Federal Courts
L.A. Protest Supporting Convicted Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner Draws 350
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â
OCTOBER 6, 2008
CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California organizer, (707) 291-0076
LOS ANGELES â The California organizer for the Marijuana Policy Project, Aaron Smith, joined approximately 350 medical marijuana supporters at a rally outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Los Angeles today.
   The rally was organized to support Charles C. Lynch, a former operator of a Morro Bay medical marijuana collective who was recently convicted on federal drug charges. Lynch opened Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in 2006 but was raided by federal and San Luis Obispo County law enforcement agents in March 2007. A respected member of the community who operated with the support of local officials and the chamber of commerce, Lynch was known to refuse payment from patients who could not afford it.
   "He was just a compassionate kind of guy," Steve Beck, the father of a cancer patient who relied on Lynch's dispensary to relieve the pain caused by his treatment â which included an amputated leg â told Reason magazine this summer.
   The raid and subsequent prosecution was conducted at the request of San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Patrick Hedges, who was unable to use his office to close the facility since it was in full compliance with state and local laws.
   The jury that convicted Lynch was barred from hearing any evidence about medical marijuana or his compliance with state law. Rally participants hope that a judge will grant Lynch a retrial. A hearing to consider Lynchâs retrial request is slated for Nov. 4.
   "Only a small minority of extremists still support imprisoning Americans for medical marijuana," Smith said. "That's why it's no surprise the federal drug warriors didn't allow jurors to hear all the facts in Charles' case."
   Smith encouraged the crowd to engage in the public process by urging Congress to lift the federal ban on medical marijuana. "With your help we can bring federal policy in line with the public sentiment," added Smith.
   With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.
Marijuana Policy Project to Participate in Medical Marijuana Rally Today
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â
OCTOBER 6, 2008
CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California organizer, Mobile (707) 291-0076
LOS ANGELES â MPPâs California organizer, Aaron Smith, will be speaking at a rally which is expected to be attended by hundreds of medical marijuana patients and advocates on Monday morning in downtown Los Angeles.
   The rally has been organized by local patients and advocates supporting Charles C. Lynch, a Central Coast man who was recently convicted on federal drug charges for operating a medical marijuana collective in Morrow Bay. Lynch complied with state law and obtained a permit to operate the facility. The jury in his trial was denied any information about the stateâs medical marijuana law.
   - WHAT: âFree Charles C. Lynchâ rally
   - WHEN: Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, 11 a.m.
   - WHERE: U.S. District Courthouse, 312 North Spring St. (at Temple St.), Downtown Los Angeles
   With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.
A great day for the Martin family and the medical cannabis movement
I woke up this morning feeling nervous and unsettled. My friend and colleague Michael Martin was to be sentenced this afternoon, and I prepared myself for the worst. But after an emotional rally and lengthy sentencing hearing, I felt at ease because Mickey is not going to prison.
After pleading guilty in federal court to manufacturing marijuana edibles, with the government finding more than 400 plants, Mickey faced a guidelines range of 30 to 37 months imprisonment. However, due to the tension between state and federal law and the lack of any evidence that any edible produced by Mickey was diverted to recreational use, United States District Court Judge Claudia Wilkin exercised her discretion to sentence Mickey to 5 years probation, with one year to be served in a halfway house and one year to be served in home confinement.
The hearing was intense. Judge Wilkin asked several astute questions about state law and the interplay between state law and federal law. Clearly, she saw that the conflicting laws made medical marijuana cases unique. After Mickey's attorneys spoke about state law and the need for a change in federal law, Mickey spoke for himself. He talked about the cancer patients that had been able to eat after using his edibles. He spoke about his loving family and his service to the community. He explained that he had only done what he did to help people, and never to profit. Half way into his speech, most of the dozens of supporters packing the court room were in tears.
His speech and the stack of support letter the judge had received made a difference. And after the judge announced his sentence, the entire court room of supporters stood up and clapped.
Of course, Mickey never should have been prosecuted in the first place and deserves no punishment for providing medical cannabis edibles to ailing California patients. But this punishment was the best he could have hoped for. It means that he will not miss any years of his children's lives and that he can continue to work and provide for his family.
This sends another message by a federal judge that the federal government should not waste its time bring these cases.
Bob Barr Praises Federal Court Ruling Upholding Right of States to Allow Medical Use of Marijuana
Pain Relief Network Sues State of WA
As always, we ask that you help PRN fight to protect the rights of patients and the doctors who treat them. Please click the link below.
Pain Treatment Advocacy Group Sues State of WA
Jun 25, 2008
By: Donna Gordon Blankinship
The Associated Press SEATTLE - A pain treatment advocacy group filed suit Wednesday in federal court to challenge the restrictions Washington state officials have put on prescription pain medication.
The nonprofit Pain Relief Network says the guidelines for prescribing narcotics, written by the Washington state Department of Health and published in March 2007, have influenced pain treatment across the country and have made doctors afraid to give opiate prescriptions[...]
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, Damages a class action lawsuit by Laura Cooper (lead attorney) et al., Filed: 2008-06-24
Exhibit 1: The WA state Opioid Dosing "Guidelines" by Agency Medical Directors Group (AMDG); Mar. 2007; Filed 2008-06-24
Exhibit 2: Findings of Fact Laura Cooper, Esq.; Filed 2008-06-24 www.painreliefnetwork.org
Fry & Schafer Released on Bail Pending Appeal
March 19, 2008: Dr. Mollie Fry to be Sentenced for Medical Marijuana
Press Release: Dr. Mollie Fry to be Sentenced for Medical Marijuana - March 6th
North Dakotaâs Licensed Hemp Farmers File Appeal in Eighth Circuit
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