Verdict May Redefine Legal Standing of Drug SAN FRANCISCO -- The fate of Oakland "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal once again rests in a federal jury's hands -- in a manner of speaking. A federal prosecutor and Rosenthal's lawyers rested their cases and made closing arguments Tuesday on whether Rosenthal should be convicted of five marijuana-growing felonies. Then jurors began deliberating. But even if convicted, Rosenthal, 62, faces no more than the one day behind bars -- time he already served -- to which he was sentenced after his first trial and conviction in 2003, later overturned by a federal appeals court. Whether with a clean slate or as a convict, Rosenthal will walk free no matter what this jury decides. [continues 721 words]
Alex Grabiner was not a particularly religious Jew, but when he and a few friends opened a medical marijuana pharmacy last year in the San Fernando Valley, they invited an Orthodox rabbi to install three mezuzot in hopes that God would bless their business. "We wanted to create a place where there was a drastically different energy inside than there was outside," said Grabiner, a 22-year-old Boston transplant. "That is what the mezuzah symbolizes: That this is a house of people who believe." [continues 998 words]
San Francisco Pot Advocate's New Trial Begins The lawyer for marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal pushed as far as she could Tuesday against a judge's edict to keep the subject of medical marijuana out of his retrial on federal cultivation charges, trying to let jurors know that Rosenthal was growing cannabis for sick patients. Defense attorney Shari Greenberger began her opening statement in federal court in San Francisco by addressing jurors as "fellow Californians,'' a less-than-subtle reminder that state voters legalized marijuana for medical use in 1996. She later acknowledged that "this is a federal case brought by the federal government. There are certain areas where we cannot go.'' Greenberger said, "Mr. Rosenthal is a scientist and the government will attempt to suppress his ideas. ... For the past 40 years, my client, Ed Rosenthal, has been a proponent of marijuana advocacy and reform, and that is why we are here.'' Her opening statement drew repeated objections from the prosecution, and U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer told the jurors they were there to decide whether Rosenthal was guilty of growing marijuana, not to draw conclusions about why the government was prosecuting him. For his part, Assistant U.S. Attorney George Bevan described the case as a straightforward prosecution for marijuana cultivation. He reminded the jurors in his opening statement that they had promised to apply the law according to Breyer's instructions. Rosenthal, 62, an authority on marijuana cultivation and writer of numerous books and magazine articles on the subject, was arrested in 2002 and charged with growing thousands of plants in an Oakland warehouse for patients at a San Francisco dispensary. He was convicted in 2003 but sentenced by Breyer to only one day in jail, which he had already served. [continues 283 words]
Rosenthal Has Already Served His Prison Sentence, Faces Retrial SAN FRANCISCO -- Denying a slew of defense motions, a federal judge set the stage Thursday for the marijuana-cultivation retrial of Oakland's "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal to begin next week. Jurors will be selected Monday and opening statements will be given Tuesday, launching a trial lasting three to four weeks, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said. Attorneys for Rosenthal and Assistant U.S. Attorney George Bevan sparred before Breyer for about two hours Thursday as each side argued for inclusion or exclusion of certain evidence. [continues 494 words]
One Case Dropped; Ruling Bars Defense Claim In Second A medical marijuana patient whose challenge to federal drug laws reached the U.S. Supreme Court dropped her long-running legal case Thursday, while in another case a noted pot advocate lost an attempt to introduce evidence about the medicinal value of cannabis at his retrial on cultivation charges. The separate developments represented victories for federal prosecutors who have sought to override California's 1996 medical marijuana initiative in federal court. Although the law, which allows patients to use the drug with their doctor's recommendation, remains in effect, patients and suppliers can be prosecuted under federal law that recognizes no legitimate use for marijuana. [continues 482 words]
Chanting, "We smoke pot because we like it a lot," about 500 people gathered in Manhattan yesterday to demand marijuana be legalized - but were a bit slow getting out of bed. The New York leg of the Global Marijuana March, held in more than 200 cities, kicked off in Washington Square Park more than an hour after the scheduled 11 a.m. start time. Several high-profile drug campaigners spoke, including Bronx-born Ed Rosenthal, who is fighting ongoing court battles in California over the medical use of the drug. A strong police presence was on hand, but no arrests were reported. [end]
