Truth in Trials

Reps. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) are introducing the Truth in Trials Act, a bill to "end the federal government's gag on medical marijuana defendants in court." According to the Marijuana Policy Project, "By providing an affirmative defense to federal marijuana charges, this bill would not only ensure that defendants could introduce evidence about the medical aspect of their marijuana-related activity, but would also keep them from being sent to federal prison if it is determined that they were acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws."

The hope is to avoid any reruns of the Ed Rosenthal case, in which a man who was growing medicinal weed with the cooperation of local authorities was nonetheless brought up on federal charges. In the trial that followed, the judge refused to allow any testimony about why and under whose auspices Rosenthal was producing the pot. In an unusual move, several members of the jury subsequently apologized for finding him guilty and requested a new trial.