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California Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner Charlie Lynch Found Guilty in Grotesque Miscarriage of Justice
Charles Lynch, the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in Morro Bay, California that was fully compliant with state laws, has been found guilty in federal court of pushing drugs. The grim details, courtesy of The Los Angeles Times:
The owner of a Morro Bay marijuana dispensary was found guilty today in federal court of five counts of distributing drugs.
Charles Lynch, the owner of the dispensary, faces a minimum of five years in prison.
His closely watched trial involved conflicting marijuana laws and went to a federal court jury Monday. Jurors were asked to determine if Lynch was guilty of violating federal drug laws.
During a week-and-a-half-long trial in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, federal prosecutors sought to depict Lynch as a common drug dealer who sold pot to teenagers and carried a backpack stuffed with cash.
Lynch was charged with distributing marijuana, conspiring to distribute marijuana and providing marijuana to people under the age of 21.
Lynch is one of the countless casualties of an idiotic and tragically long-running war on drugs. His shop scrupulously followed Golden State laws and when he opened his shop in Morro Bay, local officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. And that kid he provided medical marijuana to? A high school athlete who had lost a leg to cancer and had a prescription from a Stanford-trained doctor (and in any case, Lynch only dealt with the boy's parents). Yes, a common drug dealer.
There's only one good possibility to come out of this verdict: That its manifest injustice and stupidity and inhumanity (to Lynch and his customers) will help spark a long overdue reaction to the drug war and its punishing toll on individuals and basic Constitutional rights.
reason has been covering this story closely. Its import goes beyond drug policy to questions about federalism and whether or not states can truly be laboratories of experimentation and it compounds the awful logic of the Supreme Court's dreadful ruling in Gonzales v. Raich (2005) which invoked the commerce clause in deciding that federal laws overrode state laws when it came to medical marijuana.
Click below to watch the Drew Carey Project documentary "Raiding California" that tells the truth about Charlie Lynch.
reason's drug war coverage here.
reason's medical marijuana coverage here.
Drew Carey defends medical marijuana here:
Naga Sadow|8.5.08 @ 7:50PM|#
Awful. Now where's Juanita to troll about where Lynch had it
coming?
*looks under nearest bridge*
|8.5.08 @ 7:51PM|#
Would this story be different if Obama were Prez?
The "low-grade" war between the Feds and California differs only by
degree with the Feds' wars on Colombia and Afghanistan.
I mean, are we after Osama in Afghanistan or poppies? Which is
it?
KyleG|8.5.08 @ 8:01PM|#
I don't know what to do anymore. I've written letters, signed petitions, made phone calls, sent emails, voted, campaigned...how the fuck does one stop this shit?
|8.5.08 @ 8:04PM|#
Yeah, the feds can smell the blood now. This win is a green light for them to jump all over the dispensery owners.
juanita|8.5.08 @ 8:07PM|#
If he wanted to lead a successful criminal lifestyle he should
have been more discrete.
Don't flaunt the crime if you cant do the time.
|8.5.08 @ 8:18PM|#
I can't believe I'm saying this, but Terry's "libertarian militia" is starting to sound downright reasonable to me.
DarkRail|8.5.08 @ 8:24PM|#
Amazingly disgusting.
Maybe the good news is that this is so vile it will cause some kind
of public outcry. I'll certainly be at the protest against this
whenever it happens, and protesting is something I never do.
State's rights are deader than ever.
I need a bigger gun.
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 8:33PM|#
"If he wanted to lead a successful criminal lifestyle he should
have been more discrete.
Don't flaunt the crime if you cant do the time."
Umm, what crime? He followed all state laws and the United States
COnsitution does not grant Congress or the president the power to
ban such a product unless it crosses state lines. It did not.
Fluffy|8.5.08 @ 8:34PM|#
Well, what California should do here is make it illegal to interfere in the conduct of the business of a legal marijuana clinic, and then arrest federal law enforcement agents, US attorneys and judges who so interfere.
|8.5.08 @ 8:36PM|#
Here is a guy who clearly stepped on the wrong toes! This is
what happens when you tick off the wrong person.
JT
www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 8:36PM|#
"Well, what California should do here is make it illegal to
interfere in the conduct of the business of a legal marijuana
clinic, and then arrest federal law enforcement agents, US
attorneys and judges who so interfere."
Hmm, sounds like a good idea. I wish all states would pass laws
making it illegal for federal law enforcement to violate the U.S.
Constitution. I would love to see some FBI thugs rot in a state
prison.
|8.5.08 @ 8:37PM|#
I was sure that this was not, in fact, a trial by jury before I
clicked on the link.
Then I saw the sentence "Jurors were asked to determine if Lynch
was guilty of violating federal drug laws."
At that point, I was sure that the Defense had much of their
evidence suppressed.
Then I saw the sentence "Lynch's defense attorneys sought to
portray him as a responsible businessman who had the blessing of
Morro Bay's mayor and city attorney before opening his Central
Coast Compassionate Caregivers."
What's wrong with the people on the jury that they couldn't have
found *ONE* willing to hang?
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 8:42PM|#
Jaybird, the problem with juries is that often the best and
brightest find ways of avoiding jury duty. I would LOVE to be on a
jury in which someone has been accused of a "crime" that should not
even be illegal. I would commit jury nullification. Please, I beg
of you, if you care about liberty - serve on a jury if you get a
jury notification. It is more important than voting - far more
important than voting.
http://www.fija.org/
juanita|8.5.08 @ 8:42PM|#
The verdict is just.Lynch was knowingly violating federal law.He wasnt prosecuted in ca state court because they dont have a law for his crime anymore.
