Pubdate: Fri, 21 Feb 2003
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Examiner
Contact:  http://www.examiner.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/389
Author: J.K. Dineen, Of The Examiner Staff
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal) (Rosenthal, Ed)

STATE POLS CONFRONT FEDS ON POT

California's state and federal leaders are taking steps to make sure that 
what happened to marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal never happens to anyone else.

"We have casualties in the war the federal government is waging on the 
people," said Assemblyman Mark Leno on Thursday, gesturing toward 
Rosenthal, who was sitting beside him.

Rosenthal recently was convicted of growing marijuana and denied the right 
to argue that he did so for medical purposes. He faces a minimum of 10 
years in jail.

Leno, D-San Francisco, and Rosenthal appeared outside the federal 
courthouse to read a letter urging California's congressional members to 
back three recently introduced bills: one that would allow defendants to 
use medical marijuana as a defense in federal cases; one that would protect 
from federal law medical marijuana growers in states where it is legal; and 
one that would cut federal money allocated for the enforcement of marijuana 
laws in states that have legalized its medical use.

The letter asks "our colleagues in Congress to bring federal law in line 
with the will of the vast majority of California and American voters."

"(These bills) would prevent what happened to Ed Rosenthal from happening 
to anyone else," Leno said.

Advocates of the bills are hoping that the recent uproar over the Rosenthal 
case will inspire politicians in Washington to tackle the issue.

Rosenthal, who was deputized to grow medical pot by the city of Oakland, 
received national attention when a majority of the jurors who convicted him 
criticized the trial and their own decision.

Six of the jurors -- who objected to the fact that they were not allowed to 
consider state medical marijuana laws in reaching their verdict -- will be 
featured tonight on "Dateline NBC."

The bills have the support of Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of 
Huntington Beach, who called it "a legal matter as well as humanitarian 
matter." He said he didn't know how many Republicans, generally sympathetic 
to states rights issues but unreceptive to medical marijuana, would support 
the bill.

"I think it comes down to democracy, as well," Rohrabacher told The 
Examiner. "If the majority of people vote that something is going to be 
illegal or legal, that's the way it should be. We don't need some 
bureaucrat or puritanical elite throwing people in jail for something 
that's been voted into law."

Rosenthal said Thursday marked the first time the state Assembly has 
stepped up and asked the federal government to stop meddling in the 
implementation of the state's medical marijuana law.

"Unfortunately, it took my case to get to this point," said Rosenthal.

Juror Eve Tulley-Dobkin urged residents to call their congressional 
representatives.

"The depth of sadness of over half the jury felt is beyond words," she said.
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