Like Fine Wine, Growing Medicinal Weed Has Become So Specialized As to Inspire Tastings and a New Vocabulary Stephen DeAngelo bent and sniffed deeply over a clump of frizzy purple nuggets in a petri dish, one of eight sitting in the middle of a long refectory table. They were not labeled or arranged in any particular order, although to the experts assembled in DeAngelo's Oakland loft -- "cannabis is my calling," he says -- their identity was no mystery. "I would describe this as grapey, candy-like, sweet, with a slight undertone of spice," said DeAngelo, a longtime activist and hemp promoter who is now chief executive officer of Harborside Health Center, a medical marijuana dispensary in Oakland. He was holding the tasting at home where he could properly and legally -- at least in the eyes of California, if not the federal government -- evaluate some samples. To prepare, he'd taken off his green tweed coat, loosened his tie and settled in a chair near his vaporizer, an apparatus that allows him to breathe vapor instead of smoke, because it's less harsh. [continues 2685 words]
Federal prosecutors brushed off a judge's suggestion that they not retry a prominent marijuana advocate on cultivation charges and said Friday they would press ahead, even though he cannot be sent to prison if he is convicted. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Bevan made the announcement at a hearing in San Francisco before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who presided over the first trial of 62-year-old Ed Rosenthal of Oakland. When Bevan said last month that the government intended to retry the self-described "guru of ganja," Breyer urged him to reconsider, suggesting that federal resources might be used more productively in prosecutions that result in imprisonment. [continues 496 words]
Rosenthal Says, 'I May As Well Get My Money's Worth and Have a Trial' SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal prosecutors said Friday they would retry Oakland marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal on five counts of illegal cultivation charges -- even though he will face no jail time if convicted. At a hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer demanded to know who in the Department of Justice made the decision to continue pursuing Rosenthal, whose original conviction was overturned last year. Rosenthal, 62, can't be sentenced to prison even if he is convicted because the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the one-day prison sentence ordered by Breyer in 2003. [continues 431 words]
Editor -- Regarding "Feds plan to retry marijuana advocate" (March 17): So Ed Rosenthal, who has been convicted, sentenced (and served) one day in jail for a marijuana offense, is going to be retried by federal prosecutor George Bevan even though there is no possibility of further jail time. Why? What is the point? Is it because Bevan's prosecutorial ego is so inflamed due to Judge Breyer's ruling that additional charges against Rosenthal were "illegal" that he is blinded by resentment and vindictiveness? Is it because his office has nothing better to do? Are there no bank fraud, identity theft, heroin/methamphetamine cases, murders or terrorist threats to pursue? [continues 60 words]
Laws In Conflict -- Environment Dicey For Patients, Dealers A decade after Californians approved the medical use of marijuana, the state's battle with the federal government over the use of marijuana still is being fought hard, with contradictory results. In the past five years, the number of medical marijuana clubs -- stores authorized under state law where people can buy cannabis with a doctor's approval -- has tripled in the state, to more than 300. But club operators and pot growers are increasingly subject to federal arrests, seizures and prosecution. [continues 1180 words]
Prosecutor Must Decide Whether To Appeal Ruling A federal judge Friday gave a prosecutor one month to decide whether to continue the government's case against "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal. Judge Charles Breyer on Wednesday tossed out money-laundering and tax-evasion charges against the 62-year-old former High Times magazine columnist. The San Francisco-based judge said those new charges amounted to vindictive prosecution after an appeals court overturned Rosenthal's 2003 conviction on three marijuana-growing felonies. [continues 392 words]
A federal prosecutor said Friday that he plans to retry a prominent marijuana advocate on cultivation charges even though the man faces no punishment if convicted -- a decision the trial judge suggested he reconsider. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer postponed Ed Rosenthal's retrial, which was to start Monday, and gave prosecutors a month to decide whether to appeal his dismissal of charges of tax evasion and money laundering, the only charges that carried possible prison sentences. In papers filed before the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney George Bevan said the government wouldn't drop the case even if it fails to reinstate the dismissed charges, or decides not to appeal Breyer's dismissal order. [continues 196 words]
SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal appellate judges in San Francisco ruled on Wednesday that a terminally ill woman using marijuana was not immune from federal prosecution simply because of her condition, and -- in a separate case -- a federal judge dismissed most of the charges against a prominent advocate for the drug. The woman, Angel McClary Raich, says she uses marijuana on a doctor's recommendation to treat an inoperable brain tumor and other serious ailments. Raich, 41, asserts that the drug effectively keeps her alive, by stimulating appetite and relieving pain in a way that prescription drugs do not. She wept when she heard the decision. [continues 283 words]
Money Laundering and Tax Charges Dismissed; Prosecution Accused of Vindictiveness A federal judge dismissed money laundering and tax charges against "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal on Wednesday, gutting the government's case by ruling the new charges amounted to vindictive prosecution. The government said the new charges it filed against Rosenthal in October resulted from their re-evaluation of the case, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco noted, but "it is apparent that it decided to re-evaluate its strategy in response to Rosenthal's (and his supporters') public criticism of the trial. [continues 698 words]
Money Laundering And Tax Charges Dismissed; Prosecution Accused Of Vindictiveness A federal judge dismissed money laundering and tax charges against "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal on Wednesday, gutting the government's case by ruling the new charges amounted to vindictive prosecution. The government said the new charges it filed against Rosenthal in October resulted from their re-evaluation of the case, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco noted, but "it is apparent that it decided to re-evaluate its strategy in response to Rosenthal's (and his supporters') public criticism of the trial. [continues 698 words]
SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal appellate judges here ruled Wednesday that a terminally ill woman using marijuana was not immune to federal prosecution simply because of her condition, and in a separate case a federal judge dismissed most of the charges against a prominent advocate for the medicinal use of the drug. The woman, Angel McClary Raich, says she uses marijuana on doctors' recommendation to treat an inoperable brain tumor and a battery of other serious ailments. Ms. Raich, 41, asserts that the drug effectively keeps her alive, by stimulating appetite and relieving pain, in a way that prescription drugs do not. [continues 575 words]
Judge Calls Charges Against Oakland Man Vindictive -- Second Trial Seen As Unlikely The federal government's five-year effort to throw one of the nation's most prominent advocates of marijuana in prison appears to be all but dead after a judge ruled that prosecutors had vindictively piled on charges against the Oakland man after he successfully appealed his pot-growing convictions. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled Wednesday that prosecutors had illegally retaliated against Ed Rosenthal, 62, last fall when they added tax-evasion and money-laundering charges to his previous indictment for growing marijuana for medical patients. [continues 831 words]
SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge Wednesday dismissed charges of tax evasion and money laundering against High Times columnist and medical marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal. Rosenthal had been busted for growing pot for dispensaries. During his 2003 trial on three felony charges for cultivating marijuana, he was prohibited from citing medical marijuana in his defense. After delivering a guilty verdict, several jurors criticized the government for not allowing that evidence to be aired during the trial. Rosenthal, the self-described "Guru of Ganja," was sentenced to the single day he had already served in jail. [continues 101 words]
San Francisco -- A federal judge has asked the United States attorney here to submit all trial preparation memorandums in the case against a leading advocate of medical marijuana so that the court can determine if the government has been pursuing a "vindictive prosecution." The judge, Charles R. Breyer, ordered the review at the request of lawyers for Ed Rosenthal, a spokesman in the effort to legalize marijuana who has been in a closely watched court battle with the government. At a motion hearing in Federal District Court here on Friday, defense lawyers for Mr. Rosenthal urged Judge Breyer to dismiss an array of federal drug, money laundering and tax evasion charges against their client, saying an appellate court judge had overturned his conviction in a nearly identical case last year. [continues 422 words]
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. [continues 134 words]
Rosenthal Expects More Than $300,000 In Legal Expenses From Trial To Begin In March "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal is bringing in another celebrity of the marijuana movement to help him raise funds for his upcoming federal trial. Tommy Chong, of the Cheech and Chong comedy duo renowned for stoner movie classics such as "Up in Smoke" and "Nice Dreams," will appear at a $125-per-head event March 4 at Rosenthal's Lake Avenue home in Piedmont. Some advance tickets are available for only $100 from Rosenthal's legal defense fund's Web site, http://www.green-aid.com. "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, 62, said in an e-mail Thursday. [continues 393 words]
"Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal is bringing in another martyr of the marijuana movement to help him raise funds for his upcoming federal trial. Tommy Chong -- half of of the Cheech and Chong comedy duo renowned for stoner movie classics such as "Up in Smoke" and "Nice Dreams" -- will appear a $125-per-head event March 4 at Rosenthal's Lake Avenue home in Piedmont. Some advance tickets are available for only $100 at Rosenthal's legal defense fund's Web site, www.green-aid.com [continues 434 words]
While the main purpose of DrugSense is to encourage accuracy and honesty in the media with respect to illegal drugs, our goal is ultimately to stop the costly and ineffective drug war. Through our extensive archive of more than 170,000 articles on all aspects of drug policy, we have identified 10 specific steps that would result in ending prohibition as we know it. 1. Grant agronomist Lyle Craker a license to grow medicinal-grade cannabis at the University of Massachusetts. http://www.mapinc.org/people/Lyle+Craker [continues 605 words]
