Marijuana Activist Fears His Conviction Will Be Used to Punish Other Growers and Users

Medical marijuana activist and author Ed Rosenthal was found guilty of three federal felonies related to the cultivation and distribution of marijuana May 30. He was found not guilty on one other charge, and a deadlocked jury prompted the prosecution to drop a fifth charge. Rosenthal will serve no jail time.

In 2003, Rosenthal was convicted of related charges, but after a jury member learned that the marijuana Rosenthal cultivated was for medicinal purposes -- evidence that had been suppressed from court testimony -- she recanted her verdict, and a mistrial was declared. Prosecuting attorney George Bevan chose to retry his case against Rosenthal, which, Rosenthal told the Guardian, was a "purely political" maneuver. The US district judge presiding in the case, Charles Breyer, dismissed nine other charges sought by Bevan, including tax evasion and money laundering, calling them "vindictive."

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