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02/03/2003: "Statement of Ed Rosenthal on the Medical Marijuana Trial Verdict"

"I am disappointed in this verdict for several reasons.

"This was an unconstitutional prosecution. It should never have come to trial.

"Once it did, I was not afforded a jury of my peers. They had to
bring in 80 people to come up with 12 who would agree to set aside
their beliefs on this issue.

"Even so, they would have acquitted me if they had been permitted to
hear my story. But I did not get the chance in this trial to defend
myself and explain my actions.

"Federal prosecutors made extraordinary efforts to block the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Because the truth is that
I was deputized by the City of Oakland to legally grow marijuana for
medicinal use by sick or dying patients under California's Prop 215,
the Compassionate Use Act, the law that is supposed to guarantee safe
and legal access to medicinal marijuana.

"The City of Oakland showed courage in working to come up with a
safe, open, and legal system to harmonize California's medical
marijuana law with federal law. And I was acting as an official of
the city, implementing their program to help patients.

"Had the jury known about the City's attempts to give immunity to
their people, including me, it would have acquitted me today.

"The other victims of today's decision are patients -- people who are
extremely ill or dying and who are soothed by medicinal marijuana --
because I am only one of many people that they are trying to put in
jail for helping sick people, as allowed under our laws.

"For these reasons, we will be asking for a new trial. This verdict
will not be allowed to stand.

"The federal government silenced my courtroom defense, but it can't
silence the court of public opinion. The opinion of the American
public is one of overwhelming support of medicinal uses of marijuana.

"The federal government needs to get this message.

"My case clearly demonstrates that it is time for a national debate
on the issue of medical marijuana. California voted to make medical
marijuana legal, but the federal government is trying to block that
law. The federal government is choosing to prosecute and imprison
individuals instead of working directly with the State of California
and local cities to resolve the conflicts in medical marijuana law.

"Our elected officials must have the courage to discuss this issue
publicly, and then resolve this conflict.

"Because helping sick people should never be a crime.

"For my entire family, thank you all for your support."

--Ed Rosenthal

Resources:

More about Ed Rosenthal @ MapInc.

Support Ed's defense @ Green-Aid.com

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