cannabisnews.com: `Ganja Guru' Wants Grand Jury Info `Ganja Guru' Wants Grand Jury Info Posted by CN Staff on September 13, 2006 at 19:19:21 PT By Josh Richman, Staff Writer Source: Oakland Tribune San Francisco -- Lawyers for Oakland "guru of ganja" Ed Rosenthal want more access to the grand jury that's probing him anew, even as they move rapidly toward his retrial on old charges.Attorney Bill Simpich told U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer today he'll file a motion regarding the Oakland-based federal grand jury by Monday. The government has until Oct. 2 to respond, and a hearing is set for Oct. 11. Breyer set an Oct. 23 trial date but said he expects to postpone it. Rosenthal is still seeking a lawyer other than Simpich for his retrial, and co-defendant Richard Watts -- never tried the first time around because he'd been seriously hurt in a car accident -- also lacks counsel.Meanwhile, two unnamed individuals who earlier had invoked their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination when called to testify about Rosenthal to the grand jury have been told they need not return to the grand jury Thursday, Rosenthal said. It's unclear what this might mean, as federal prosecutors can't discuss grand jury proceedings.Famed for his marijuana cultivation books and the "Ask Ed" column he wrote for High Times magazine, Rosenthal was convicted of three marijuana-growing felonies in 2003, more than a year after federal agents raided sites including his Oakland home, an Oakland warehouse in which he was growing marijuana and a San Francisco medical marijuana club he supplied. Medical use of marijuana on a doctor's recommendation is legal under state law but prohibited by federal law, so Rosenthal was barred from mounting a medical defense at trial. Breyer sentenced him to one day behind bars -- time he'd already served.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned his convictions in April, finding juror misconduct -- a juror's conversation with an attorney-friend during deliberations -- compromised Rosenthal's right to a fair verdict and so warranted a new trial. But the court also rejected Rosenthal's claim of immunity from prosecution as an officer of Oakland who grew the drug under the city's medical marijuana ordinance.Source: Oakland Tribune, The (CA)Author: Josh Richman, Staff WriterPublished: September 13, 2006Copyright: 2006 MediaNews Group, Inc. Contact: triblet angnewspapers.comWebsite: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Ed Rosenthal's Pictures & Articles http://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htm Feds Take Aim at `Ganja Guru' Againhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22120.shtmlPending Bill Would End Pot-Trial Confusionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21786.shtml'Ganja Guru' Rosenthal's Conviction Overturnedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21783.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by Max Flowers on September 14, 2006 at 10:40:43 PT Ed's fight Famed for his marijuana cultivation books and the "Ask Ed" column he wrote for High Times magazine, This in my opinion is the main reason they want him so bad, not the plants he was busted with. It's just like with Tommy Chong---Ed is high profile, has disseminated grow information for decades, and the feds just can't stand it and want to see him in prison. I don't believe it's going to work this time either. After the last time, no jury empaneled in the Bay area is going to convict him. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Hope on September 14, 2006 at 09:12:17 PT Whig... Kinky was in range. This pronouncement may lose him a few votes...but it might pick up many, many more.My mother and grandmother were telling me that they were going to vote for him...and I had never mentioned him to them. They saw him on TV, I think.He has a certain universal appeal to people here. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by whig on September 14, 2006 at 00:17:12 PT Kinky Could he actually win? Staking out a position on cannabis might help him a lot, if he was within range to start. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 20:30:03 PT John Tyler Here's the article from the Washington Post. It's really good news. My husband has Hepatitis C and I probably do too but I have never been tested.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22153.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on September 13, 2006 at 20:25:54 PT in the Washingtopn Post There was an article in the Washington Post today (9/13/2006) on page A2 about cannabis and Hepatitis C treatment. In nutshell the article said that the Hep. C treatment is very rough. So rough that many people can’t continue it. However, they said that people that smoked cannabis everyday or so faired much better and were able to successfully complete their treatment and recover. Get this, cannabis gave them a sense of well being, improved their overall mental outlook, helped them through the bad periods, and helped their appetite. What is not to like about this plant? It has so many uses it’s like a gift from God. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 19:48:28 PT Taylor121 Thank you. I have the article posted now. I like Kinky Friedman.http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread22158.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Taylor121 on September 13, 2006 at 19:25:16 PT Kinky Supports Decriminalization Friedman calls for decriminalization of marijuanaAUSTIN — Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman today called for the decriminalization of marijuana to avoid further clogging state prisons with nonviolent offenders.He also said he would favor a review of people already imprisoned on marijuana charges to "rehab them, try to get them back into society."http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4185281.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment