Pubdate: Tue,  4 Feb 2003
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2003 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390

POT GURU JURORS SAY THEY DIDN'T GET WHOLE STORY

Jurors who convicted marijuana guru Ed Rosenthal of cultivation and other 
drug charges said Monday they would have acquitted him had they been told 
he was growing medicinal marijuana for the city of Oakland.

Rosenthal, 58, the self-described "Guru of Ganja," faces up to an 85-year 
prison term when sentenced June 4. Prosecutors today are scheduled to ask 
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer to revoke Rosenthal's bail.

After a two-week trial Friday, a 12-member federal jury unanimously 
concluded that Rosenthal, a world-renowned marijuana advocate, was growing 
more than 100 plants, conspired to cultivate marijuana and maintained an 
Oakland warehouse for a growing operation.

The jury was not told that Rosenthal was acting as an agent of the city of 
Oakland's medicinal marijuana program, which was an outgrowth of a 1996 
medicinal marijuana initiative approved by California's voters.
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