[philman_36]

He was daring the Feds to bust him.
He was doing what he did with the knowledge, and apparently the blessings, of Oakland city officials. How do you consider that "daring the Feds to bust him"?
Marijuana Grower's Trial Under Way
Snip...State law allows medical use of marijuana and Rosenthal grew it with the knowledge of Oakland city officials, but federal law still bans all marijuana cultivation, possession and use.

[LibKill]

He was doing what he did with the knowledge, and apparently the blessings, of Oakland city officials. How do you consider that "daring the Feds to bust him"?

Rosenthal is not ignorant of Federal law. He's a smart guy, I have read some of his writings. He knew that they would come after him and that the Blessings of Oakland wouldn't mean much to the G-Men.

What I can't figure is why he did this so publicly. Was he trying for a test case? If so, it didn't work well for him.

[Bonaparte]

"...with the knowledge, and apparently the blessings, of Oakland city officials."

Under federal law, that simply makes them unindicted co-conspirators. They aided and abetted the commission of a federal offense. Moreover, they have no legal defense, since they have plenty of lawyers to consult in the city attorney's office.