Just in from our Medical Marijuana Society Network site (yes, we are slowing expanding) an interesting little blog entry...imagine a Propaganda Comic from the 1930's, its cover capturing todays Border Patrol battle against the demon drug Marijuana.
Demon Weed and Our Border Patrol
A big issue in the news right now is Mexico, and the drug war heating up along our Southern Border with Mexico. If you listen to Janet Napolitano, Eric Holder and even President Barack Obama, it's our fault as weed smoking demon spawn addicted to the evil Death Smoke MARIJUANA. The fact that Mexico does NOTHING in the way of Border Enforcement is beside the point. Even the reality that two thirds of Marijuana consumed in America is grown in America is beside the pot...WE ARE ADDICTED TO DRUGS, and we as Americans need to address the issue by giving up our Second Amendment Rights, and keeping guns form going South, while also stopping drugs (actually, the big drugs from Mexico are Cocaine and Heroin) from coming North, specifically and most often featured in the news MARIJUANA, the DEMON WEED. OK, where am I going with this? Have a look at a VINTAGE 1930's era comic...Maybe, just maybe it is time for THAT FENCE? Maybe it is time to LEGALIZE growing both Hemp and Marijuana here in America so that we kill the Market for Marijuana coming into America from Mexico?
Today is a huge day for the Medical Marijuana community. (ASA) Americans for Safe Access will be in the Ninth Circuit Court arguing an interesting case that could begin unsnarling the nasty bale of entwined lies that is the government's Medcial Marijuana Propaganda Campaign. There is a little known law called the Data Quality Act (DQA) which requires public information to be BASED ON STRONG SOUND SCIENCE.
We all know that the government's position that Marijuana has no medical benefits is not supported by sound science. A court ruling in favor of ASA could send shock waves through the War On Drugs community, would require them to rethink their strategies...meanwhile, with some major fund raising drives, the Legalization Community could blitz the airwaves with THE REAL TRUTH
Can you imagine forcing your elected officials to offer up letters to their constituents admitting that Marijuana has medicinal value. Here is the way I see it. ASA wins this case in the 9th Circuit Court. The 420 community using case sites write our Elected Officials with a "Dear Member of Commerce...blah, blah, blah, based on Case# xxxx the government must publish true and accurate information, and I notice you have publicly issued statements embracing governmental positions on Medical Marijuana that are not based upon Sound Science.
We should all be keeping and eye on this case. Here is the article I found on the issue.
I find myself wondering...could we force the government to PAY FOR AN AD CAMPAIGN to correct their lies? A PSA or three paid for with government funds that hails the virtues of Medical Marijuana.
Americans for Safe Access For Immediate Release: April 10, 2009 Contact: ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford 415-573-7842 or ASA Media Liaison Kris Hermes 510-681-6361
Federal Position on Medical Marijuana Put Before Ninth Circuit Tuesday Federal hearing is latest battle on whether policy is based on science or politics
San Francisco, CA — Medical marijuana advocates will get to argue before the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, April 14th, the right to challenge an outdated position held by the federal government: “marijuana has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” The national advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) filed a lawsuit in February 2007 demanding that the federal government cease issuing misinformation and correct its statements on medical marijuana. “We welcome the Obama Administration’s recently stated commitment to making policy decisions based on science, not politics,” said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with ASA. “This case is designed to ensure that the federal government’s policy on medical marijuana is not politically motivated.”
What: Oral arguments in a case before the Ninth Circuit that challenges the government’s position on medical marijuana
When: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 9:30am
Where: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Courtroom 4 at 95 Seventh Street, San Francisco, CA
In order to challenge the government’s position, advocates are using a little-known law called the Data Quality Act (DQA). The DQA requires federal agencies such as Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to rely on sound science when disseminating information to the public. One of the main issues in the case is whether citizens have a right to challenge government information believed to be inaccurate or based on faulty, unreliable data.
“The science to support medical marijuana is overwhelming,” said ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. “It’s time for the federal government to acknowledge the efficacy of medical marijuana and stop holding science hostage to politics.” On March 9, 2009, President Obama issued a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies stating that, “The public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions,” and calling for “transparency in the preparation, identification, and use of scientific and technological information in policymaking.”
Do you live in the New York Metro area? Are you a Medical Marijuana advocate, or perhaps just a 420 Stoner working/grass rooting for Legalization? If you fit any of these descriptors, head down to the General Post Office in Midtown Manhattan and be a part of NORML's festivities as they present a ceremonial TAX check for $14 billion to the US Treasury Department. Here is their press release on the events of the day...one at eight in the morning, and the other at four in the afternoon.