SAN FRANCISCO - Medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal was granted release on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond today while he awaits a federal trial in San Francisco on drug cultivation and money laundering charges. The bond was set by U.S. Magistrate Nandor Vadas in San Francisco and was halfway between requests by prosecution and defense lawyers. Prosecutors had asked for a $100,000 bond while Rosenthal's attorney asked that he be released on his own recognizance. Rosenthal's next court date is a status conference on Oct. 25 before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, the judge who will preside over his retrial. [continues 147 words]
SAN FRANCISCO - A leading medical marijuana advocate who successfully appealed his federal conviction this year has been indicted on new criminal charges that include tax evasion and money laundering. The man, Ed Rosenthal, a well-known spokesman for the movement to legalize marijuana, was already facing a retrial on federal charges of growing marijuana for medical use. He is to be arraigned Monday in Federal District Court here on the new indictment, unsealed late Thursday. It accuses Mr. Rosenthal, 61, of 14 felony charges that include cultivating marijuana plants; laundering $1,850, which the government says he got from selling the plants to medical dispensaries; and tax evasion. His tax returns, prosecutors said, omitted income from the sale of the plants. [continues 263 words]
Marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal, who successfully appealed his federal convictions for growing plants for a San Francisco medical marijuana club, was indicted again Thursday on an expanded set of charges, including filing false tax returns and money laundering. The 2003 trial of Rosenthal, the "Ask Ed" columnist of High Times magazine and an authority on marijuana cultivation, drew national attention and ended in a one-day prison sentence, a disavowal of the guilty verdicts by a majority of the jury, and an eventual reversal this April. An appeals court said a juror who had qualms about the case committed misconduct by phoning an attorney friend for advice. [continues 299 words]
Rosenthal Says Feds Are on a Mission to Shut Down Every Dispensary in State Oakland "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal was reindicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on a host of marijuana-related charges, roughly six months after an appeals court tossed out his earlier convictions. The superseding indictment filed Thursday contains 25 counts against Rosenthal, 61, and two of his original co-defendants, Kenneth Hayes and Richard Watts. Rosenthal faces 14 counts including conspiracy, use of a place to manufacture marijuana for distribution, manufacturing marijuana for distribution, laundering money from marijuana sales, and filing false tax returns. "I knew they had a grand jury but I didn't know what was going to happen," Rosenthal said Thursday night. "What they're trying to do with these indictments and with my continued persecution is to close down all of the dispensaries in California, to deprive people of their medicine." [continues 480 words]
SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal prosecutors not only are preparing to retry Oakland "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal, but seem to be searching for more charges to file against him. Rosenthal, 61, was in federal court Wednesday for the first time since his 2003 convictions were overturned earlier this year. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ordered him to return Sept. 13, when he and attorneys will try to set a trial date. "The government might want to take a hard look at this case, is my suggestion," said Breyer as the brief status hearing ended. [continues 462 words]
Federal authorities dead set against the spread of medical marijuana dispensaries in California may soon have another leak in the dike. In November, Albany residents will vote on an advisory measure over whether to allow a pot club in the small East Bay city of 14,000 residents on Berkeley's northern edge. Unlike some of its neighbors in the university town, Albany residents are known as a well-behaved collection of families, with few problems other than occasional high school shenanigans and over-imbibing customers at bars along San Pablo Avenue. [continues 707 words]
Outside Influence On The Jury Affected 2003 Case, The 9th Circuit Determines. SAN FRANCISCO - An appeals court Wednesday threw out the 2003 conviction of a prominent marijuana activist, citing an outside influence on the jury that found him guilty of supplying hundreds of pot seedlings to medical patients through Bay Area dispensaries. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals awards Edward Rosenthal a new trial if the federal government decides to pursue its case against him. He's entitled to it, said the court, because "extraneous information" obtained by one juror and passed on to another may have affected the verdict. An attorney-friend told the juror she would "get in trouble" if she considered the medical connection that jurors correctly suspected. [continues 264 words]