Fluffy|8.5.08 @ 8:46PM|#
What's wrong with the people on the jury that they couldn't
have found *ONE* willing to hang?
The prosecutors no doubt just asked every potential juror, "Will
you vote to convict this defendant even if his conduct was
specifically legal by state law?" and threw off everyone who said
No.
That's why you have to lie during voir dire of all drug cases, and
then vote to nullify, people. If every libertarian would register
to vote, and then show up for jury duty, and then nullify in all
drug cases, the feds would go absolutely nuts. A minimum of 1 in 3
cases like this would go down in flames.
Alice Bowie|8.5.08 @ 8:55PM|#
Why is it that I have such a different opinion than the police,
government.
I'm really begining 2 b-lieve that it's not my opinion...These
people r just pure hypocrats.
The fact that the Courts can pass a rule saying that "YOU CAN'T USE
a CERTAIN DEFENSE". What if that FORBIDDEN DEFENSE is the ONLY one
an innocent citizen has?
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 9:00PM|#
"The verdict is just.Lynch was knowingly violating federal
law.He wasnt prosecuted in ca state court because they dont have a
law for his crime anymore."
Juanita, show me where in the United States Constitution either the
United States Congress or the POTUS is given the power to ban
medical marijuana if it does not cross state lines.
Peter Orvetti|8.5.08 @ 9:01PM|#
Fluffy,
I agree with you about the nullification, but when I've been in
voir dire before, I have not considered being untruthful. I don't
want to fight hypocrisy with deception.
Actually, the last case I was called on, the prosecutor looked
fairly giddy to see me -- a white middle-class male in D.C. -- for
his drug case, and I actually saw his face fall when I told the
judge I supported legalization. I was not seated.
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 9:06PM|#
"If every libertarian would register to vote, and then show up
for jury duty, and then nullify in all drug cases, the feds would
go absolutely nuts."
I agree, even if you are someone who does not vote because you
think it is unethical or does no good or something this is a reason
to at least REGISTER to vote. You might save someone's life or at
least give someone a better life. You might prevent a man with
cancer from getting raped by a cell mate.
Paul|8.5.08 @ 9:07PM|#
I remember I posted something about us getting to the point
where all we can do is negotiate reasonable surrender terms on the
WoD.
They're in your houses, drinkin' your beer, and sleeping with your
women... but your victory is juuuust around the corner. I'm sure of
it.
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 9:09PM|#
"Hey Ironic...u know Janita is a Marijuana troll...right
?"
Thanks for the info, I didn't actually. Still, it would be
interesting to see if she has an answer for my last question to
her.
|8.5.08 @ 9:10PM|#
That's why you have to lie during voir dire of all drug
cases
Jail time is a pretty big disincentive for me to not tow the line.
Maybe if I was 21, single, and childless. But nowadays, it would
take some pretty high stakes to make me willing to take that
chance.
|8.5.08 @ 9:13PM|#
This bust was a political move by the DEA -- not to stop
dispenseries as a whole to to keep a lid on the ones run the most
professionally -- close down the well intentioned clubs and let the
less scrupulous clubs continue and get a bad word in the
communities and allow the communities to turn against medical
marijuana and the dispenseries and then the local councils / state
legislature will do the DEAs bidding.
Horrible -- Horrible
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 9:14PM|#
A lot of voir dire is just OPINION right? How can someone prove you were not a strong supporter of the WOD when you filled out that paperwork but changed your mind after looking at the person on the stand who might get raped in the ass because he smoked a plant that might help him keep down his meds? That kind of thing could VERY WELL change someone's mind. OR am I missing something?
|8.5.08 @ 9:25PM|#
Your not missing anything. People are JUST plain cruel...Especially when it comes to Drug War.
|8.5.08 @ 9:27PM|#
Perhaps some of you can remember Vietnam...but, I believe that
the Government has been going Ape-Shit since.
Out defeat in Vietnam has always been attributed to the fact when
the entire country is high...we tend to be 'anti-war'.
juanita|8.5.08 @ 9:27PM|#
congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce if there was no marijuana dispensary the addict might buy it out of state
|8.5.08 @ 9:30PM|#
FWIW, Classic Julian Sanchez post about his personal experience regarding voir dire.
Lin Zexu|8.5.08 @ 9:30PM|#
"Out defeat in Vietnam has always been attributed to the fact
when the entire country is high...we tend to be 'anti-war'."
Some of you may find this drug war interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_war
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 9:35PM|#
"congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce if there
was no marijuana dispensary the addict might buy it out of
state"
If the entire transaction is within a single state and the plant is
grown in that same state how is that "interstate" under any
circumstances?
|8.5.08 @ 9:37PM|#
the problem with juries is that often the best and brightest
find ways of avoiding jury duty.
That's only half the story. The attorneys on both sides don't want
critical thinkers on the jury either. Too unpredictable and
difficult to manipulate.
Disclosure: I've been zapped during voir dire thrice, each time by
the prosecution, so that might color my attitude a bit.
MJ Troll|8.5.08 @ 9:51PM|#
ironic:
see Raich
All of the liberal SCOTUS Justices, in the mold of future President
Barack Obama nominees (+ Scalia), voted that even growing and
consuming your own weed is subject to federal regulation on
interstate commerce grounds.
Don't worry though, Obama will support the feds holding off on the
raids if the marijuana is approved by the FDA. FDA approved
marijuana will soon be legal in medical marijuana states as soon a
sObama is elected, keeps his vague promises, and the FDA gets
around to approving med MJ as safe and effective.In other words,
NEVER !!!