From NORML.ORG:
Marijuana Consumers Demand to Pay Taxes! $14 billion dollar check presented to US Treasury represents "tax and regulate" boost to economy
New York, NY: On April 15, better known as Tax Day, at 8:00 AM representatives and supporters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), including the organization's national director Allen St. Pierre, will stand on the steps of the General Post Office in Midtown Manhattan and present a check for $14 billion to the US Treasury Department.
The check total is an estimate of what American taxpayers spend every year to maintain marijuana prohibition. According to the report "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States", Americans spend some $6 billion on law enforcement costs related to enforcing marijuana laws. Taxing and regulating the production and sale of cannabis like alcohol products would reduce these costs while raising an estimated $8 billion in new tax revenue. That's according to Nobel Prize Winner Milton Friedman and over 500 other accredited economists.
"On a day when so many Americans lament having to pay state and federal income taxes, we're representing America's millions of otherwise law-abiding cannabis consumers—as well as supportive non-consumers—who're ready, willing, vocal and able to contribute this huge sum to our struggling economy, while providing truly 'green' jobs and allowing police to focus on more important priorities," says Allen St. Pierre, NORML's Executive Director. "All we ask in exchange for our $14 billion is the right to smoke our pot responsibly and in peace—just in the same way as the millions of daily consumers of alcohol products in our country."
WHO Representatives of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, including NORML's national director Allen St. Pierre
WHAT American cannabis consumers and anti-prohibitionists present a $14 billion check to the US Treasury.
WHEN April 15th, 2009 at 8:00 AM (press conference with mock check) and 4:20 PM presentation of check with NORML supporters.
WHERE The steps of the General Post Office in Manhattan 441 Eighth Ave New York, NY
Copied below is a letter posted to one of the Marijuana advacacy groups I belong to on Yahoo. I would ask you to read this man's letter, and then sit down and write a letter on this behalf that can be sent to A) the court, B) Attorney General Eric Holder, and C) President Barack Obama. Ronald is a victim first, seriously injured in a car accident. He played by all the rules, and now he faces losing everything. Worse, his wife and children face losing a husband, a father, and the family provider. Please find the time to write and mail a letter today...a man's life depends upon it.
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Ronald Bradley Naulls; I am a twenty-nine year old African American male, married 9 years and blessed with four beautiful daughters. In 2001 I suffered a fractured clavicle resulting from a motor vehicle accident; subsequently I was prescribed various medications and rehabilitative treatment which failed to produce significant relief. Consequently, I suffered further physical injury from symptomatic infections, not uncommon as side effects of the harsh pharmaceuticals I was prescribed.
Medication and chiropractic therapy failed to improve my state of health, relief was diminutive and inadequate, and I was unable to work or provide for my family. At the advice of my chiropractor I sought consultation with a physician specializing in the medicinal applications of marijuana and found that I was an appropriate subject for the use of medical marijuana. Through the medical use of marijuana I was able to eliminate other adverse prescription medications from my treatment and found the relief I needed to continue working and providing for my family. Although I found medical marijuana to be beneficial to my health, I struggled to safely and effectively obtain my medicine. In 2006 I formed Healing Nations Collective, a storefront facility with the purpose of facilitating the safe and secure access of medical marijuana for California residents who have been recommended the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Healing Nations Collective was organized under California law as a Non-profit organization, founded with the counsel of attorney Robert Raich (Gonzalez v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1 (2005) and approved and incorporated by the California Secretary of State. The Collective maintained a valid Seller’s Permit from the State Board of Equalization and contributed $123,070.00 in tax revenue to the State of California. Healing Nations was a prominent contributor to the community supporting a number of local charities and organizations. In addition, the Collective was a recognized member of the Corona Chamber of Commerce. On July 17th, 2007 Healing Nations Collective, my home and all unconnected organizations were raided by the Drug Enforcement Administration. During the raid they confiscated our family vehicles, savings and checking accounts and all related and unrelated business accounts. My three daughters were ripped from their parent’s arms and placed in the custody of Riverside County Child Protective Services. I was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury, arrested, and thrown in Federal prison. My parent’s put their home up for the bond to secure my release and I have spent the past 18 months on house arrest trying to put my life back together. I have endured and suffered political persecution, racism, civil and human rights violations; a political prisoner caught in a war between state and federal governments. This tragedy has brought an undue and unprecedented amount of pain, distress and misfortune to my family.
