cannabisnews.com: A War Against The People





A War Against The People
Posted by CN Staff on February 06, 2003 at 09:09:48 PT
By Steve Sebelius, R-J Political Columnist
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal 
Outrage barely begins to describe it. But once more, the drug warriors have taken aim at democracy, freedom and self-determination. Back in 1996, California voters approved -- by a margin of 55.6 percent to 44.4 percent -- Proposition 215, legalizing the use of medical marijuana.In response, the city of Oakland established a program to grow marijuana plants, so sick people authorized by their doctors to use the drug wouldn't have to search the streets for dealers. In 1998, the city deputized self-described "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal to grow the drug. 
It was legal under state law. And Rosenthal, something of a marijuana expert who had written books on the subject, had the sanction of the city of Oakland. But on February 12, 2001, Rosenthal was arrested in a federal sweep of marijuana clubs in the Bay Area. You see, under federal law, marijuana is illegal. "There is no medical marijuana," Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Richard Meyer told the newspapers. "We make no distinctions because there are none -- people who grow marijuana are marijuana traffickers. Our job is to enforce federal laws, and we surely will." From there, things got even worse. Rosenthal was hauled into federal court and ordered not to tell the jury he'd been authorized by Oakland to grow marijuana, which is not a crime under California law. Jury selection was moved up because of the publicity surrounding the trial, and prosecutors even tried to impose a gag order during the proceedings so that jurors wouldn't learn the truth: Rosenthal was legit, not the big-time marijuana kingpin that the government wanted to portray. Unethical? Certainly. But lies are necessary tools of the war on drugs, and just as dangerous as armed thugs who use explosives to break into clubs where marijuana is distributed. The judge, Charles Breyer, brother of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, even told the jurors not to substitute their "sense of justice for their sense of duty." And the jurors, kept in the dark about the real reason Rosenthal was growing hundreds of marijuana plants in that Oakland warehouse, went along with the sham and convicted Rosenthal after deliberating for a day. After the trial, the tissue of lies collapsed. The jurors learned the truth. And they were outraged. "I feel like I made the biggest mistake of my life. We convicted a man who is not a criminal," juror Marney Craig told The New York Times. Added fellow juror Charles Sackett, the foreman: "We as a jury truly were kept in the dark. I never want to see this happen again." Five jurors apologized to Rosenthal, who accepted, saying, "Both the jury and I were victims of a vicious persecution." Alternate juror Donald Withers, who didn't take part in the deliberations, marveled at the tension between federal and state law. "It seems confusing to me that federal law and state law would actually contradict each other. If the state does one thing and the federal government does another, what's a citizen to do?" That's an easy one, Donald: Acquit. In a case in which the federal government -- or any government, for that matter -- is trying to prosecute a victimless crime, citizens have not only the right but the moral obligation to refuse to enforce unjust laws. There's a healthy tradition of doing so in American jurisprudence. In this case, it's even worse: Although the government said Rosenthal and others were really just growing marijuana for profit, the truth is, those plants were intended to help ease the suffering of sick people. Sick people, by the way, who will now have to search elsewhere for relief, all because the federal government says there's no such thing as medical marijuana. But because the jurors didn't question the kangaroo court when they had the chance, Rosenthal faces decades in prison, for doing something he clearly believed was perfectly legal under state and local law. Let there be no doubt about what's happening: The federal government is waging war on American citizens via storm troopers carrying gold federal badges. They don't give a damn about the law, the sick people who are helped by marijuana or even the concept of guilt or innocence. They care only about enforcing the edicts of distant kings in Washington, D.C. In the past, a hardier stock of Americans decided they had had enough of that, staged a rebellion and wrote a Constitution so it would never happen again. But it is happening again, and the worst part is, this time around most people don't even care. During Rosenthal's trial, a billboard ad campaign was launched to draw attention to the abuse. The ads feature 8-year-old Ashley Epis, daughter of Bryan Epis, who was sentenced in October to 10 years in federal prison for growing marijuana at a Chico, Calif., co-op. "My Dad is not a criminal," Ashley's sign read. It's becoming more clear every day who the criminals in the war on drugs really are. Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist. His column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)Author: Steve Sebelius, Review-Journal Political ColumnistPublished: Thursday, February 06, 2003Copyright: 2003 Las Vegas Review-JournalContact: letters lvrj.comWebsite: http://www.lvrj.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Green-Aid.comhttp://www.green-aid.com Ed Rosenthal's Trial Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmBryan Epis Protest Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/protestpics.htmJurors Who Convicted Grower Seek New Trialhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15376.shtmlMisguided Marijuana War - New York Timeshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15365.shtmlMedical Marijuana Groups Posting Billboards http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15254.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on February 06, 2003 at 21:45:45 PT
Keep on trying
Go after Walters and drag him through the court system for months on end. Try the measure again in Nev. 
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Comment #3 posted by delariand on February 06, 2003 at 20:47:11 PT
2004 nevada legalization attempt?
I think, with the narrow margin it failed by last time, and this case in addition to the suit against John Walters for his illegal campaigning against the 2002 measure, it could go through the second time around. Anyone got any comments to that?
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on February 06, 2003 at 09:31:52 PT
Great column
What a brilliant, perceptive write-up. He missed one thing, though: " They care only about enforcing the edicts of distant kings in Washington, D.C. In the past, a hardier stock of Americans decided they had had enough of that, staged a rebellion and wrote a Constitution so it would never happen again. But it is happening again, and the worst part is, this time around most people don't even care"He should have said "most people in MEDIA don't care". The citizens have always been a bunch of dumb sheep, molded by propaganda, going right back to 1776. Common Sense, etc. The media has done a shockingly bad job of reporting the raids in California, it's been almost completely ignored. Epis, McMormick, Bojee, etc., got absolutely ZERO coverage in national media.Luckily, there's one guy in Nevada willing to step up!
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Comment #1 posted by druid on February 06, 2003 at 09:19:34 PT
Wyoming MMJ Update
Dear Supporter:We are writing today with good news from the Wyoming Senate. 
Yesterday,
the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 in favor of sending Senate 
File
44 to the Senate floor for a vote. If passed, S.F.44 would provide 
legal
protection for seriously ill patients who use marijuana for medical
purposes under a doctor’s supervision. Patients who receive
recommendations from their physicians would receive a registration card
from the Health Department, which would allow them to possess up to two
ounces of marijuana and six marijuana plants. (See attached article.)While this bill has been introduced nearly every year for the past 
decade,
this year is the first time it has made it to the Senate floor, meaning 
it
has a very real chance of passing and becoming law this time around. 
However, many Senators are unlikely to vote for the bill unless they
receive overwhelming messages of support from their constituents.If you have not done so already, please take two minutes to e-mail your
state Senator today and ask them to support S.F.44. NORML has provided
pre-written letters which can be found at:
http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=1304991Please pass this message on to all like minded friends and family 
members
in Wyoming. With your help, we can ensure that sick and dying patients 
in
Wyoming have safe access to the medicine they need without fear of 
arrest,
prosecution or jail.Thank you for your time and support of NORML’s legislative efforts in
Wyoming.Regards,Kris Krane
Assistant to the Director
NORML
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