MJ Troll|8.5.08 @ 9:58PM|#
The United Nations applauded the US Supreme Court's decision to keep medical marijuana illegal under federal law. If you want legal marijuana you might consider following the John Birch Society's campaign to Get US out of the United Nations! We are obligated by treaty to keep drugs illegal.This is one reason why liberal internationalists will never permit legal medical marijuana .
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 10:01PM|#
I am not a member of the JBS but I do support getting the United States out of the United Nations.
|8.5.08 @ 10:05PM|#
I am a nonviolent person but I am beginning to think the only way to "stop this shit" involves forceful means.
|8.5.08 @ 10:08PM|#
Look kiddies at the John Birch Society.
How can u get the US out of a building in the middle of
Midtown Manhattan?
Do u really think the United Nations is not the United
States?
Tell me, how many brown 'pickup truck drivin' americans would have
any respect for the UN if it was in China?
|8.5.08 @ 10:15PM|#
Charlie Lynch is my son and my heart is truly saddened at the
verdict of the jury. I continue to have faith that all will be
well. Charlie is a good man that operated his dispensary in good
faith and according to the laws of California. For those of you
that have an opinion otherwise, that is your choice, for those of
you that believe in Charlie Your continued support is appreciated,
and if you are in a position to donate to Charlie's cause, that
also would be appreciated. To donate, please visit
www.friendsofccl.com. My email is bodinejones@excite.com. For those
of you that agree with the verdict, shame on you.
I remain, Proud and Loving mother of Charles C Lynch
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 10:16PM|#
"Do u really think the United Nations is not the United
States?"
Yes, I do. While I certainly agree the U.S. Government is both
corrupt and inept, the United Nations makes the U.S. Government
look benign. Watch Hotel Rwanda sometime and you will see the
difference between the United Nations and The United States. Have a
box of Kleenex handy - that movie would make even a battle-hardened
marine cry.
Robert Goodman|8.5.08 @ 10:17PM|#
I hung a jury in a federal narcotics trial. It ain't hard. And it's fun to fool people. It's especially fun to have judges & prosecutors by the balls knowing there's nothing they can do about you.
perilisk|8.5.08 @ 10:22PM|#
Wait, do you really need to -lie- to a federal prosecutor? If he
specifically asks if you can convict based on the facts of federal
law, ignoring state law, feel free to say "yes". After all, most of
us libertarians believe the facts of federal law are that Congress
is not empowered to regulate the trade of controlled substances,
with the possible exception of those trades that involve
international or interstate trafficking, regardless of the Supreme
Court's reprehensible and tortured reasoning in Raich.
If the prosecution elects not to show (or cannot show) that the
defendant did engage in interstate/international drug commerce,
then we vote not guilty on grounds that the Congressional law is
not constitutional, being overly broad. If he demands our
reasoning, he can't say we perjured ourselves, because state law
never entered into that decision.
|8.5.08 @ 10:27PM|#
You guys do know that a hung jury doesn't mean the accused goes free, right? If there's one thing we've seen from prosecutors in drug cases, it's that if at first they don't succeed, try, try again.
Ironic|8.5.08 @ 10:35PM|#
Yes, Mrs. Jones. My thoughts are with you and your son. This is a sad day.
Elemenope|8.5.08 @ 10:48PM|#
Well, what California should do here is make it illegal to
interfere in the conduct of the business of a legal marijuana
clinic, and then arrest federal law enforcement agents, US
attorneys and judges who so interfere.
Fluffy, I've been wondering why they don't do that for a long
fucking time. And California is *the state* to do it; big, ornery,
quixotic, and unpredictable as they are.
|8.5.08 @ 10:50PM|#
He followed all state laws and the United States COnsitution
does not grant Congress or the president the power to ban such a
product unless it crosses state lines. It did not.
The Feds have this power thanks to this little doozy
of a decision, which you'll see pimped hardcore in
Raich.
Next time some "progressive" talks up what a great "liberal" FDR
was, you can feel free to throw this and Korematsu back in
his smug freakin' face.
Fluffy, I've been wondering why they don't do that for a long
fucking time. And California is *the state* to do it; big, ornery,
quixotic, and unpredictable as they are.
Because when it's all said and done and the shit hit the fan, the
States handed over their authority over their respective National
Guards a loooong time ago.
The Bearded Hobbit|8.5.08 @ 11:03PM|#
There's only one good possibility to come out of this
verdict: That its manifest injustice and stupidity and inhumanity
(to Lynch and his customers) will help spark a long overdue
reaction to the drug war and its punishing toll on individuals and
basic Constitutional rights.
.. I'm holding my breath ..
.. blue-faced Hobbit
|8.6.08 @ 12:37AM|#
The voters of California did a very fine thing by passing the
medical marijuana laws, but it's time to take the next step. We
must not only legalize drugs in Calfornia entirely, we must also
make it a felony for anyone to interfere with a patient trying to
obtain or ingest their medication.
If the feds want to come here and harass sick people, they should
be facing hard time for it.
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 12:40AM|#
Mrs. Jones,
I'm very sorry that you and your family are suffering at the hands
of a power-crazed federal government. Your son was trying to help
people in pain, and I hope that he never doubts that he did the
right thing.
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 12:47AM|#
Lynch was knowingly violating federal law.
Lynch knew he was doing the right thing by helping people who
needed his product. The federal law you allude to is blatantly
unconstitutional, and Mr. Lynch also did the right thing by defying
it.
It took a constitutional amendment to prohibit alcohol, and that
amendment has been repealed. Where do you think the federal
government obtains the power to ban any other drug?