I hope this letter encompasses the struggle which I have faced and continue to fight. I hope you will consider helping me to raise awareness for this matter, for myself and others like me. I am not alone; the enumerated powers of the Federal government were not designed to impede the rights of States to govern themselves. At this moment there are countless victims of Federal enforcement in instances where individuals were acting on State’s rights. Please help me to bring light to this issue and save my children the loss of a father to a failed system of archaic drug policy. Sincerely, Ronald Bradley Naulls 3 Vista Ripalti Lake Elsinore, CA 92532 FYI Everyone, I sent this letter to US AG Eric Holder and Pres. Barack Obama at the addresses listed below:
US AG Eric Holder 950 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001
Pres. Barack Obama, The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20500
Ronnie,
For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with your case, can you relate your story here?
I wanted everyone to have the updated court dates handy just in case. If anything changes of course you will be the first to know. Address of the courthouse:
Central District of California Federal Courthouse & Bankruptcy 3470 Twelfth Street, Room G122 Riverside, CA 92501
STIPULATION to Continue Trial Date from March 23, 2009 to May 26, 2009 filed by Plaintiff USA as to Defendant Ronald Bradley Naulls (Attachments: # 1 Proposed Order)(Stacy, Robert) (Entered: 03/12/2009)
ORDER by Judge Stephen G. Larson as to Defendant Ronald Bradley Naulls, re Stipulation to Continue 60 . ( Jury Trial continued to 5/26/2009 at 09:30 AM before Judge Stephen G. Larson. Pretrial Conference continued to 5/18/2009 at 02:00 PM before Judge
Psychological Torture in the Name of Family Values
By FRED GARDNER
Which psychological torture would you rather not have to endure (bearing in mind that you don't know how or when it will end):
1. Being made to wear panties and chained to a heap of fellow prisoners while rude foreigners insult you. Or,
2. What Ronald Bradley Naulls endured after his house and his Corona, California cannabis dispensary were raided by the DEA July 17?
Naulls's torment was amplified because his wife Anisha was put through it, too, and their children were the very instrument by which it was applied. On the day of the raids Aaliyah, Amaiyah, and Aryanna Naulls -ages 5, 3, and 1, respectively- were taken from their home and placed in foster care at a location undisclosed to their parents. In the name of "family values" these healthy, well-cared-for little girls - impressionable, frightened little girls- were taken from their mother and father because the raiders had found edible marijuana stored in a refrigerator in the Naullses's garage.
Even activist and activist bloggers need some feel good items now and then...putting one of those feel good things here this evening, a YouTube video...let us sit the state. Brittain, the English equivalent of American Idol. 47 year old single woman living at home with her cat, has never been kissed is about to sing...take a listen, you will be amazed....
I woke up this morning to CNN...nothing new there. What was new, was hearing two different segments on Marijuana. The first report was fluff...discussion of Snoop Dogg Shaking and Baking on Twitter, actually getting stoned for the whole world to see. Waves to Snoop Dogg who I follow on Twitter. Sadly, instead of having a serious discussion based on Snoop Dogg's willingness to bring the issue to the forefront by going on Twitter, the conversation was nothing but a fluff piece meant to poke fun at Snoop Dogg...shame on you CNN. (see embedded video below)
The second piece was more hard hitting. A Harvard Economics Professor, Jeffrey A. Morin was championing the legalization of marijuana, and ALL DRUGS. He made some very good points. (see his editorial piece below) For the opposition was a mean spirited, angry cantankerous former DEA Agent who looked like he's not smile since the day he was born, Robert Strang...wonder if he dropped the E? Robert did nothing more than beat the same old tired drums that our government hss been beating since the 30's. There is your commentary folks...A SEVENTY YEAR WAR ON DRUGS HAS NOT WORKED, why continue a war you have not won in 70 plus years?
The host stepped in briefly and pointed out how much drug abuse is costing American taxpayers. She quickly tossed in the figure of $140 Billion when she saw the DEA agent was floundering. How much are we spending on Drug Enforcement? Over a half TRILLION DOLLARS each and every year! How much are we spending locking up people for possession of drugs? Lealizing marijuana and other drugs would create a surplus as we eliminate enforcement and instead turn our efforts towards control of distribution and taxation.
