Editorial Update

MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENT-ACTIVIST CHAVEZ

Marvin Chavez, the Santa Ana medical marijuana patient and activist now
facing trial for growing "too many" plants in his back yard, learned last
week that the 4th district appeals court had rejected his appeal of an
earlier conviction for providing marijuana to undercover police posing as
patients. In that case Judge Thomas Borris had instructed the jury not to
consider Prop. 215, the 1996 medical marijuana law.

Mr. Chavez told us this week that his appellate attorneys are appealing to
a higher court, so he will be in court in Santa Ana Friday for pretrial
proceedings.

Even as Great Britain is moving toward making marijuana possession a
non-arrestable offense, the federal DEA has stepped up harassment of
medical marijuana users, closing a club in Santa Rosa and moving to seize
the building of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resources Center, although no
charges have been filed. Odd use of resources in a time of terrorists threats.