http://www.markfiore.com/animation/protect.html Pubdate: Thu, 05 Jun 2003 Source: Scotsman (UK) Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2003 Contact: http://www.scotsman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406 Author: Kim Curtis, in San Francisco Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal 'GURU OF GANJA' FREED THE "Guru of Ganja" walked free yesterday after a US judge sentenced him to one day in jail for a marijuana conviction. Ed Rosenthal, 58, was found guilty in February of growing more than 100 plants in Oakland, California, and could have faced 60 years behind bars. Rosenthal had argued his actions were legal under a 1996 law passed by California voters that permits marijuana use for medical purposes. He also said he was acting as an agent for the city of Oakland's medical marijuana programme. But a district court judge, Charles Breyer, did not allow the jury to hear those arguments. It found Rosenthal guilty, but some jurors said they would have acquitted him if they had known he was growing the plants for patients. Rosenthal said: "Once the jury found out the whole truth, they agreed. They repudiated their decision." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake