HIGH CRIME: IGNORING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

"It's the most horrible mistake I've ever made in my entire life. And I
don't think that I personally will ever recover from this."

These are the words of a juror who convicted Ed Rosenthal to a five-year
prison term after learning that he was not the common pot dealer
prosecutors portrayed him to be. Five jurors in the case not only issued a
public apology to him but also insisted that the judge grant him a new trial.

The jurors felt violated by the court because they were unaware of vital
information explaining that Rosenthal was growing marijuana legally within
California and Oakland law and acting as "an officer of the city" in charge
of distribution.

In light of this, not only should the jurors involved feel violated by the
federal government's disgraceful actions, but citizens of California should
be outraged as well due to Washington's complete disregard for state rights
and the will of the voter.

"We as a jury truly were kept in the dark," said the jury foreman. A
federal judge decided to keep them in the dark when he ruled that the
defense could make no mention of the state and city law that allowed
Rosenthal to legally cultivate marijuana. Furthermore, because Rosenthal
was facing federal charges, this was not a valid defense according to the
judge.

Rosenthal's wrongful prosecution represents the federal government's
dissatisfaction with California's Proposition 215, which allows marijuana
use by seriously ill people.

Despite Washington's continued efforts to downplay the legitimacy of
medical marijuana, laws have been passed in eight other states that allow
the sick and dying to grow or smoke marijuana with a doctor's approval.

Recent actions taken by Washington illustrate how misguided the federal
government's war on medical marijuana actually is. A quadriplegic who had a
license to grow marijuana from the state of Oregon had his plants seized by
DEA officers in a "no-knock raid." In another court case, federal attorneys
sought to create a law that would revoke a doctor's license for
recommending marijuana to patients. Since when did the federal government
become more of an expert on medical care than doctors?

Washington has also continued to ignore the fact that 80 percent of
Americans now support legalizing medical marijuana.

These Americans have come to realize that government resources are limited
and should be focused on key issues like terrorism and not be wasted on a
fruitless fight against medical marijuana.

Until Washington decides to change its policies to reflect the will of the
people, law-abiding citizens like Rosenthal will continue to be the victims
of an illogical war waged against our own people.