San Francisco - A federal appeals court yesterday overturned the pot-growing conviction of the self-proclaimed "Guru of Ganja," a marijuana advocate who has written books on how to grow pot and avoid getting caught. The court cited jury misconduct in overturning Ed Rosenthal's 2003 conviction, but it otherwise upheld federal powers to charge marijuana growers. Rosenthal had been given a one-day prison sentence for cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants for a city of Oakland medical marijuana program. [end]
Finding of Juror Misconduct Results in New Trial For Oaklander A federal appeals court Wednesday overturned the felony convictions of "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal of Oakland, finding juror misconduct warrants a new trial for the marijuana activist and author. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found a juror's conversation with an attorney friend during deliberations compromised Rosenthal's right to a fair trial and verdict. But while the ruling is good news for Rosenthal, it is not terribly good for medical marijuana advocates. The appeals court rejected Rosenthal's claim of immunity from prosecution as a city officer under Oakland's medical marijuana ordinance. [continues 696 words]
Federal Appeals Court Overturns Activist's Felony Convictions Because of Juror Misconduct A federal appeals court on Wednesday overturned the felony convictions of "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal of Oakland, citing juror misconduct that warrants a new trial for the marijuana activist and author. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found a juror's conversation with a lawyer friend during deliberations compromised Rosenthal's right to a fair trial and verdict. But while the ruling is good news for Rosenthal, it is not good for medical marijuana advocates. The appeals court rejected Rosenthal's claim of immunity from prosecution as a city officer under Oakland's medical marijuana ordinance. [continues 697 words]
SAN FRANCISCO-- A federal appeals court Wednesday overturned the pot-growing conviction of the self-proclaimed "Guru of Ganja," a marijuana advocate who has written books on how to grow pot and avoid getting caught. The court cited jury misconduct in overturning Ed Rosenthal's conviction, but it otherwise upheld federal powers to charge marijuana growers. Rosenthal was convicted in 2003 for cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants for a city of Oakland medical marijuana program. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer sentenced him to one day in prison, saying Rosenthal reasonably believed he was immune from prosecution because he was acting on behalf of city officials. [continues 301 words]
SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court overturned the pot-growing conviction of the self-proclaimed "Guru of Ganja," a marijuana advocate who has written books on how to grow pot and avoid getting caught. The court cited jury misconduct in overturning Ed Rosenthal's conviction, but it otherwise upheld federal powers to charge marijuana growers. [end]
Appeals Court Rules Advice From Lawyer Prejudiced Case A federal appeals court overturned the pot-growing convictions of a prominent advocate of medical marijuana Wednesday because of a juror's phone call to an attorney friend, who told her to follow the judge's instructions or she could get in trouble. The juror's unauthorized contact on the eve of the verdict in January 2003 was an "improper influence" that denied Oakland resident Ed Rosenthal a trial before an impartial jury, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 3-0 ruling granting him a new trial. [continues 709 words]
A federal appeals court on Wednesday overturned the felony convictions of "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal of Oakland, finding juror misconduct warrants a new trial for the renowned marijuana activist and author. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found a juror's conversation with an attorney-friend during deliberations compromised Rosenthal's right to a fair trial and verdict. But while the ruling is good news for Rosenthal, it's not terribly good news for medical marijuana advocates. The appeals court rejected Rosenthal's claim of immunity from prosecution as an officer of Oakland who grew the drug under the city's medical marijuana ordinance. [continues 606 words]
A federal appeals court overturned the marijuana-growing conviction of Ed Rosenthal, a marijuana advocate who has written books on how to grow marijuana and avoid being caught. The court cited jury misconduct. Mr. Rosenthal was convicted in 2003 of cultivating hundreds of marijuana plants for a City of Oakland medical marijuana program. Judge Charles Breyer of Federal District Court sentenced him to a day in jail. The government sought a two-year prison term and appealed. Mr. Rosenthal cross-appealed. In the latest decision, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, said a juror had had inappropriate communication with a lawyer. (AP) [end]
When Cliff Thornton takes the stage, he tends to talk about race and class biases associated with the war on drugs. The Green Party candidate for governor in Connecticut will give the keynote address this evening at the Midwest Drug Policy Conference in the Arts and Sciences Building on the MU campus. "Cliff's focus is on issues that relate specifically to minority and poor people who are often victims in the war on drugs," said Dan Viets, state coordinator for the National Organization of the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "Those groups are often disproportionately impacted by drug laws." [continues 388 words]