It is obvious that the War on Drugs is heating up. Yesterday I saw a new Anti Drug commercial on television targeted right at Marijuana. This is a clear sign that the Federal Government realizes it is LOSING GROUND, and are scrambling to shore up their crumbling defenses. 90 Million Americans have tried Marijuana. 50 Million Americans smoke dope at least once a month...WE ARE NOT ALL ADDICTS, though the DEA Agent this morning tried to make that argument. Other nations are winning the research wars as more and more Medical uses for Cannabis are found...what happened to us here in America being leaders on the cutting edge of medical research and discovery, especially where Cancer is concerned. With Global Warming a reality, can we afford to ignore the numerous contributions that Hemp can make to solving the issue? Hemcrete is stronger than Concrete, and Bath University has developed a very good composite building material that has a LESS THAN ZERO carbon footprint. So why the war to keep Marijuana criminalized?
We can put the Mexican Drug Cartelss out of business in ONE GROWING SEASON if we legalize Marijuana/Cannabis/Hemp. Cancer research centers like Sloan Kettering could quickly become leaders in finding cancer cures using Medical Marijuana as they began isolating and investigating various cannaboids. Farmers could be growing Hemp to be used as biofuels, for home and commercial green building materials, while food companies could start marketings healthy hemp centered foods, oils and even home care products. The media could be leaders in changing public perceptions, in dispelling the propaganda that has been put out by our government over the last seventy years, or they can continue working with government to turn pot smoking citizens and medical patients into criminals. Lets end the war, just say no to the criminalization of marijuana. Make Cannabis Legal, unchain its potential.
Editor's note: Jeffrey A. Miron is senior lecturer in economics at Harvard University.
Economist Jeffrey Miron says legalizing drugs would greatly reduce violence.
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Over the past two years, drug violence in Mexico has become a fixture of the daily news. Some of this violence pits drug cartels against one another; some involves confrontations between law enforcement and traffickers.
Recent estimates suggest thousands have lost their lives in this "war on drugs."
The U.S. and Mexican responses to this violence have been predictable: more troops and police, greater border controls and expanded enforcement of every kind. Escalation is the wrong response, however; drug prohibition is the cause of the violence.
Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground. This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead.
Violence was common in the alcohol industry when it was banned during Prohibition, but not before or after.
Violence is the norm in illicit gambling markets but not in legal ones. Violence is routine when prostitution is banned but not when it's permitted. Violence results from policies that create black markets, not from the characteristics of the good or activity in question.
The only way to reduce violence, therefore, is to legalize drugs. Fortuitously, legalization is the right policy for a slew of other reasons.
Prohibition of drugs corrupts politicians and law enforcement by putting police, prosecutors, judges and politicians in the position to threaten the profits of an illicit trade. This is why bribery, threats and kidnapping are common for prohibited industries but rare otherwise. Mexico's recent history illustrates this dramatically.
Prohibition erodes protections against unreasonable search and seizure because neither party to a drug transaction has an incentive to report the activity to the police. Thus, enforcement requires intrusive tactics such as warrantless searches or undercover buys. The victimless nature of this so-called crime also encourages police to engage in racial profiling.
Prohibition has disastrous implications for national security. By eradicating coca plants in Colombia or poppy fields in Afghanistan, prohibition breeds resentment of the United States. By enriching those who produce and supply drugs, prohibition supports terrorists who sell protection services to drug traffickers.
Prohibition harms the public health. Patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma and other conditions cannot use marijuana under the laws of most states or the federal government despite abundant evidence of its efficacy. Terminally ill patients cannot always get adequate pain medication because doctors may fear prosecution by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Drug users face restrictions on clean syringes that cause them to share contaminated needles, thereby spreading HIV, hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases.
Prohibitions breed disrespect for the law because despite draconian penalties and extensive enforcement, huge numbers of people still violate prohibition. This means those who break the law, and those who do not, learn that obeying laws is for suckers.
Prohibition is a drain on the public purse. Federal, state and local governments spend roughly $44 billion per year to enforce drug prohibition. These same governments forego roughly $33 billion per year in tax revenue they could collect from legalized drugs, assuming these were taxed at rates similar to those on alcohol and tobacco. Under prohibition, these revenues accrue to traffickers as increased profits.
The right policy, therefore, is to legalize drugs while using regulation and taxation to dampen irresponsible behavior related to drug use, such as driving under the influence. This makes more sense than prohibition because it avoids creation of a black market. This approach also allows those who believe they benefit from drug use to do so, as long as they do not harm others. iReport.com: Do you think it's time to legalize marijuana?
