cannabisnews.com: Med Marijuana Truth in Trials Act to Be Introduced Med Marijuana Truth in Trials Act to Be Introduced Posted by CN Staff on April 09, 2003 at 18:14:35 PT For Immediate Release Source: U.S. Newswire Washington - April 9 - News Advisory: In the wake of the federal conviction of medical marijuana grower Ed Rosenthal -- found guilty of felony marijuana cultivation charges by a jury that was not allowed to consider that the marijuana was for medical use by seriously ill patients and was grown with the express authorization of the city of Oakland, California -- U.S. Reps. Sam Farr (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Barney Frank (D-MA) will introduce legislation to prevent such injustices in the future. The bill's introduction will be announced at a Capitol Hill press conference on Thursday, April 10, at 1:30 p.m. EDT.A satellite feed of press conference highlights will be available later in the afternoon. WHAT: Press conference to announce the Truth in Trials Act. WHO: U.S. Reps. Sam Farr (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Barney Frank (D-MA); Marney Craig, member of the jury that convicted Ed Rosenthal of marijuana cultivation; Ashley Epis, 8-year-old daughter of medical marijuana grower Bryan Epis, who is currently serving a 10-year federal prison sentence; Valerie Corral, co-founder of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, which was raided by the Drug Enforcement Administration on Sept. 5, 2002; Robert Kampia, executive director, Marijuana Policy Project. WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2200. WHEN: Thursday, April 10, 1:30 p.m. EDT (please arrive early due to security precautions). SATELLITE FEED: Highlights of the press conference will be available at the following times and coordinates: 3:30-3:45 p.m. EDT: Satellite SBS 6 Transponder 5 KU Analog. Downlink frequency: 11823 Horizontal. Audio will be on 6.2 and 6.8. 4:15-4:30 p.m. EDT: Satellite SBS 6 Transponder 5 KU Analog Downlink frequency: 11823 Horizontal. Audio will be on 6.2 and 6.8. With 11,000 members nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana -- both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use. For more information please visit: http://www.mpp.org Note: Press Conference April 10 with Reps. Farr, Rohrabacher, Frank, Juror from Ed Rosenthal Trial.For Immediate Release April 9, 2003 - 12:16 PM Contact: Marijuana Policy ProjectBruce Mirken; 202-462-5747 ext. 113 Source: U.S. NewswirePublished: April 9, 2003Copyright 2003 U.S. Newswire Website: http://www.usnewswire.com/ Contact: http://www.usnewswire.com/contactusn.htmlEd Rosenthal's Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmPictures from WAMM Protesthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/eventpics.htmBryan Epis Protest Pictures http://freedomtoexhale.com/protestpics.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #13 posted by afterburner on April 10, 2003 at 18:24:34 PT: lombar - Truth in Trials: What a Concept! People used to be required to swear, "Do you promise to tell the Truth, the WHOLE Truth, and Nothing But the Truth?" Did this practice fall into disuse? The trial of Ed Rosenthal deliberately withheld the Truth, so that the WHOLE Truth could not be known by the jurors, who concluded that Ed Rosenthal was a Druglord Gangster, which was Nothing like the Truth as he was deputized by the City of Oakland. Hey Judges, do you swear to tell the Truth, the WHOLE Truth, and Nothing But the Truth? Do you swear to preside over a court that tells the Truth, the WHOLE Truth, and Nothing But the Truth?Jury Nullification: The Feds vs. Ed Rosenthal http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread15383.shtml ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by lombar on April 10, 2003 at 10:58:50 PT If you can't get truth in court... I could only think, "Only in the USA do they need a bill that requires 'truth' in trials!" I thought the whole reason for a trial is to ascertain the truth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by FoM on April 10, 2003 at 10:42:53 PT i420 You're welcome. This is a very good series. I'm looking forward to tonights program on marijuana. PS: druid thanks for the heads up! [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by i420 on April 10, 2003 at 05:44:21 PT Thanks FoM thanks to you too FoM! I missed that one was workin overtime, vacation tonite so will be able to catch the show.3rd shift bites. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by i420 on April 10, 2003 at 05:41:32 PT Druid Thank you for the heads up on the history channel have bklanks will record! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by druid on April 09, 2003 at 22:50:43 PT RAVE Act Heading to Floor, Act NOW THE RAVE ACT IS MOVING! IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO STOP IT: FAX YOUR SENATORS & EMAIL THIS TO YOUR FRIENDSLate on Tuesday, April 8, a Senate and House Conference Committee, without a hearing, public notice or a debate in Congress, attached the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (formerly known as the RAVE Act) to the Amber Alert Bill (a child abduction bill). It is not too late to stop the bill - Fax your senators. The main floor fight is likely to take place in the Senate in the next 12-24 hours so do it NOW http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1578Representatives John Conyers (D-MI) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) valiantly opposed this sneaky effort to pass controversial legislation. Unfortunately they were outvoted and RAVE Act provisions did become part of the bill. These provisions make it clear that "crackhouse laws" apply to temporary events, such as concerts, dances or festivals, and add civil penalties of up to $250,000 to the statute. If passed, property owners can be punished for any drug offense that their customers commit - even if they work hard to stop such offenses. This is likely to deter nightclub and stadium owners from holding events. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by druid on April 09, 2003 at 22:45:32 PT Bizarre Bust BANTAM -- A Torrington man who claimed he thought that he was growing tomato plants, is facing charges for cultivating marijuana. The explanation offered by Paul E. Morse, apparently did not hold water with local police, in light of a criminal history that included prior arrests for marijuana possession and the fact that Morse, worked for a local nursery that ordinarily sold tomato plants.Morse pled not guilty to the charge of operating a drug factory, during his arraignment in Bantam Superior Court on Monday. He was arrested on March 25 and released on a promise to appear. According to a warrant prepared by police, a family member accidentally discovered 12 plants were growing under lamps in the basement apartment of the Rossi Road home. Before reporting the discovery, however, the witness took photographs, police said, and removed some of the plants from Morse’s basement apartment. When police arrived at the scene, Morse allowed them to search the home, but authorities were only able to find growing lights and other indoor gardening equipment.Police received the plants from the helpful family member and they tested positive for marijuana. Morse told police that he thought the plants were tomatoe plants and had plans to transplant them outside in the spring. Man pleads not guilty [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by druid on April 09, 2003 at 22:32:52 PT History Channel: Ilegal Drugs-Marijuana Thursday, April 10 9pm ET/PT Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way: MarijuanaIn a series investigating the history of drug use, we begin our trip tracing the rise of marijuana and synthetic amphetamines. Marijuana, from the Indian hemp plant, has been used worldwide as a source of rope, cloth, and paper; its medicinal qualities were first documented 4,000 years ago in China. But it's best known as the drug of choice of the 1960s. WWII U.S. troops were given an estimated 200 million amphetamines to fight drowsiness and battle fatigue and they're still used to fight depression. TV PG [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Lehder on April 09, 2003 at 21:10:13 PT a theoretical novelty The chasm separating drug-war fiction from reality grows ever wider! A bill will be introduced requiring that criminal marijuana trials should be truthful. The issue will actually be debated! On television! The bill for truth in trials will evidently have its opponents. The PATRIOT Act, which undermined half the Bill of Rights and provided that no trials be held at all, was never debated.Truth in trials. So far it's just a theory, a novel one. But only I am amazed. This is Orwell in Wonderland. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Virgil on April 09, 2003 at 20:42:53 PT $104 million for Colombia The New York Times had an article about the pork attatched to the $80 billion appropriated for the Iraq massacre- http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/09/international/worldspecial/09COST.html?ex=1050886212&ei=1&en=424041b3a0e18464 Mr. Carle was referring to the $104 million in the bill the president requested for antinarcotics efforts in Colombia. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Virgil on April 09, 2003 at 19:49:13 PT NarcoNews The Public Safety Secretary has called for the decriminalization of drug use just like the Health Minister- http://www.narconews.com/Issue29/article731.htmlThe voices in tune with Civil Society - like those of Public Safety Secretary Luiz Eduardo Soares and Regina Benevides of the Health Ministry - are in conflict with the leftover and tired advocates of the previous drug policy - imposed upon Brazil and other nations by Washington and Wall Street - a policy that has failed to impede any problems associated with drug use and that has caused a larger problem: the creation of the narco and all the violence and corruption it brings. There is a very insightful article at NarcoNews about Brazil written mostly by a lyricists of the Greatful Dead (Barlow, the former Grateful Dead lyricist and co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) - the sole gringo civil liberties and press freedom organization that jumped to the defense of Narco News in the Drug War on Trial case in 2001 - had opened the same Mídia Tática convention in São Paulo, on March 7th, that I had closed on March 16th.). It opens a door to a reality we have no exposure to in our country. It is a very good read- http://www.narconews.com/Issue29/article728.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Virgil on April 09, 2003 at 19:26:05 PT Info from UN conference in Vienna http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2543900,00.html - This article says that there are real problems with synthetic drugs like X and meth and amphetamines. The situation with Asscroft/Busch/Walters is worthy of an image of three stooges. They have hooked the fire truck up to the only hydrant on the block and are using what water they have to drown a nonthreatened house downwind while the wind moves the fire ever further in the opposite direction.It is one thing to demonize a benign/beneficial plant to create fiction for the thought herders and their subjects. It is completely another to waste people's goodwill, trusting nature, and huge resources financed by the debt of future generations while real problems rage caused by real addiction needs. Meth alone is going to change the face of America. When a drug culture meets real addiction we can only have ruin when the leadership is busy writing fairy tales like we need more entertainment. At some point someone is going to have to get real and our stooges need to get gone- exit stage right. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 09, 2003 at 18:23:47 PT History Channel: Illegal Drugs If you've never seen this program you might want to tune in.Wednesday, Apr 9 9pm ET/PT Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way: CocaineDerived from South America's coca leaf, cocaine was touted as a cure-all in the late 19th century and was the secret ingredient in many medicines and elixirs such as Coca-Cola. But cocaine's allure quickly diminished as racism entered the picture--the concept of the "cocaine-crazed Negro" even led police to strengthen the caliber of their guns from .32 to .38. We'll see how, though it was outlawed in 1914, its popularity soared in the 1980s and '90s and gave birth to a deadlier form--crack. TV PG http://www.historychannel.com/global/listings/series_showcase.jsp?EGrpType=Series&Id=215731&NetwCode=THC [ Post Comment ] Post Comment