Medical Marijuana: Eddy Lepp Wins a Battle

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #465)
Drug War Issues
Court Rulings
Religion
Medical Marijuana
Politics & Advocacy
Federal Courts
DEA

Eddy Lepp and his Medicinal Gardens and Multi-Denominational Ministry of Cannabis and Rastafari won a victory in federal district court in California Tuesday when a judge suppressed the evidence agents gathered in a 2004 raid where they seized 32,524 plants.

In the 2004 raid, DEA agents, local law enforcement, the California Highway Patrol, and an elite National Guard unit spent two days destroying the crop. The DEA at the time described it as the largest cultivation bust in history. It was destined, Lepp says, for medical marijuana patients in the state.

In a Tuesday ruling, US District Court Judge Marilyn Patel threw out the fruits of that raid. According to a press release from Lepp supporters, the evidence was suppressed due to illegal service of warrants.

Lepp, who is a leading advocate of the sacramental use of marijuana, still faces decades in federal prison over a 2005 raid. Judge Patel has set a January 9 hearing at the Federal Court Building in San Francisco on whether to throw out the search warrant in that case as well. Lepp and his defenders will argue that it, too, was illegally obtained.

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Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Does he get his plants back? Wouldn't he have to, if they were illegally seized?

Sat, 12/16/2006 - 3:29am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Law enforcement officials are like a huge feternity, they will go out of the way to protect one of their own. The judge supresing that illegal documentation was just one example of the many. The real tradgety here is all of the terminally ill and dying patient who can;t get the medicine they need.

Sun, 12/17/2006 - 5:42pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

The link to Vanessa's articles has changed slightly:
http://www.medicalmarijuanaofamerica.com/content/category/1/1/60/

Sat, 05/12/2007 - 9:35pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

eddy lepp is a medicine man the only thing he is guilty off is helping the sick

Sun, 05/27/2007 - 6:53pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Eddy, do you have any plans of payback to the patients that paid you thousands of dollars for a plot of 6 plants? Either in cash or medical marijuana. Your house did not get built for free.

Tue, 06/12/2007 - 2:15pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Is going to be visiting his new home in Lompoc soon.

Fri, 08/29/2008 - 3:46pm Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

According to the federal jury he's guilty as hell. Bye bye eddy!

Wed, 09/03/2008 - 10:03pm Permalink

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Source URL: https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2006/dec/14/medical_marijuana_eddy_lepp_wins