Marijuana advocate and former gubernatorial candidate Steve Kubby, a fugitive for several years, was arrested at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday night on a plane that arrived from Canada, San Francisco police said. Kubby co-authored "Why Marijuana Should Be Legal" with marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal and in 1998 was the Libertarian Party candidate for governor. According to the New York Times, Kubby fled California in 2001 after police found 265 marijuana plants in his Squaw Valley home. He was sentenced to four months of house arrest and probation -- and fearing it would lead to an eventual prison term in which he would be unable to use medical marijuana to treat adrenal cancer, he fled to Canada. San Francisco police said he was arrested on a no-bail warrant for fleeing the United States. He was arrested at 8:10 p.m. at SFO after his deportation from Canada. [end]
It May Be Legal, but That Doesn't Make It Easy to Get Providence-- When Debra Nievera went before lawmakers to ask them to legalize medical marijuana, she envisioned a program that would let her safely acquire the drug to alleviate the painful symptoms of the intestinal disorder Crohn's disease and other ailments. She will probably be disappointed. Rhode Island this month became the 11th state to allow sick people to use marijuana as medicine. But federal law still bans the drug, and none of the states where medical use is allowed have found a way for patients to legally, conveniently and safely acquire the drug. [continues 844 words]
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- When Debra Nievera went before lawmakers to ask them to legalize medical marijuana, she envisioned a program that would let her safely acquire the drug to alleviate the painful symptoms of the intestinal disorder Crohn's disease and other ailments. She probably will be disappointed. Rhode Island this month became the 11th state to allow sick people to use marijuana as medicine. The list also includes Montana. But federal law still bans the drug, and none of the states where medical use is allowed have found a way for patients to legally, conveniently and safely acquire the drug. [continues 862 words]
Jews Lead The Charge For Medical Pot Irvin Rosenfeld smokes marijuana. A lot of it. Every day. He also buys and sells stocks. A lot of them. Every day. And he's very up-front about this with everyone, most of all his 500 clients. "I handle millions and millions of dollars on a daily basis, and all of my clients know I use marijuana. I don't want them to see me on TV and say, 'Hey, that's my stockbroker!'" says the Jewish activist with a laugh. [continues 2818 words]
SAN FRANCISCO - About 50 medical marijuana activists rallied under Wednesday's leaden skies near the United Nations Plaza farmers market, wielding a bullhorn and picket signs to demand that federal officials act on a formal request to loosen the drug's ban. This weekend, Guru of Ganja Ed Rosenthal of Oakland hosted a Wonders of Cannabis festival in Golden Gate Park featuring joint-rolling contests and an appearance by comedian and noted stoner Tommy Chong. Mixed messages, some drug policy experts say sadly. [continues 921 words]
SAN FRANCISCO - About 50 medical marijuana activists rallied under Wednesday's leaden skies near the United Nations Plaza farmers market, wielding a bullhorn and picket signs to demand that federal officials act on a formal request to loosen the drug's ban. This weekend, "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal of Oakland hosted a "Wonders of Cannabis" festival in Golden Gate Park featuring joint-rolling contests and an appearance by comedian and noted stoner Tommy Chong. Mixed messages, some drug policy experts say sadly. [continues 920 words]
SAN FRANCISCO -- About 50 medical marijuana activists rallied under Wednesday's leaden skies near the United Nations Plaza farmer's market, wielding a bullhorn and picket signs to demand that federal officials act on a formal request to loosen the drug's ban. This weekend, "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal of Oakland hosted a "Wonders of Cannabis" festival in Golden Gate Park featuring joint-rolling contests and an appearance by comedian and noted stoner Tommy Chong. Mixed messages, some drug policy experts say sadly. [continues 920 words]
Want to try to understand California's medical marijuana laws? Better pack a lunch. And not just for the munchies. This is going to get confusing. Last week's federal appeals court hearing on the case of Ed Rosenthal of Oakland captures the dichotomy perfectly. Rosenthal -- whose credibility isn't helped by his nickname, "the Guru of Ganja'' -- was busted in 2003 for growing pot for a medical facility. Under state law, the marijuana was basically legal as soon as it was bagged and ready to be sold in the clinic, but when he was growing it, it was prosecuted as a controlled substance under federal law. Does that make sense? [continues 825 words]
It was unclear why there was no drum circle on the third floor of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday morning. The dozen or so people assembled outside Courtroom One were certainly loud enough -- despite repeated exhortations by security guards to keep the noise level down -- and the top thing on their minds was smoking pot. And these are people who take their weed seriously: pot lawyers, pot lobbyists, pot activists, pot smokers, a pot reporter and the requisite pot publicists -- a middle-aged assembly that ranged from besuited to bedraggled. [continues 663 words]
