cannabisnews.com: Woody Harrelson Backs First Medical Pot Grower!





Woody Harrelson Backs First Medical Pot Grower!
Posted by FoM on July 29, 1999 at 19:15:35 PT
NOAH ISACKSON, Associated Press Writer
Source: SF Gate
(07-29) 17:19 PDT SACRAMENTO (AP) -- The first Californian to fight federal drug charges using the state's new medical marijuana law drew support Thursday from actor Woody Harrelson, who says the judge and prosecutors are unfairly using the case to try to defeat Proposition 215.
B.E. Smith was convicted on felony charges of possession and cultivation of marijuana in May. He faces up to five years in prison at his sentencing next Friday. Smith has said that he grew pot to help sick people. Such a defense could offer the Trinity County resident immunity in a state court because Proposition 215 allows for the growth and consumption of marijuana for medical use. A Vietnam veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Smith, 52, obtained a doctor's recommendation for marijuana when California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996. ``Are we living in a democracy when the federal government and a puppet judge blatantly disregard a law created by the people?'' Harrelson said Thursday. The judge at Smith's May trial agreed with federal prosecutors arguments to bar defense arguments relating to Proposition 215. ``Under federal law there is no such thing as a caregiver who can grow marijuana,'' prosecutor Nancy L. Simpson, assistant U.S. attorney, said Thursday in an interview. ``Proposition 215 is not a defense to federal statues. The only question for the jury was whether he was cultivating it.'' Smith's attorney, Thomas J. Ballanco, called his attempts to defend Smith under those conditions ``surreal.'' Ballanco and Harrelson spoke during a telephone conference call on the case Thursday. ``All we could do was try to prove that B.E. Smith is truthful and law abiding,'' Ballanco said. In that effort, Harrelson -- who met Smith at environmental protests over the Headwaters Forest in 1997 -- testified on Smith's behalf. But Harrelson, frustrated at not being able to talk about medical marijuana, clashed with the judge and accused him of ``keeping the truth from the jury.'' At one point, U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. warned Harrelson, who gained fame on the ``Cheers'' television show, that he might find himself behind bars if he continued to defy the court. Smith has made no secret of growing marijuana for himself and others after passage of Proposition 215, Ballanco said. In September of 1997, federal agents seized 87 marijuana plants which Smith had planted on federal land in Denny. Two months later, Smith was charged in a federal grand jury indictment. Medical marijuana advocates have been closely watching Smith's case, wondering if it could mark a new stage in the face-off between state and federal authorities over the law. But state officials said the case should not affect their efforts to implement the voter's will. ``If Smith was on his own property, growing what he says was medicine for medicinal use, then there might be an issue to raise about whether there might be some enforcement clash between the state and federal government,'' said Nathan Barankin, a spokesman for state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. ``But if he's growing it on federal land it would be pretty unusual to expect the U.S attorney to ignore federal law,'' Barankin said. Thursday, July 29, 1999 Todd McCormick's Grow Medicine Web Site:http://growmedicine.com/
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on July 30, 1999 at 09:18:17 PT:
Harrelson Testifies in Drug Case
July 30, 1999http://www.newsday.com/SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)- Woody Harrelson has come to the defense of a California man who is trying to fight federal drug charges by using the state's new medical marijuana law.The actor, an advocate for the legalization of hemp, testified Thursday as a character witness for his friend B.E. Smith, who was convicted of felony charges of possession and cultivation of marijuana in May.He faces up to five years in prison at his sentencing next week.Smith has said that he grew pot to help sick people. Such a defense could offer him immunity in a state court because Proposition 215, approved by voters in 1996, allows for the growth and consumption of marijuana for medical use."Are we living in a democracy when the federal government and a puppet judge blatantly disregard a law created by the people?" Harrelson asked in court.At one point, Harrelson, frustrated at not being able to talk about medical marijuana, clashed with the judge and accused him of "keeping the truth from the jury."U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. warned Harrelson that he might find himself behind bars if he continued to defy the court.AP-NY-07-30-99 0146EDTCopyright © Associated PressPublished on July 30, 1999Related Article:Woody Harrelson Supports Medical Marijuana GrowerBy Noah IsacksonASSOCIATED PRESSSource: Hot CoCoJuly 30, 1999http://www.hotcoco.com/news/http://www.hotcoco.com/news/statfront/kni01371.htm
Harrelson Testifies in Drug Case
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 29, 1999 at 19:35:06 PT:
Related Articles 
Vietnam Veteran B.E. Smith Found Guilty-5/21/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1415.shtmlMedicinal Marijuana Law on Trial in California-5/21/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1413.shtmlActor Woody Harrelson, Judge Clash in Pot Trial-5/21/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1412.shtml
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