They don't get it from the rule of law, they get it from the
failure of the people to bring them up short when they overstep
their authority.
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 12:57AM|#
That sheriff's an elected official, I take it? So, who's ready
to step up and run against him at the next opportunity?
-jcr
Herbalicous|8.6.08 @ 12:59AM|#
God bless Lynch and his family (and bless Juanita who
desperately needs it for all the hatred she spews on this
blog)
Ways you can help:
~ Protest OCT 6 at 8am at 312 N Spring St Los Angeles (or a federal
building near you)
~ You can educate yourself by going to Lynch's website.
http://www.friendsofccl.com/index.html
~ You can educate yourself about the case by watching this video
and other videos.
http://safeaccessnow.org/blog/?p=110
http://www.friendsofccl.com/Videos.htm
~You can educate yourself by looking at the google searches about
the trial.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=charlie+lynch+trial&btnG=Google+Search
~ You can notify your local & NATIONAL news station about the
event and ask for it to be covered.
~You can donate to Charlies Lynch, if EVERY one who read this
donated a $1 it would make a difference. If you can afford to
donate more do it.
http://www.friendsofccl.com/donate.htm
~You can call or email Charles
http://www.friendsofccl.com/contact.htm
~You can contact the news outlets that have covered the issue and
thank them.
http://www.friendsofccl.com/news.htm
~ You can help by showing up at any and all of these times to show
your support.
~ You can talk to friends and family about the injustice our
justice system causes people.
Please let us know what you are able to do by replying to this
post. Or make suggestions of what others can do. Thank you.
What I did:
~ I donated $5.
~ I contact Local and National news organizations.
~ I emailed Charles and I've gotten responses. He's very
grateful.
~ I went to federal court every day for the last 2 weeks and I plan
to be there on OCT 6 at 8am.
Kolohe|8.6.08 @ 4:43AM|#
That sheriff's an elected official, I take it? So, who's
ready to step up and run against him at the next
opportunity?
It was the feds, right? Wouldn't changing the sheriff be like
adding a rear spoiler to a front wheel drive car?
Mike|8.6.08 @ 7:03AM|#
Maybe all those prophecies about California breaking off into
the Pacific were misinterpreted...
It's time for secession.
|8.6.08 @ 7:53AM|#
This can be filed under: "Why McCain's going to lose." All Obama
has to say is "change" from stupidity like this, and even if the
change is to a lower, more friendly level of stupidity, the sheep
will follow.
JMR
|8.6.08 @ 9:01AM|#
What I think is disgusting is that the defense could not put on
a defense. They couldn't say that he was scrupulously obeying state
laws. So fuck the judge too. Fuck congress.
It'll be interesting to see what the judge has to say at his
judgment and sentencing. On the internet, I just read where Bush
was chiding China on having political prisoners. He shouldn't call
the kettle black.
|8.6.08 @ 9:08AM|#
One of the jurors had this to say.
"I think all of us sometimes choose to hear what we want to
hear," said Meese, a registered nurse from Torrance.
Meese said jurors had a clear sense that Lynch was not an ordinary
street-corner drug dealer, but the fact that he was dispensing
medical marijuana didn't matter under federal law.
"We all felt Mr. Lynch intended well," Meese said. "But under the
parameters we were given for the federal law, we didn't have a
choice."
What a stupid fucking bitch. Yeah, you DID have a choice. This is
why juries are so scary. You get idiots like this that think they
actually have to do what the judge says. A jury of MY peers would
know that they could tell the judge and the state to fuck off.
Stupid bitch.
"he meant well, but he should still go to prison." God, what a
stupid bitch.
|8.6.08 @ 9:37AM|#
The way the controlled substance act is written, because it
cannot be known whether or not the substance crossed state lines,
it is assumed to have crossed state lines. Even if you grow your
own, that just substitutes for buying something that may have
crossed state lines, so it affects the demand for interstate
products and therefore affects interstate commerce.
Marijuana has not been proven safe and effective by the FDA. In
this country, you don't have the right to take anything that is not
approved by the FDA.
There are safer drugs available by proscription for nausia, for
example Phenergan. This is not medicing, this is Cheech and Chong
voodoo.
Alowing the use of marijuana will send the message to youth that
drugs addiction is OK, it is just a stepping stone in the
legalization movement.
We have got to send a clear, concise "No Use" message to Americas
children.
While it is sad he will be going to prison, he did choose to break
the law, a law required by international treaty.
|8.6.08 @ 9:52AM|#
Ask your congresscritter about this. Explain that your note is
going to somebody who will act to end this evil. Follow through on
that promise. If both major party candidates support the status
quo, vote third party.
This is blatantly evil behavior by our government. What has your
representative done to end it?
|8.6.08 @ 9:55AM|#
Ah, the real Juanita, goddess of the internet appears at
last.
Can you imagine...
Me and you together
My hand in your hand
Or even imagine that soft kiss..
Can you Imagine...
The Holidays together
The love we can share
or even imagine the kindness we will share...
Can you imagine...
All of this
All of the joy
Or if you can't imagine this then we weren't Meant to be...
red green|8.6.08 @ 10:10AM|#
There should be no "controlled substances" in the first place.Regulated ,yes but "controlled",no. The FDA is being held hostage by the White House ONDCP/DEA. We already have a federal drug regulator, why would we need further"controlling"? The only answer is, society must like being "controlled", right? Many must fall in the good cause.
|8.6.08 @ 10:25AM|#
I did a quick look-see of the news sites this morning. Lots of
stories about Paris Hilton's rebuttal to elder in chief McCain but
not one story about the poor guy who is going to get ass fucked for
his humanity.
