cannabisnews.com: Sonoma County Pot Trial Winding Down Sonoma County Pot Trial Winding Down Posted by FoM on January 24, 2001 at 22:33:37 PT Breaking News Source: KPIX Testimony at Sonoma County's first medical marijuana trial is expected to conclude Thursday when a Sacramento woman testifies about pot being supplied to her by federal authorities for treatment of glaucoma.Sandy Feinland, attorney for defendant Alan MacFarland, plans to call as a witness Elvy Musikka, one of several patients who use marijuana supplied by federal authorities. During a break in testimony Wednesday, Musikka said she's been smoking marijuana for 25 years to treat her glaucoma. ``My left eye is better than ever. I've been in the (federal) program for 12 1/2 years. I need medication around the clock,'' Musikka said.Musikka said she receives between 6 and 7 pounds of marijuana a year and smokes nine or 10 joints per day. The issue at the trial is whether MacFarlane, 47, charged with cultivation, was growing with his doctor's approval more marijuana than necessary to alleviate nausea, spasms and pain following surgery for thyroid cancer. County narcotics detectives twice went to his Santa Rosa home in 1999, seizing a total of 109 plants of various sizes.Sonoma County does not set a standard amount of allowable marijuana plants for medical purposes under the provisions of state Proposition 215, approved by voters five years ago, but decides whether or not to prosecute on a case by case basis.Estimates of the yield from MacFarlane's plants have varied among witnesses at the trial.Testimony from narcotics officers set the potential yield from 30.5 pounds to as much as 108 pounds if all plants were harvested at maturity. Defense experts testified MacFarlane's gardens would have yielded no more than 6 or 7 pounds of usable marijuana. MacFarlane has estimated he uses 2.5 ounces of marijuana a week, or about 8 pounds a year.The trial, which should go to the jury for deliberation tomorrow, has drawn medical marijuana supporters from around the Bay Area. About 40 people, some from San Francisco, packed Superior Court Judge Robert Boyd's courtroom today.Source: KPIX Channel 5 Published: January 24, 2001Address: 855 Battery St.San Francisco, CA 94111-1597 Ph: (415) 362-5550 Fax: (415) 765 8844 Copyright: 2001 CBS Worldwide Inc. Website: http://www.kpix.com/Related Articles:Sonoma County Medical Pot Trial Focus on Quantityhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8415.shtmlDoctor Testifies He Approved Patient's Use of Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8376.shtmlMedical Marijuana Goes on Trial http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8364.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: