Ed Rosenthal

Ed Rosenthal (born Bronx, New York, 1944) is a California horticulturist, author, publisher, and Cannabis grower known for his advocacy for the legalization of marijuana (cannabis as a drug) use. He served as a columnist for High Times Magazine during the 80's and 90's. He was arrested in 2002 for cultivation of cannabis by federal authorities, who do not recognize the authority of states to regulate the use of medical marijuana. He was convicted in Federal Court, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. Rosenthal was subsequently convicted again, but was not re-sentenced, since his original sentence had been completed. Rosenthal briefly attended Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. He has two children, Nick and Justine.

Rosenthal has been active in promoting and developing policies of civil regulation for medicinal marijuana. With the passage of California's pioneering Proposition 215 in 1996, which authorizes medicinal use of marijuana, he worked with the state and local governments to implement the delivery of pharmaceutical grade cannabis to patients with a doctor's prescription to use marijuana.

Legal battles

In 2002, federal agents arrested Rosenthal, who previously had been deputized by the City of Oakland to grow marijuana for medical use. He was convicted, and in a surprise setback for the federal government, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer to only one day in prison; time already served. In 2006 the 9th Circuit Appeals Court subsequently overturned Rosenthal's conviction. Months later the U.S. Attorney's office re-indicted him. Although, the judge has promised to sentence Rosenthal to no additional prison time, a new trial commenced on 14 May 2007.

On May 31 2007, it was announced that Rosenthal had been convicted again on three of the five charges against him: one conspiracy count; one count of cultivation, intending to distribute and distributing marijuana; and one count of using a commercial building as a site for growing and distributing marijuana. He was acquitted of growing and distributing marijuana at the Harm Reduction Center medical-marijuana club in San Francisco. The jury deadlocked on whether he had conspired to grow and distribute marijuana at the Harm Reduction Center. Judge Breyer once again prohibited Rosenthal's lawyers from arguing before the jury that his work was sanctioned by Oakland government officials, a main point of contention for the jurors of the previous trial. Ed Rosenthal did not receive any additional jail time and planned to appeal.

See also: U.S. vs. Ed Rosenthal 2.0, The re-trial of the Ganja Guru by Vanessa Nelson

Advocacy

Rosenthal's public battles in the court have focused attention on the question of whether marijuana laws have become more harmful to society than the behavior they were intended to regulate. Recent polls show that as many as 80% of Americans support legal access to medical marijuana. The Federal Government does not recognize the legitimacy of medical marijuana initiatives passed by individual states.

Links

• Green Aid, details on Ed Rosenthal's legal battles
• Medical Marijuana of America U.S. vs. Ed Rosenthal 2.0, The re-trial of the Ganja Guru by Vanessa Nelson