RETIRED JUDGE WILL HEAR MARIJUANA CULTIVATION CASE

It took a week, but a judge and an available courtroom for the marijuana
cultivation and sales trial of Steve and Michele Kubby have been secured.

Judge Robert G. Vonasek, a retired magistrate from Glenn County, will
preside over the case that may test Proposition 215, the state's medical
marijuana use law.

The trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Auburn's Historic
Courthouse.

Twice this week, Presiding Superior Court Judge Larry Gaddis assigned a
judge to the case, but the defense and prosecution each disqualified the
choices as prejudiced.

Steve Kubby, 52, last year's Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, publicly
espoused the use of medical marijuana in his campaign. He claims to use the
drug with the required medical recommendation for a rare adrenal cancer
diagnosed 23 years ago. His 32-year-old wife has a recommendation to use
marijuana for an intestinal problem.

The couple was arrested Jan. 19 at their Olympic Valley home, where 265
growing plants were found during the service of a search warrant by the
North Tahoe Task Force.