Interview with king of the pot farmers, Ed Rosenthal

10 Zen Monkeys has a great interview with marijuana growing guru, Ed Rosenthal. From the introduction:

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From a certain perspective, Ed Rosenthal may have caught a break when Judge Breyer sentenced him to just one day in prison plus time served when he was convicted for growing hundreds of marijuana plants in Oakland, California. But it would be difficult to argue that his trial was anything short of Kafkaesque. Rosenthal had been deputized by the City of Oakland to grow medical marijuana. But after being busted by the Feds, he was not even allowed to mention his relationship to the lawful government of Oakland nor was he allowed to present witnesses who could talk about it.

So after his conviction, Rosenthal took his case to the 9th Circuit of the Supreme Court and won. His conviction was overturned, but it was overturned on a technicality. Then, in a clear case of vengeful prosecution, the D.A. in the case decided to bring up charges again, adding new charges to the original. Again Rosenthal was not allowed to present the obvious defense – his deputization with the City of Oakland – and he was re-convicted.

Link to transcript | Audio link