And some of you chided that Niel Postman's Amusing Ourselves to
Death was wrong. I think this is a good indication that Postman was
right.
|8.6.08 @ 10:26AM|#
Ah Juanita,
There's just not enough cages are there? The "Land of the Free"
incarcerates more people than any other country in the world (yay,
we win!), and a large portion of it has to do with a substance as
toxic as coffee and chocolate (Johns Hopkins 2006).
Why tax and regulate when we can build more cages, which will need
more hotels, restaurants, and superstores for those working and
visiting the cages? Talk about interstate commerce!
Oh, then there's the poor victimized children in all of this. Maybe
we could build them all large plastic bubbles to live in so that
parents wouldn't actually have to educate their children. Why
educate when you can legislate and build more cages!
Say it with me Juanita: "Save the children! Build more cages!"
|8.6.08 @ 10:32AM|#
"addict"...interesting choice of words, Juanita. We wouldn't happen to be part of the 12-step,it's all a disease, Puritanism wasn't all that bad train of thought, would we?
|8.6.08 @ 10:50AM|#
"addict"...interesting choice of words, Juanita.
Use of illegal drugs is addiction. If your need for them is so
strong that you need to break the law then you are an addict, and
are in need of some punishment to cure your disease.
There should be no "controlled substances" in the first
place.
So should we all take pot? Should kids be on the pot? Should we put
crack vending machines in kindergarden?
Do you really want to live in a world where everyone is on drugs,
including surgeons and airline pilots? That is why dangerous drugs
must be controlled. It has always been that way, and always will
be, grow up and get used to it.
Congress determined in 1971 that marijuana had no currently
accepted medical use, was dangerous, and had a big potential for
abuse. This is why it is a controlled substance.
There's just not enough cages are there? The "Land of the Free"
incarcerates more people than any other country in the world (yay,
we win!)
Too many people are on the drugs, freedom is drug free. People on
the pot are in need of some SEVERE PUNISHMENT!
LET FREEDOM RING!
|8.6.08 @ 11:00AM|#
Jaunita...sounds like someone is a card carrying member of the recovery-industrial-complex. Inpatient or outpatient?
|8.6.08 @ 11:15AM|#
Juanita,
You're right, we should all just stick to the Oxyontin. No surgeons
or airline pilots using that stuff. Not addictive at all AND legal!
No money to be made there to be sure.
I think you've had too much of the alcohol (more toxic and
addictive, but who's paying attention), you're missing a few
critical thinking brain cells. You should probably actually
research a substance before condemning it (Johns Hopkins 2006).
Lots of big words in the study though...
Ah, but you're just a tad too high on "freedom"
(self-righteousness?) to do that I suppose.
Your Humble Disciple
|8.6.08 @ 11:17AM|#
My darling Juanita, why do torment me so? Surely my love desrves
acknowledgement and reciprocation.
I want to say I love you on your birthday,
Though love is something you don't want from me.
Things didn't go so well when I last said it,
And so I'll keep it silent in my heart.
But how the words reverberate within me!
A song that I must struggle not to sing,
A music I must dance to without motion,
A poem that I must never read aloud.
Your wishes are a wall I would not scale,
Yet won't abandon, loathe to leave behind.
I cannot have, and cannot bear to lose you,
And so I send you this in my despair.
|8.6.08 @ 11:46AM|#
"Alowing the use of marijuana will send the message to youth
that drugs addiction is OK, it is just a stepping stone in the
legalization movement.
We have got to send a clear, concise "No Use" message to Americas
children. "
Why don't you send that message to your kids and leave me the fuck
out of it?
Jordan|8.6.08 @ 12:23PM|#
Too many people are on the drugs, freedom is drug free. People on the pot are in need of some SEVERE PUNISHMENT!
LET FREEDOM RING!
Seriously, why does everybody respond to Juanita? Her posts are
obvious satire.
|8.6.08 @ 12:31PM|#
"Use of illegal drugs is addiction."
That is one of the dumbest things I have ever read. You have got to
be trolling.
|8.6.08 @ 12:43PM|#
congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce if
there was no marijuana dispensary the addict might buy it out of
state
In other words, supplying medical marijuana helps
reduce crime. Lynch should get a medal.
CUZ KRISTEN|8.6.08 @ 12:50PM|#
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO JUDGE CHARLIE LYNCH. FUCK YOU!!! HE WAS A MAN WHO TOOK A STAND TO DO WHAT HE HAD BEEN LED TO BELIEVE WAS LAW ABIDING. IVE KNOWN CHARLIE LYNCH MY ENTIRE LIFE AND LAST NITE WAS HORRIFIC!! HE NEEDS BIG SUPPORT RIGHT NOW!! SO TAKE A STAND IN WHAT IS RIGHT!!!! LETS FIGHT FOR CHARLIE LYNCH!!!!!!
|8.6.08 @ 1:03PM|#
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO JUDGE CHARLIE LYNCH. FUCK
YOU!!!
He is also a criminal. If you don't want to do the time, don't do
the crime. Period, end of discussion.
|8.6.08 @ 1:22PM|#
Hey I seen thast movie Reefer Maddness and I now how bad pot is
for you bad medicle marijuana users. My momma ussa be a crack
whore; but she never don't do no reefer.... She watch Reefer Madnes
wid all us kids and we all no betta fo sho. Reefer mak you
crazy!!!!
My Daddy is a Fed, momma say, and he nake lots and lots of mony
every two weeks regular to arrest bad pot smokers. Theyt gonna do
the crime they gotta do the time. My brother daddy he work at the
prison, so he make regular mony to watch the pot smokers rot in the
jail.
