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by Vanessa Nelson (Author)
In 2003 former "High Times" columnist Ed Rosenthal was convicted for growing and distributing medical marijuana, an activity legal under California law, but illegal under federal law. The jurors, who were prevented from hearing about California law, staged a revolt after learning that they had convicted a medical grower. Their public outrage matched the response of the activist community and pressured the judge into handing down a remarkably light sentence of just one day in jail, time Ed had already served. Coming 4 years after the original guilty verdict, the re-trial packs a heavier punch than ever before. During repeated outbursts in the courtroom, the loquacious defendant alternately ridicules his prosecutor and demands that his judge step down from the bench. The bombast becomes infectious, and soon everyone is speaking his mind in court, from outraged prospective jurors to righteous witnesses who refuse to testify. By the end, even the defense attorneys are threatened with jail time for contempt
