My landlord called the other day to tell me that a neighbor had complained about me starting a "marijuana factory" at the house.

I told my landlord I was in full legal compliance and he politely asked me to deal with the neighbor and get it resolved.

Turns out the neighbor was upset about having to look at my greenhouse and just wanted it moved. No problemo.

Meanwhile my other neighbor has a brother who is alive today because of cannabis and she not only supports me, she even plans to vote for me.

Don't get me wrong, people still get busted here in Mendocino and those stupid enough to plea bargain will suffer the full weight of the criminal justice system. But, the simple fact of life here is that no jury has ever convicted a grower, much less a medical cannabis patient. Recently, a jury took less than an hour to acquit a patient with 540 plants.

If I were to be arrested in Mendocino, I would refuse to waive my right to a speedy trial and demand an immediate jury trial. That puts the court in the position of having to put together a full trial in less than 30 days or the case MUST be dismissed.

The one thing I have learned about courts is that they cannot do anything in a timely fashion. Any court appearance today has about a 95% chance of the matter being continued to another date.

Furthermore, few prosecutors can make a decent argument before a jury, since their function is nearly always to bully helpless defendants into a plea bargain.

So I would demand a speedy trial and simply tell the jury why the law is supposed to protect patients like myself. Considering that about half the members of any jury in Mendocino are probably also growers, I am confident that no jury here is going to convict a bona fide patient.

Life is good here in Mendocino and it is my hope and mission to spread the word of what life can be like on the freedom side of the cannabis curtain.

Newshawk: DSW - The Original On-Line Drug Policy Weekly
Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jun 2007
Source: DrugSense Weekly (DSW)
Section: Feature Article
Webpage: http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm
Website: http://www.drugsense.org
Author: Steve Kubby
Note: Steve Kubby, Libertarian for President, is the only 2008 presidential candidate who's played a key role in passing pro-freedom legislation, then gone to court -- and to jail -- defending that legislation. He is also founder and director of the American Medical Marijuana Association, http://americanmarijuana.org, and played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. Read more about and learn how to support his campaign at http://www.kubby2008.com.