D.E.A. Suffers Setback With Breyer Ruling PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE DrugSense FOCUS Alert #267 9 June 2003 Over fifteen months after his arrest and being charged with violation of federal marijuana laws, Ed Rosenthal of California walked out of his sentencing hearing a free man. Federal Judge Charles Breyer weighed all of the relevant evidence related to Rosenthal's conviction this past Jan. 31 and then sentenced him to one day in jail and gave him credit for time served. This ruling gave a strong smack to the federal government who have relentlessly worked to counter the effects of California's Prop 215, which legalized medical use and access to marijuana for qualified patients. Rosenthal ardently worked for 215's successful passage. He then worked hand in hand with the patient communities of San Francisco and Oakland to implement their medical marijuana programs. This continuing commitment and exposure resulted in the Feds targeting Rosenthal. They hoped that his conviction and expected sentence of 10 years or more would intimidate other supporters of the California law. Because juries have no way of knowing otherwise, Federal prosecutors accuse and convict patients and good Samaritans like Ed of being "Drug King Pins." Newspapers around the country have carried coverage of his arrest, his trial and conviction, and now the sentencing story. Please use the handy MAP shortcut to such stories http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal and send letters to the editor expressing your support for the ruling and your desire to see a cessation of such law enforcement priorities by the federal Justice Department. Thanks for your effort and support. It's not what others do it's what YOU do PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, email messages, etc.) Please post a copy of your letter or report your action to the sent letter list () if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to if you are not subscribed. Your letter will then be forwarded to the list so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit. This is _Very_ Important as it is one very effective way of gauging our impact and effectiveness. Subscribing to the Sent LTE list () will help you to review other sent LTEs and perhaps come up with new ideas or approaches as well as keeping others aware of your important writing efforts. To subscribe to the Sent LTE mailing list see http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form CONTACT INFO See this link for recent coverage of the Rosenthal case http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal SAMPLE LETTER (Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work.) Dear Editor: It was great to see the ruling from federal judge Charles Breyer in the Ed Rosenthal medical marijuana case in California June 4. With 80% of Americans believing that medical marijuana should be legally available to qualified medical patients, it seems the only ones who still find it a priority to resist are the shrinking group of anti-marijuana zealots and George W. Bush's Justice Department led by John Ashcroft. Nine states have passed laws legalizing medical pot and twelve more have laws recognizing medical use as a defense against possession. The federal government quite obviously targeted longtime California activist Rosenthal in hopes his conviction and expected lengthy jail sentence would dissuade Americans who are trying to exercise their medical rights under state laws. Federal prosecutors used their ability to exclude relevant testimony as the key tool in getting their conviction. Those citizens who disagree with such tactics and believe the Feds should respect states' laws on marijuana should contact their federal representatives. Ask for their support of H.R. 2233, the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act, which would require federal law enforcement to defer to state laws on medical marijuana. And to support H.R. 1717, the Truth in Trials Act, which would end the federal government's gag on medical marijuana defendants in court. (SIGNATURE) (Always include your address and phone number for newspaper verification. Most papers will not print your letter otherwise). ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, Please See: Writer's Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/ TO SUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL SEE http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm TO UNSUBSCRIBE SEE http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm Prepared by: Sephen Heath, Drug Policy Forum of Florida http://www.dpffl.org Focus Alert Specialist

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