Legalization is desirable for all drugs, not just marijuana. The health risks of marijuana are lower than those of many other drugs, but that is not the crucial issue. Much of the traffic from Mexico or Colombia is for cocaine, heroin and other drugs, while marijuana production is increasingly domestic. Legalizing only marijuana would therefore fail to achieve many benefits of broader legalization.
It is impossible to reconcile respect for individual liberty with drug prohibition. The U.S. has been at the forefront of this puritanical policy for almost a century, with disastrous consequences at home and abroad.
The U.S. repealed Prohibition of alcohol at the height of the Great Depression, in part because of increasing violence and in part because of diminishing tax revenues. Similar concerns apply today, and Attorney General Eric Holder's recent announcement that the Drug Enforcement Administration will not raid medical marijuana distributors in California suggests an openness in the Obama administration to rethinking current practice.
Perhaps history will repeat itself, and the U.S. will abandon one of its most disastrous policy experiments.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jeffrey Miron.
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues high-level talks with Mexico's leaders this week, her comments about responsibility in the U.S.-Mexico drug trade have struck a chord with officials familiar with U.S. anti-drug efforts.
Mexican federal police have been deployed openly in Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas.
Clinton said the United States' "inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border" was a major contributor in Mexican violence along the border. She went on to say that the United States has "a co-responsibility."
In an interview Wednesday on "American Morning" with CNN anchor John Roberts, former Drug Enforcement Agency special agent Robert Strang talked about the three-pronged approach needed to curb drug use in America and the need to bust distribution rings. Strang is also CEO of Investigative Management Group.
The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity:
John Roberts, CNN anchor: Everybody's blaming Mexico for [the U.S. drug trade], but the secretary of state yesterday said, 'Hey, the United States shares a lot of the blame because of the pent-up demand here, the insatiable demand for drugs.' Do you agree with her? Watch Clinton say, "We have to do a better job" »
Robert Strang, former DEA special agent: Let's face it, the average first drug use is 12 years old in our country. That means kids that are in the sixth grade are trying drugs for the first time. Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, all these drugs are coming across the border because we demand them. We have the cash to pay for them, and we really are pretty much the No. 1 consumer in the world for these drugs.
Roberts: Is the United States doing enough to try to curb demand? The Office of National Drug Control Policy, I don't remember much coming out of it during the Bush administration, and I haven't seen anything come out of it in the Obama administration.
Strang: We're trying all the time. I'm on the board for D.A.R.E. America, and that is teaching kids about the dangers of drugs and violence in schools. And constantly, we're trying to get money federally for this program and police officers go into the school. They teach the kids. It's a wonderful program in those trouble years, the fourth, fifth and sixth grade especially, and we need to have a little bit more money in this area.
There's three things, John: It's treatment, it's enforcement and it's education. And it's like a three-legged stool. If all three things don't work, it's going to fall down. So, we can send all of the agents in the world down to the border. We can seize all the coke, heroin, methamphetamine that we want. If we don't have treatment on demand, and if we're not educating our kids in our country about the dangers of drugs, the problem's going to grow.
Roberts: When you see the Department of Homeland Security prepared to spend these hundreds of millions of dollars on border security, what do you think?
Strang: I'm happy that they're doing something. This is a small piece of the enforcement operation. The best thing to do is like the case that we saw three weeks ago, when the DEA announced 750 arrests involving 250 cities between Mexico and the United States, mostly in the U.S., this huge distribution network.
Because when you dismantle those networks that constantly are putting drugs from the cartels to the street, when you can put those guys in jail, when you take their assets, then you have an impact. Watch how drugs from Mexico enter U.S. »
Roberts: But would you like to see them take some of that money, and you know, they take, I think, what, $700 million, and they throw it at the border. Would you like to see them take some of that money, maybe even just a fraction of it, and throw it into prevention programs?
Strang: Absolutely. Instead of going to some of the financial institutions, I'd like to see it go for the drug problem. I'd like to see enforcement, treatment and prevention. I'd like it to be evenly divided, and I really think we could have an impact on the problem. We've got to look at this a different way. And I think that it's a combination of these things, and we're moving in that direction. Let's hope that we make some headway here.
Rather than tell the story myself, shall post the article I stumbled across (thanks to Twitter) in the hopes it will get some of us motivated this Easter Weekend to write a personal letter to Judge Wu on behalf of Charles C. Lynch. A lot of people wrote letters, but they were FORM LETTERS, and that is not going to help Charles C Lynch who was the former owner and managing Caregiver for Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in Morro Bay. His crime...doing what the local community said he was entitled to do, help sick patients, act as a caregiver, and dispense Medical Marijuana. He faces sentencing on April 29th, and some letters from the heart could greatly HELP HIS CAUSE.
If you wish to write a letter of support regarding sentencing please use the Letter salutation "Dear Judge Wu" and then send the letter to:
Reuven Cohen Federal Public Defender 321 East 2nd Street Los Angeles, CA 90012-4702
Here are some pointers on what you might want to put in this letter...the real key to helping Charles C. Lynch is appropriate personal experiences, and a letter WRITTEN FROM THE HEART.
Mention the recent change in Federal Policy mentioned by Eric Holder.
If comfortable, touch on, "The conflict of State vs Federal Law".
Mention the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, states rights and how lawmakers swear to uphold the constitution.
Discuss your belief that the harsh mandatory minimums meant for drug king pins were not meant for medical marijuana providers who in effect are Health Care Providers.
Your own personal experiences as a patient or with a friend, son, daughter, brother, sister or relative of somebody you know that benefits from the medicinal use of marijuana.
Talk about the thirteen states that have legalized medical marijuana. Michigan just came on board as a Medical Marijuana State.
A front line leader in the Medical Marijuana is facing some very serious prison time, and your letter could be the one that touches Judge Wu's heart, gets him to take a serious look at California's laws and their position on Medical Marijuana, and hand down a just ruling, even if that means going against the Federal Sentencing guidelines. Charles took at stand for every Medical Marijuana patient in America by opening up his storefront, and in his hour of need we in the 420 community need to come to his aid.
Home
Welcome to Friends of CCL
Charles C. Lynch is the former owner and managing Caregiver for Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in Morro Bay.
The dispensary opened on April 1 2006 with the blessing of the city and even joined the Chamber of Commerce. In July 2006 the dispensary was granted a Conditional Use Permit from the City of Morro Bay to include a Medical Cannabis Nursery at the dispensary.
The Dispensary operated for almost one year without any major problems or complaints to the owner. On March 29, 2007 the Local Sheriff and DEA agents raided the Dispensary and Home of Charles Lynch. Lynch was not arrested at the time and reopened the dispensary on April 7 2007 with the blessing of the City of Morro Bay. A week after reopening the dispensary the DEA called the Landlord and threatened him with Forfeiture of his property unless he evicted the Dispensary from the building. On May 16, 2007 the Dispensary closed permanently.
On July 17, 2007 Lynch was arrested at his home and charged with Federal Marijuana Distribution. Lynch pleaded not guilty and went on trial July 22, 2008 in Los Angeles. Lynch was not allowed to discuss state law or mention 'medical marijuana' during the trial. Also large amounts of evidence including Lynch's compliance with State and Local laws could not be considered as factual by the jury. Before opening the dispensary Lynch called the DEA and asked about thier policy regarding medical marijuana dispensaries. The DEA told Lynch it was up to the Cities and Counties to decide how to handle the matter. This was Lynch's only defense in Federal Court and is called entrapment by estopell when a government agent says something is ok when in fact it might not be. Click here for more information.
On August 5, 2008 Lynch was convicted in Federal Court for operating the Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers. On January 6, 2009 Lynch appeared before Judge Wu to request a new trial on the grounds that he was not allowed to get his defense before the jury and other new evidence. The request was denied. Charles has been out on a $400,000 bail posted by his loving and trusting family and was under house arrest for over nine months.
During March 2009 United States Policy regarding Medical Marijuana changed in favor of states as long as the dispensary complied with state law. Lynch's dispensary complied with all state and local laws during the time it was open. Click here to read the San Francisco Chronicles report of the new policy. On Friday March 13, 2009 John Stossel and ABC News 2020 aired he story of Lynch on National Television. On Sunday March 15 Al Roker did a documentary entitled Marijuana Inc. Al Roker reporting and focused in on the case of Charles C. Lynch.
Sentencing which was scheduled for March 23, 2009 was postponed because the judge requested information from the Government regarding the New Policy regarding medical marijuana dispensaries. Despite the recent policy changes Charles C. Lynch will be sentenced on April 30, 2009 at the Federal Court House in Los Angeles. Supporters who wish to write a letter of support regarding sentencing should use the Letter salutation "Dear Judge Wu" and then send the letter to:
Reuven Cohen Federal Public Defender 321 East 2nd Street Los Angeles, CA 90012-4702
