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The Unvarnished Truth From the Drug Truth Network Cultural Baggage for 05/13/09, 29:00 Maia Szalavitz, author of "Help at Any Cost" + Terry Nelson of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition & Abolitionist Moment/DTN Editorial LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2416 Transcript: TBD Century of Lies for 05/17/09, 29:00 Francisco Santos Calderon, Vice President of Colombia at the 39th Conference of the Americas, courtesy of Americas Society LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2418 TRANSCRIPT: TBD 4:20 Drug War NEWS, 5/18 to 5/24/09 Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin - Sun - Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Calderon speaking at the 39th Conference on the Americas 7/7 Sat - Colombian VP Francisco Calderon 6/7 Fri - Colombian VP Francisco Calderon 5/7 Thu - Colombian VP Francisco Calderon 4/7 + 3 Hit Goverment Advisory Wed - Colombian VP Francisco Calderon 3/7 Tue - Colombian VP Francisco Santos Calderon 2/7 Mon - Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Calderon speaking at the 39th Conference on the Americas 1/7 Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM. You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org - Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT: NEXT: Jeffrey Miron, Harvard Professor - Cultural Baggage WED, 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 CT, 10:30 MT & 9:30 AM PT: NEXT: Ethan Nadelmann, Dir Drug Policy Alliance Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org We have potcasts, transcripts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US, Canada and Australia! We now feature TRANSCRIPTS of most of our programs again! Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, DTN Producer, 713-849-6869, www.drugtruth.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2009 CONTACT: Dale Gieringer at (415) 563- 5858 EDDY LEPP RECEIVES 10 YEAR MANDATORY MINIMUM FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA SAN FRANCISCO -- US District Judge Marilyn Patel sentenced Eddy Lepp to ten years mandatory minimum for having grown over 1,000 marijuana plants for a medical marijuana garden in Lake County. Patel called the sentence "excessive," but said she had no choice under federal law. In addition, she sentenced Lepp to five years of supervised release with drug testing. She invited Lepp to file for a rehearing in case the law should change. Lepp called it "very, very sad" that the government showed no compassion, saying"I've broken no laws of the state in which I reside." He asked that he be allowed to surrender himself voluntarily, noting that he had met every court date over the seven years of his case and that his daughter had health problems. US attorney Dave Hall opposed the request, arguing that the government had new evidence of Lepp's involvement in a marijuana grow that was traced to a neighbor's property last week. Lepp's friends staunchly deny that he had any involvement in the grow. Patel granted Lepp's request and set a surrender date of July 6th, while inviting the government to submit any additional incriminating evidence it might have to demand an earlier surrender. Patel ruled that Lepp was ineligible for the "safety valve" exemption to the mandatory minimum on two grounds. First, the evidence showed that Lepp had been a leader or rganizer of other people in his activity. Secondly, the government claimed that he had failed give a full and truthful account of his activities. At his trial, Lepp had testified that he did not grow any marijuana, but simply let his land be used for cultivation by other patients. The government had asked Lepp to recant this claim and admit that he grew the marijuana. Lepp refused, saying he had testified truthfully. "I've never seen a man work harder to get time in prison than Mr. Lepp," remarked Mr Hall. ""I would rather do ten years and be able to look myself in the eyes than never be able to look myself in the eyes again," said Lepp. The courtroom burst into gasps and sobs as Patel pronounced her sentence. Lepp's attorney, Michael Hinckley, called it an "incredible sentence." Patel responded, "Incredible is what the law requires." Patel noted that Lepp's driving passion appeared to be legalizing marijuana. "Maybe you want to be a martyr for the cause," she said. California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer commented: "This case sadly illustrates the senselessness of federal marijuana laws. The last thing this country needs is more medical marijuana prisoners. Hopefully, we can change the law and get Eddy out of jail before he completes his sentence." --

[Courtesy of ACLU] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2009 CONTACT: Dan Berger at (831) 471-9000 x26 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal brought by San Diego and San Bernardino counties challenging the validity of California's medical marijuana laws. The Court's order leaves intact the rulings of California's state courts, holding that state medical marijuana laws are entirely valid despite the federal prohibition on marijuana. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented California medical marijuana patients in the proceedings, had urged the Court to decline the counties' challenge. The following may be attributed to Graham Boyd, Director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project: "The Supreme Court's order marks a significant victory for medical marijuana patients and advocates nationwide. This case struck at the core of the contentious intersection between state and federal medical marijuana policy, and, once again, it is clear that state medical marijuana laws are fully valid. Coupled with the Department of Justice's recent pronouncements that the agency will respect state medical marijuana laws, the Court's order leaves ample room for states to move forward with enacting and implementing independent medical marijuana policies." The ACLU's opposition brief to the Court can be found online at: http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/medmarijuana/39603lgl20090415.html ###