cannabisnews.com: Federal War on Marijuana is Misguided





Federal War on Marijuana is Misguided
Posted by CN Staff on February 06, 2003 at 07:38:47 PT
By Dennis Rockstroh, Mercury News
Source: San Jose Mercury 
Common sense will tell you that something went terribly wrong in the courtroom of federal Judge Charles R. Breyer. Justice wasn't blind. It was blindsided.Late last month a federal jury in San Francisco found Ed Rosenthal of Oakland guilty of marijuana cultivation and conspiracy. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
Reaction was swift.``Kangaroo court.'' ``Railroaded.'' ``He didn't deserve this.'' ``He's not a criminal.''And that's the jury who convicted him talking.You see, no one told the jury that Rosenthal was working for the city of Oakland's medicinal marijuana program when he was arrested. Breyer would not allow it.A single ``not guilty'' vote would have resulted in a hung jury.Once some members of the jury learned the truth, they became angry.Five of them, in an unusual, courageous move, showed up Tuesday in front of the courthouse to denounce the trial and their decision, and apologize to Rosenthal.``It was like a kangaroo court,'' juror Marney Craig told reporters.``I really feel manipulated in a way,'' said another juror, Pam Klarkowsky. ``I feel the jury was railroaded into making this decision.''``I feel like I made the biggest mistake in my life,'' Craig said. ``We convicted a man who is not a criminal.''Out of control Unfortunately, I don't think this is an isolated instance.For many months now, the federal judicial system has been spinning out of control. People have been arrested and kept incommunicado. There have been secret hearings closed to the scrutiny of the press and the public. Whistle-blowers who have revealed federal wrongdoing have been punished. Big Brother is watching what you say, do and even what books you check out of the library.It's un-American.In the name of security and law and order, the feds are slowly chipping away at our liberty, slowly squeezing us into conformity.Rosenthal's case came about because although growing medicinal pot is legal in California, it is illegal under U.S. law.Watching from afar, the New York Times called the federal attack on people like Rosenthal a ``misguided marijuana war.''``The Bush administration's war on medical marijuana is not only misguided but mean-spirited,'' the Times said in an editorial this week. ``Doctors have long recognized marijuana's value in reducing pain and aiding in the treatment of cancer and AIDS, among other diseases.''And, the Times pointed out, a recent poll found 80 percent of Americans support legalized medicinal marijuana.Bullying The Times alluded to one of the characteristics I've spotted in our federal government: In the eyes of many, our federal government has become a bully.It is even picking on Us the People, trying to thwart the will of California voters.In 1996, Californians approved Proposition 215, the medicinal marijuana initiative that made what Rosenthal did legal.``If the Bush administration really believes Proposition 215 has no legal authority, it should seek to strike down the law itself,'' said the Times. ``Or it could go after cities like Oakland, which make medical marijuana available as part of municipal policy. Such an approach could be inconvenient for an administration that favors greater autonomy for state and local governments. But it is less vindictive than a strategy that attacks doctors and people like Mr. Rosenthal.''In other words, Mr. Bully, stop picking on the little guys.Meanwhile, other cases are pending against medicinal marijuana growers.I find it strange that, given the state of the country and the world, federal law enforcement people seem to have a lot of time on their hands.Now that's scary.Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)Author:  Dennis Rockstroh, Mercury NewsPublished:  Thursday, February 06, 2003Copyright: 2003 San Jose Mercury NewsContact: letters sjmercury.comWebsite: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/Related Articles & Web Sites:Green-Aid.comhttp://www.green-aid.com Ed Rosenthal's Trial Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmAngry Rosenthal Jurors Call For New Trialhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15385.shtmlThe Feds vs. Ed Rosenthal http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15383.shtmlPot Case Jurors Call For New Trialhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15380.shtml
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