Posted on 02/21/2003 8:04:16 AM PST by MrLeRoy
Medical marijuana users and growers in California could cite state law as a defense against federal prosecutors who criminalize their actions, under a bill planned by three federal lawmakers.
U.S. Reps. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, and Lynne Woolsey, D-Petaluma, plan to co-sponsor the bill next month with Rep. Dana Rohrbacher, an Orange County Republican.
The proposed legislation comes in the wake of stepped-up federal raids on medical marijuana gardens over the past year, including one at a Santa Cruz County cooperative last September.
The legislation also comes after marijuana guru Ed Rosenthal was convicted on federal charges of growing pot in Oakland in a trial during which his lawyers weren’t allowed to mention he was growing it for Oakland’s medical marijuana patients.
"The purpose of this bill is to allow defendants in federal criminal trials to introduce evidence that their marijuana-related activity was performed for a valid medical purpose under state law," Farr said in a written statement.
Farr is to be honored today in Sacramento during a press conference hosted by the marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access. He was to be joined by family members of people recently convicted on federal marijuana charges.
Eight states have approved medical marijuana use, but the bill recognizing state marijuana law is likely to face an uphill battle in a Republican-controlled Congress.
Rohrbacher said the bill was a reasonable approach to settling the conflict between federal and state laws.
"As far as I know, it is the people of the state who are supposed to be determining criminal laws," he said by telephone Wednesday. "I just think that if the majority of people in a state vote to permit people to use marijuana for medical purposes, the federal government should not interfere with that."
The tension between federal enforcement and state laws was highlighted in Santa Cruz County during last September’s raid of the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana’s Davenport garden.
About 167 plants were uprooted by federal drug agents, and co-founders Mike and Valerie Corral were briefly jailed. No charges have been filed.
Ben Rice, an attorney for the cooperative, said that while he wasn’t optimistic a federal measure would pass, he welcomed the proposed legislation.
"The WAMM and Rosenthal cases have really galvanized national attention to the problem we have here," Rice said. "I think this is a terrific move."
While the DEA hasn’t filed charges, WAMM has gone on the offensive, filing suit against the feds.
Having lost the first round of a court battle to get the marijuana back, the group is appealing the decision.
The group also plans to seek an injunction prohibiting similar raids in the future. The county and city have voted to join that suit as plaintiffs.
Possibly so, but I think it's kinda girly of him (and prohibitionist) to call Mom everytime someone disagrees with him.
Check this out:
Click that link. Go to the bottom, click "show more threads". Repeat 50 or 100 times.
To me, it borders on spam, or an attempt to take over the forum.
Anyone think differently?
We are not starting the threads. You are starting the threads that support removing ALL laws regarding drugs, including liquor. YOU want ALL laws removed - DRUGS available to EVERYONE. Don't divert from the issue. Drugs to minors, DRUGS to everyone. Liquor flowing in the streets, dopers licking the sidewalks. Snorters molesting pedestrians in their quest for change inorder to support their habit, .....
It is called Marinol, a Schedule 3 drug that may be legally prescribed in all 50 states.
Huh?
Ah, then what are the anti-WODers fussing about? Could it be that their actual agenda has nothing to do with wanting to legalize marijuana for medical purposes?
I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you!
Follow the $$$
I'll type slow for you. If you think medical pot is a "SHAM" and can be obtained with a "wink and a nod" then take a trip to your doctor or choose one from the phone book and get a signed authorization or even a signed note from a doctor would qualify for this experiment.
Otherwise, you contentions are foolish nonsense. I have a $100.00 that says you can't convince a doctor to sign an authorization.
Who let the DUmpster class warriors in here?
Every anti-WoD, pro-drug, LP'r on this board says the same thing. Does not compute.
Thanks to recent roundups of the sham doctors, this may be true. But as recently as a few weeks ago, it was easy.
Ed Rosenthal said that?
Not my contentions. Words right out of the mouth of those funding the "medical marijuana" sham.
Posting different articles on the same subject is not spamming.
Prove it.
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