All iis good.
wat|8.6.08 @ 1:52PM|#
It's too bad that none of these juries have ever heard of "Jury Nullification".
|8.6.08 @ 1:59PM|#
It's too bad that none of these juries have ever heard of
"Jury Nullification".
It could get you imprisoned for contempt of court. You must judge
the criminal based on the facts that are allowed. The government
can override the nullification to preserve their law.
disgusted with the ignorant|8.6.08 @ 2:15PM|#
"Use of illegal drugs is addiction. If your need for them is so
strong that you need to break the law then you are an addict, and
are in need of some punishment to cure your disease."
hahahah oh juanita how ignorant of you to say such things. You must
be on some crazy prescription drugs- DRUGS Juanita...that have
clouded your brain! Should all patients be punished for becoming
addicted to these so-called 'legal drugs' prescribed to them as
well?
"So should we all take pot? Should kids be on the pot? Should we
put crack vending machines in kindergarden?"
Juanita..wow, you are right the kids should be on those other DRUGS
'controlled substances' such as riddilin, oxycontin, xanex &
prozacc. I bet if they had them in school vending machines, not
only kindergarten but all class levels; perhaps this would help to
avoid violence in the schools.
"Do you really want to live in a world where everyone is on drugs,
including surgeons and airline pilots? That is why dangerous drugs
must be controlled. It has always been that way, and always will
be, grow up and get used to it."
WAKE UP lady...we already live in a world where everyone is on
drugs. Its called PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION...LOOK IT UP, those are
dangerous drugs. It gotten to the point they have even put our pets
on pills. Where do you live? I think you need to open your eyes,
grow up and do some research.
"Congress determined in 1971 that marijuana had no currently
accepted medical use, was dangerous, and had a big potential for
abuse. This is why it is a controlled substance.
Too many people are on the drugs, freedom is drug free. People on
the pot are in need of some SEVERE PUNISHMENT!
LET FREEDOM RING!"
You have blinders on - take them off and see the truth. You are
scared of the truth. Freedom is not about about being drug free-
its exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
It is MY choice to use medical marijuana- an alternative natural
medicine- rather than be on prescription drugs that are addictive
& cause bodily/organ destruction. That is MY choice- thats
called freedom. No one is pushing you to try a natural medicine,
Don't be intimidated Juanita, it's ok. Answer me this, is Congress
made up of recognized, distinguished, educated doctors???? As far
as I know, they are not. The Government is NOT my doctor nor do
they have a right to tell me what i can or cannot put in my body.
Freedome remember.
Get over your fear Juanita & do your research.There are plenty
of studies that show the medicinal values of cannabis. And if you
look even more, Juanita, there are articles that show that teen use
of marijuana are DOWN in 11 states that recognize its value. Use
Your Freedom & Read & educate yourself.
If you havent noticed- medical marijuana is allowable by law in
California. Where is the freedom??
No need for violence Juanita... Are you teaching your kids to
swear? Eff You.
George Arndt|8.6.08 @ 2:26PM|#
One of the most commonly abused drugs in this Nation is
Oxytocin. But, thats a perfectly legal drug. And now one would call
a doctor or a pharmacist a "pusher" right? And many teens are
having "pharming parties" where the often crush ritalin and other
drugs and snorting them. But, these are "legal" substances,
right?
My mom once worked at a local Lodge and said the hardest drinking,
heaviest smoking and rowdiest group she ever saw there was a
meeting of....DEA agents. A few years ago on 60 Minutes, they did a
report about high level of alcoholism among drug enforcement is sky
high. So, rowdy, heavy smokers and drinkers are in charge of
enforcing this nation's drug policy. Gotta love it..
|8.6.08 @ 2:37PM|#
Very sad (by the way, while it was a criminal prosecution...it is in name alone and is apparent to all of us more reasonable Americans that it was politically motivated and justified), and I agree (based on the 3000 plus cases I've defended in my career as a lawyer) that Justice was not served with this prosecution or conviction. However, despite the remarkable efforts of the defenders, the result is not surprising given the inability to of the defense to get a fair chance to bring in material evidence that would have assisted their case. For example the prosecutions efforts to insure that "sick-looking people" did not get the chance to testify. Based on what I've read and experience in similar matters they were effectively handcuffed from providing the necessary defense to achieve due process. It's not only a sad day for Charlie and his lawyers, family, friends, and community; it is truly a sad day for justice. I'd like to hear more about the voir dire and which jurors were struck for cause.
Get Up Stand Up|8.6.08 @ 2:43PM|#
The guy foolishly defied federal drug control laws...how is any
of this surprising to anyone? You break the law, they come and get
you.
If you don't like this get the federal government to change the
law. As long as the law is the law though, more arrests like this
will happen - so be warned.
I love how people love to act all suprised that this happened and
like the victims in all of this -- yet they won't even call their
representatives in D.C. to try to get this changed.
"Medical" marijuana is a poorly administered scam in California
which does get marijuana into the hands of people it can help with
terminal illness and other conditions.
Its so poorly run that anyone going to a doctor next door to the
dispensory can claim to have "anxiety" and get a
"prescription".
"I stubbed my toe!"
"Ok sir, here's your joint."
Medical marijuana is a righteous cause, but when any shmoe can walk
off the street and get a prescription for it it becomes a joke. It
is just a stop on the road for making marijuana laws difficult to
enforce, similar to the hemp movement. If you can legally grow hemp
the government cant go around spraying any plant that resembles
marijuana, now everyone can grow their own stash without worrying
about "the man" coming to crash their party.
