cannabisnews.com: Jurors Say They Were Duped 





Jurors Say They Were Duped 
Posted by CN Staff on February 05, 2003 at 08:05:38 PT
By Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 
Four of the 12 jurors who convicted medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal of federal cultivation charges stood beside Rosenthal Tuesday and called for a new trial, saying crucial facts had been withheld from them. Just four days after they had found Rosenthal guilty, the jurors said they felt misled by the judge's refusal to let them hear that Rosenthal's motivation for growing marijuana was to supply medical patients.
"For the first time in my life, I find myself questioning the court system, " said jury foreman Charles Sackett III of Petaluma, reading a letter of apology to Rosenthal. Sackett was joined by three other jurors and an alternate juror. Marney Craig said at least one other juror was sympathetic but unable to attend. Another juror attended a court hearing earlier in the day in which Rosenthal was allowed to remain free on $200,000 bail but did not appear at the press conference. The verdict was "the most horrible mistake I have ever made," said Craig of Novato as Rosenthal backers cheered. "We were only given half of the evidence." Rosenthal, 58, of Oakland, a magazine columnist and author of books on marijuana growing, was convicted of three felony charges in connection with plants he was cultivating for patients served by the Harm Reduction Center, a San Francisco dispensary. He faces at least five years in prison. JUDGE CITES FEDERAL LAWAt the trial, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer told jurors they were required to follow federal law, which prohibits the growing of marijuana for any purpose. Before the trial began, he barred evidence relating to Proposition 215, the 1996 initiative that legalized marijuana for medical purposes in California. He also excluded evidence that the city of Oakland had deputized Rosenthal in 1998 as an agent to supply medical marijuana to a local cooperative. The 12 jurors reached their unanimous verdict in less than a day, but several expressed qualms soon afterward when Rosenthal's supporters and news accounts informed them of the areas Breyer had declared off-limits. "Had we been notified that Ed was deputized by the city of Oakland . . . there's no way we would have convicted him," juror Pamela Klarkowski of Petaluma said Tuesday. District Attorney Terence Hallinan, Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez and Supervisor Tom Ammiano added words of support and hugs for Rosenthal, who was obviously cheered by the occasion. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/jst.htm Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, February 5, 2003 Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 1Contact: 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.htmMedical Pot Advocate Found Guilty http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15348.shtmlJudge Keeps Tight Rein on Pot Trial http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15333.shtmlThe Wrong Target for 'War on Drugs' http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15298.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #2 posted by afterburner on February 05, 2003 at 13:34:10 PT:
malleus2
"You can fool some of the people, all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."-- Abraham Lincoln "Good Leadership starts with good communication with people."--Quotes on Leadership and Management"Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep." --Mahatma GandhiJury Nullification is the answer to the federal usurpation of medical states rights by misusing the Commerce clause to subvert the Constitution. ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by malleus2 on February 05, 2003 at 12:06:40 PT
"Duped", eh? Now this is really funny
Do you all remember when McCaffrey, Shalala and Reno were all saying the people of Arizona and California were 'duped' into voting for Props 200 and 215, respectively?Now, it seems the feds have been caught red handed doing what they fraudulently claimed we were doing. Caught...by the very same 'duped' people.What did Lincoln say about fooling people? That you can't get away with it forever? Looks like this is bearing him out.
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment