FEDERAL JUDGE WON'T ISSUE GAG ORDER IN MARIJUANA CASE

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge hearing the trial of a self-styled
marijuana guru accused of illegally cultivating pot declined Jan. 23 to
block the defendant from speaking to the media.

Federal prosecutors had sought the gag order for Ed Rosenthal and his
attorneys, saying they fear overheated publicity could taint the jury.

In rejecting the request, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said he had
repeatedly instructed the jury to refrain from reading, listening to or
watching accounts of the trial. "I'm not about to shackle people's First
Amendment rights," Breyer said.

Rosenthal, 58, an author of how-to books and columns on growing marijuana,
says he was growing pot to help the sick, which is legal under California
law. But marijuana is still illegal under federal law.