If you want marijuana legalized quite messing around with these
shenanigans and actually do something meaningful to make the drug
war go away. Run for office. Don't buy weed for a month and give
that money as a campaign donation to a candidate who cares. Take
out a newspaper ad -- do anything, but quit acting like the victim
in all of this.
Questioning the drug war is an entirely rational thing to do.
Questioning this arrest is not.
I don't ever see this changing because the marijuana movement is
usually a movement for people with too much time on their hands --
mostly youth. As you get older other things take priority -- jobs,
kids, family obligations, etc.
Youth have rarely known enough about the political system to be
effective. Most don't even bother to vote, so don't expect this to
go away any time soon.
|8.6.08 @ 3:21PM|#
In this country, you don't have the right to take anything
that is not approved by the FDA.
Juanita,
I have the right to ingest anything I care to ingest. My body is my
own, it's not the property of the state. The question at hand is
whether or not the government will forcibly interfere with that
right.
-jcr
disgusted with the ignorant|8.6.08 @ 3:31PM|#
PEOPLE ABUSE EVERYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY-
What about the MILLIONS of underage kids who get their hands on
alcohol????
WAKE UP- you idiot ignorants!
|8.6.08 @ 3:31PM|#
It could get you imprisoned for contempt of court. You must
judge the criminal based on the facts that are allowed. The
government can override the nullification to preserve their
law.
Juanita,
The whole reason we have juries is so that when our liberty is in
jeopardy, it's the people, not the government, that decide whether
a conviction is justified. A jury can
alwaysacquit, even if it makes the judge and the
prosecutor, and sycophantic boot-lickers like you turn blue in the
face.
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 3:36PM|#
Wouldn't changing the sheriff be like adding a rear spoiler
to a front wheel drive car?
This sheriff invited the feds to come and raid Lynch's business. He
actively aided and abetted violations of California law by federal
agents.
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 3:42PM|#
Spotted in the comments on another blog:
"We recognize, as appellants urge, the undisputed power of the jury
to acquit, even if its verdict is contrary to the law as given by
the judge, and contrary to the evidence. This is a power that must
exist as long as we adhere to the general verdict in criminal
cases, for the courts cannot search the minds of the jurors to find
the basis upon which they judge. If the jury feels that the law
under which the defendant is accused, is unjust, or that exigent
circumstances justified the actions of the accused, or for any
reason which appeals to their logic of passion, the jury has the
power to acquit, and the courts must abide by that decision. (US vs
Moylan, 417 F 2d 1002, 1006 (1969))."
So, Juanita, you tragic little apparatchik, you are WRONG about the
power of juries.
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 3:48PM|#
I live in Nevada which is a medical marijuana state ( THANK GOD!
) and the voters. We don't have state legal dispensaries here; but
each patient grows their own or small groups of patients coop, take
care of each other and without much money being exchanged. We legal
Nevada patients have no problems with either local law enforcement
or the Feds. I'm sure the problem in California stems from the
localization of distribution from the dispensaries, large demand
and the necessity of funneling large amounts of cash back to the
growers to cover expenses, etc. I've heard that the $2,000K they're
saying Lynch had was gross sales without consideration for even the
direct cost of those sales. Well that's a lot of money to funnel
through one guy, so that's the rub. Doesn't a whale only get
harpooned when he surfaces? If these guys running the dispensaries
want to keep it going they are going to have to become Mother
Meressa's for awhile, lower their prices and build good will and
don't dazzle the Feds with all the $$$$$. It's the money that
always screws things up, not a wonderful little flowering plant
given to us by Mother Nature and taken away by Randolph
Hearst.
Peace and love
D
|8.6.08 @ 4:42PM|#
It's time for jurors to simply refuse to return guilty verdicts
for pot "crimes", regardless of the evidence offered.
What's stopping them from doing this?
Kim|8.6.08 @ 4:47PM|#
"It's time for jurors to simply refuse to return guilty verdicts
for pot "crimes", regardless of the evidence offered.
What's stopping them from doing this?"
Simply stated. Not enough education & too much intimidation;
such as by the prosecution in this case.
|8.6.08 @ 5:00PM|#
It's time for jurors to simply refuse to return guilty
verdicts for pot "crimes",
More to the point, jurors should vote according to their
conscience. Whether the law is just or not, whether the defendant
is a good person or a bad person, the question before the jury is
"did this person do what he's accused of beyond a reasonable
doubt and if so, is it right to punish the defendant for
this particular instance ?
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 5:02PM|#
Jurors CANNOT be punished by their verdicts.
If they don't follow the evidence allowed thy can. How else can the
government ensure convictions?
I have the right to ingest anything I care to
ingest.
Uh, no you don't, you need a prescription, which requires FDA
approval.
My body is my own, it's not the property of the
state.
Yes it is because they pay for your health care thru
medicaid/medicare.
|8.6.08 @ 5:04PM|#
PEOPLE ABUSE EVERYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY-
What about the MILLIONS of underage kids who get their hands on
alcohol????
A little alcohol is harmless if you are 21 or older, but we
certainly don't want them messing up their health and killing their
brain with the pot.
disgusted by ignorance|8.6.08 @ 5:16PM|#
""A little alcohol is harmless if you are 21 or older""
Are you serious?? Do you know what constitutes as a little? I'm
sure it differs to many people.alcohol
You would rather the underage kill themselves or someone else by
drinking & driving.
Ingesting alcohol to the point of poisoning, where their stomachs
must be pumped.
