THE FREEDOM SIDE OF THE CANNABIS CURTAIN

My landlord called the other day to tell me that a neighbor had
complained about me starting a "marijuana factory" at the house.

I told my landlord I was in full legal compliance and he politely
asked me to deal with the neighbor and get it resolved.

Turns out the neighbor was upset about having to look at my
greenhouse and just wanted it moved. No problemo.

Meanwhile my other neighbor has a brother who is alive today because
of cannabis and she not only supports me, she even plans to vote for me.

Don't get me wrong, people still get busted here in Mendocino and
those stupid enough to plea bargain will suffer the full weight of
the criminal justice system. But, the simple fact of life here is
that no jury has ever convicted a grower, much less a medical
cannabis patient. Recently, a jury took less than an hour to acquit
a patient with 540 plants.

If I were to be arrested in Mendocino, I would refuse to waive my
right to a speedy trial and demand an immediate jury trial. That puts
the court in the position of having to put together a full trial in
less than 30 days or the case MUST be dismissed.

The one thing I have learned about courts is that they cannot do
anything in a timely fashion. Any court appearance today has about a
95% chance of the matter being continued to another date.

Furthermore, few prosecutors can make a decent argument before a
jury, since their function is nearly always to bully helpless
defendants into a plea bargain.

So I would demand a speedy trial and simply tell the jury why the law
is supposed to protect patients like myself. Considering that about
half the members of any jury in Mendocino are probably also growers,
I am confident that no jury here is going to convict a bona fide patient.

Life is good here in Mendocino and it is my hope and mission to
spread the word of what life can be like on the freedom side of the
cannabis curtain.