US JURY CONVICTS MARIJUANA 'GURU' AGAIN

SAN FRANCISCO: Ed Rosenthal, the self-proclaimed marijuana "guru," was
convicted again Wednesday in federal court of illegally growing
hundreds of marijuana plants that he said were meant to treat sick
people, which state law allows.

The decision highlighted the growing tension between federal law and
laws in 11 states that have legalized marijuana to some degree.

Rosenthal, 63, was convicted of three cultivation and conspiracy
charges after U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer prohibited the
marijuana activist's lawyers from telling the jury Rosenthal was
working for a marijuana club sanctioned by local government officials.

"We weren't allowed to give the jury valuable information it needed to
make a fair and unbiased decision," said Rosenthal, founder of the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that marijuana is an illegal drug and
federal law trumps state laws, which left Rosenthal without much of a
defense.

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However, he will not serve any time in prison.

That is because Rosenthal previously was convicted of the same charges
in 2003 and sentenced to a day in prison because the judge said
Rosenthal reasonably believed he was immune from prosecution by acting
on behalf of Oakland city officials.

An appeals court tossed out that conviction because of juror
misconduct. The judge, in an attempt to persuade federal prosecutors
to drop the case, has said he would not sentence Rosenthal to any more
prison time.

Federal prosecutor George Bevan declined to comment
Wednesday.

Rosenthal has written books with titles such as "The
Growers Handbook," "The Big Book of Buds" and "Ask Ed:
Marijuana Law. Don't Get Busted."