Passing out & puking is your body letting you know it cannot
take anymore. YOU CAN DIE.
Oh Wait--all this doesn't only happen to underage drinkers but also
those "21 & over"
harmless you say?
""but we certainly don't want them messing up their health and
killing their brain with the pot.""
Over consumption of marijuana will put you to sleep.
You are a sheep Juanita- Keep believe whatever you are told by this
government that grants you this freedom you believe you have. The
only pot that kills brains is the one beating you over the
head!
cls|8.6.08 @ 5:23PM|#
People like Jaunita (assuming their stance is genuine) is the problem. A person who is devote in the letter of the law but not the spirit. If we follow each and every letter, every person among us is a criminal. Is it just? Absolutely not. It is control and authority.
|8.6.08 @ 6:16PM|#
Boy, oh boy, this "Juanita" person is a really terrible troll -- no intelligent person should think that way. Please just ignore.
Pin|8.6.08 @ 6:30PM|#
Juanita is either a straw dog or the dismal product of the
government taking control of "family values." How did we let these
control freaks get ahold of our freedom? They took it one day at a
time by making our grandparents afraid of the killer weed I guess.
Untrue, racist propaganda about mj by liars took our freedom.
I write my congressman all the time to remind him of the immoral
history of federal mj prohibition. Everybody do your research and
do the same.
I'd like to say Juanita is from Stepford; but I'm afraid she's from
"Anytown, USA"
|8.6.08 @ 6:37PM|#
My body is my own, it's not the property of the state.
Yes it is because they pay for your health care thru
medicaid/medicare
Ok, I have to admit that I thought Juanita was for real. It's
obviously someone playing the fool for rhetorical reasons. No
actual person could be such an idiot as to claim that the state
owns my body.
-jcr
|8.6.08 @ 7:16PM|#
when is everyone gonna wise up, buy a gun, and march on washington???? 1-10 million angry motherfuckers with guns can get shit changed quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Ironic|8.6.08 @ 9:12PM|#
"Yes it is because they pay for your health care thru
medicaid/medicare."
I do not lose my right to control my body because the right to
control my healthcare is violated.
Ironic|8.6.08 @ 9:14PM|#
"LET FREEDOM RING!!!
FREEDOM MEANS OBEY THE LAW."
Oh, Juanita, George Orwell would be so proud.
Ironic|8.6.08 @ 9:29PM|#
Juanita from the past:
"Juanita | February 18, 2008, 9:27am | #
Fighter pilots are not criminals or addicts because they get drugs
from the government, which means those drugs are safe and effective
to use. Alcohol is safe because it is legal. Xanax and speed are
okay as long as the government gives you permission to use them but
if you use them the wrong way even once you are an addict and a
criminal and both you and your doctor should go to jail."
In other words, if the government legalized marijauna then it will
be OK because it is legal. Right Juanita?
|8.6.08 @ 9:30PM|#
What a JOKE. No wonder the US is the laughing stalk of the
entire world. Its no surprise. Kangaroo courts and kangaroo
judges.
Jt
http://www.FireMe.To/udi
joe|8.6.08 @ 9:36PM|#
while this is obviously a failure of federal law and overzealous prosecutors, it is even more so a failure of the jury system. the jury had the right to aquit this guy, but most likely because they were ill informed or ignorant they gave up that right and failed this young man.
|8.7.08 @ 12:10AM|#
But wait...isn't it a fact that there is still a federal medical marijuana program where the participants receive pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes (other wise know as joints) from Uncle Sam and the marijuana labs at Ole Miss! If so, then Charlie was only legally wrong in the most technical sence and not morally wrong. Right Juanita?
|8.7.08 @ 1:45AM|#
California is a perfect venue for the feds to run roughshod over. California as a whole supports big government, and the state is hopelessly addicted to Federal Money. So, why is this called progressive and Liberal?
Yahoo Answerer|8.7.08 @ 8:33PM|#
"So, why is this called progressive and Liberal?"
It is not classical liberal certainly but it is Ted Kennedy
Liberal. Progressive is just an auto insurance company. I am not
sure what any of this has to do with auto insurance.
red green|8.8.08 @ 9:41AM|#
Where is the Gubernator? The buck stops at his desk, on this federal invasion of the State of California. Re-Legalize and Regulate Everything-For Freedom! You know,like it used to be.
|10.13.09 @ 2:28PM|#
He needed to go to prison ripping people off like that!! Self
centered bastard! He was happy charging $70 an 1/8th. You can't
get low cost medicine it's retarded. That shit doesn't even get
you stoned!! They just want money!! Duhhhh Now he will be fucked
in the ass all day because he was trying to help the
handicaped-SURE. They need the dispensary to be operated by
police or government= not some idiot!! If they know it is illegal
why do it=FOR THE MONEY. I grow my own for free!!
WHY PUT YOUR NAME ON A LIST!!Duhhhh
|10.13.09 @ 2:32PM|#
We should shoot all the dispensary owners in the head. Those
fucks are going to ruin it for ALL!!
People are paranoid about their electric bill? What about the
cops watching you go into the dispensary.DUHHH
|11.19.09 @ 3:14AM|#
Remember he was selling to people under 21. And carry large
amounts of cash. sure he was reporting it. can you not read we
must all follow the rules if want this to go further. if not back
Pirates NOT PATIENTS.. My group im starting is Patients against
Profiteers
Sincerly patient in michigan watching so many try to deystroy the
the baby remember only 11 states have passed it were not a
majority but thanks to the pres to keep feds out of state
business . Now lets use our heads people and patients.
Blessings to all Let there be thought before actions or
mouths!!!!
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