they found more than 3,000 plants last February in an Oakland warehouse leased by Rosenthal, but his attorneys argued that most of them were rootless cuttings that were not technically "plants." Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/gc.htm Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff WriterPublished: Saturday, February 1, 2003 Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 1 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Sites:Green-Aid.comhttp://www.green-aid.com Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.orgEd Rosenthal's Trial Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmEd Rosenthal Convicted -- New Trial Sought http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15344.shtmlJury Finds California Marijuana Guru Guilty http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15342.shtmlGuru of Ganja Convicted of Marijuana Cultivationhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15340.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by Truth on February 01, 2003 at 09:00:49 PT
Not done yet.
When the dust all settles, truth will prevail.
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