Pubdate: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2007 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) CHONG RAISES MONEY TO HELP GURU OF GANJA PIEDMONT, Calif. - Comedian Tommy Chong will help raise money to defend the self-proclaimed Guru of Ganja, who is charged with growing hundreds of marijuana plants for a dispensary. The Edmonton-born Chong, who starred with Cheech Marin in stoner movie classics Up in Smoke and Nice Dreams, will appear at a $125 US per-person event for Ed Rosenthal. Rosenthal, 62, famed for his marijuana cultivation books and the Ask Ed column he wrote for High Times magazine, will host the event at his Piedmont home on Sunday. "The party will celebrate how far we've come in legalizing medical marijuana as well as provide me with the money I need to fund my current trial that is defending all of our rights," Rosenthal said. Rosenthal, who's scheduled to appear in federal court March 19, estimates his trial and related expenses could cost more than $300,000. Federal prosecutors accused Rosenthal of growing marijuana, laundering money and falsifying tax returns from October 2001 through February 2002. In a post to his weblog, The Blog of Chong, on Saturday, Chong urged his readers to attend the benefit for Rosenthal and donate to his defence. "Ed is being dogged by the feds for his marijuana work with sick people," Chong wrote. "It is the feds who are sick." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman