Charles Lynch Sentencing Today

[Payaso]

Courtesy of ASA (Americans for Safe Access)


Monday, March 23rd - Los Angeles: Charles Lynch Sentencing

Los Angeles, CA -- Morro Bay medical marijuana provider, Charles Lynch, 46, who operated a city and state-sanctioned dispensary for qualified patients and their primary caregivers will be sentenced in federal court Monday, March 23rd. Lynch was convicted in August of 2008, without the benefit of a medical marijuana defense, becoming a cause celebre as he stands between the aggressive enforcement actions of the Bush Administration and the change in federal policy that the Obama Administration has repeatedly promised. Lynch has appeared recently on 20/20, on MSNBC, and is the focus of a Reason TV documentary with Drew Carey.

What: Federal sentencing of medical marijuana provider Charles Lynch
When: Monday, March 23, 2009 at 10:30am
Where: Los Angeles Federal Court, 312 N. Spring Street, Courtroom 10
​

"Charles Lynch is a victim of an outdated federal approach to medical marijuana, which has changed under the Obama Administration," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with advocates Americans for Safe Access. "If President Obama is prepared to end federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries, then Lynch certainly deserves a sentence of no more than time served." When indicted in July of 2007, Lynch served four days in federal custody and was released on $400,000 bail. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws indicate that Lynch may serve at least 6 years and could serve as much as 20 years in federal prison.

Before his medical marijuana dispensary was raided by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in March of 2007, Lynch had operated for 11 months without incident, and with the blessing of the Morro Bay City Council, the local Chamber of Commerce, and other community members. Lynch reopened his dispensary Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers, but then closed it after being threatened by the DEA with forfeiture of his property. Two months after the closure of his dispensary, Lynch was indicted and charged with conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and concentrated cannabis, manufacturing (cultivating) more than 100 plants, knowingly maintaining a drug premises, and sales of marijuana to a person under the age of 21.

During his trial, Lynch was prevented from calling to the stand one of his patients in order to refute his charge of selling marijuana to someone under 21. Owen Beck, who was a 17-year old bone cancer survivor at the time of Lynch's indictment, obtained medical marijuana from Lynch accompanied by his parents, a requirement of the Morro Bay business regulations. However, because of the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gonzales v. Raich, federal medical marijuana defendants are prohibited from entering evidence related to medical marijuana or their compliance with local and state laws.

Since the Raich decision, more than a half-dozen federal defendants have been found guilty at trial and sentenced up to 20 years in prison, despite being in compliance with local and state laws. More than two-dozen federal medical marijuana cases are currently being prosecuted. "It's time for the Obama Administration to act on its commitment to change federal medical marijuana policy," continued Elford. "Pending federal cases should be moved to state court where all of the evidence can be heard."

Interviews with Charles Lynch and his attorneys will follow the sentencing hearing at U.S. District Court, 312 North Spring Street, Courtroom 10, Los Angeles.

For further information:
Charles C. Lynch interview with John Stossel: http://www.friendsofccl.com/johnstossel.htmDrew Carey/Reason TV documentary on Lynch: http://reason.tv/video/show/413.html
Picture of Lynch at Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony for his dispensary: http://safeaccessnow.org/img/original/Lynch_Photo.jpg
Friends of Charles C. Lynch website: http://www.friendsofccl.com

We should all pay attention to this... the implications for us all as medical growers is very serious.

My prayers are with Mr. Lynch and so many others.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[HerbGlaze]

Read that whole thing, seems very corrupt.. are law system and laws that is.

This man will save more lives then any type of law enforcement.

Good post!

 

[OldTroll]

Background on Charlie Lynch's arrest is here.

 

[Koroz]

Sentence Postponed:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/federal-judge-p.html

A federal judge in Los Angeles this morning postponed the sentencing of a man who emerged as a key figure in the national debate over medical marijuana, saying he wanted additional information about a reported change in the Justice Department’s policy regarding such prosecutions.

U.S. District Court Judge George H. Wu asked prosecutors for a written response from the Justice Department about its position on medical marijuana prosecutions in light of recent comments from Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr.

Holder said last week that the Justice Department under President Obama had no plans to prosecute dispensary owners who operated within their state's law.

Wu said he did not believe that any change in policy would affect the conviction of Charles Lynch, 47. But the judge said he wanted to consider any new information about the policy before imposing sentence

There is still hope for him, albeit small, maybe enough to at least get a lessened sentence.

 

[mj82]

Good to hear the sentence got delayed. Not happy to hear that the judge thinks it wont change his conviction.

His conviction carries a MANDATORY 5 year sentence. So it will be very interesting to see how the obama administration handles this. Very interesting.

This is going to set a huge president. If the Obama administration somehow keeps charles out of prison then it will allow some other medical marijuana related inmates currently in prison to appeal and get set free as well.

 

[Walter White]

Fuck icmag.

 

[Payaso]

Well that's great news about Charles, I hope the judge really thinks hard about this. After all it was the federal prosecutor's influence and pressure on the judge that brought about this travesty of justice in the first place.

Perhaps this might also be good news for Reverend Charles Eddy Lepp? He is facing sentencing on April 6th in the Northern District Federal Court in California.

Not to mention many others that are Victims of the Drug War.

 

[tRuKemist]

Much respect goes to Mr Lynch and Mr Lepp! Hopefully these bullshit convictions will enlighten America to it's drug propaganda!
With all the gray area in the judicial legislation, Obama should pardon them both already! Medical Marijuana advocates are a far cry from hardened criminals! Seriously, this minimum 5 years jail time needs to be reconsidered after the recent statements made by the US Atty. Gen.!

 

[FreedomFGHTR]

! Seriously, this minimum 5 years jail time needs to be reconsidered after the recent statements made by the US Atty. Gen.!

I am thinking that is why the judge is postponing sentencing. He is probably asking the US Attorney General if they will cause a stink if he sentences below the "mandatory minimum".

 

[ThisBuds4You]

Obama himself has invoked Juarez and its violence in order to draw the war and the people's minds to the Mexican border and its violence. Make no mistake, everything Obama told you about ending federal raids was designed to make you vote him into power so that he can continue his war against you and your family. He is chief belligerent in our War on Drugs and we will all be on the losing side. Obama uber alles.

What???

 

[Walter White]

BHO tastes best when it's runny and full of bubbles.

 

[OldTroll]

Gotta watch that DEA. You smoke a form of marijuana that's chemically superior to what we're used to. It's called hydro, they make it in British Columbia up in Canada. These people are tied into the Juarez Cartels and they're coming to kill your family if you fuck up when you're dealing with hydro. The only way you can get protection is if you cooperate with the DEA, Unit 56 out of Jersey. They have the international reach to protect the hyrdro dealers and smokers from the Juarez Seven. I simply find the fact that Obama is considering dispatching the National Guard to Juarez to fight the War on Drugs and the fact that "DEA" is attempting to link these cartels to anyone who is involved with hydroponic marijuana to be vexing when taken in concert. As such I'm prone to saying hilarious things when these issues are involved. Everything about the "Juarez Seven" is in voice-over form or added in post-production interview so I imagine it's a policy initiative.

It's also crazy to be posting in one thread about MA trying to put a big tax on weed when CA's trying to do the same thing, and here we have the wheels of the System crushing all these dudes for going medical. The MA bills don't even talk about medicine, just huge tax rates. It seems insane. How much money does it cost to try medical patients. Up on norml's page right now there's a senator vowing to fight relaxation on medical raids. Which hand washes which.

Do you feel okay?

 

[mj82]

Gotta watch that DEA. You smoke a form of marijuana that's chemically superior to what we're used to. It's called hydro, they make it in British Columbia up in Canada. These people are tied into the Juarez Cartels and they're coming to kill your family if you fuck up when you're dealing with hydro. The only way you can get protection is if you cooperate with the DEA, Unit 56 out of Jersey. They have the international reach to protect the hyrdro dealers and smokers from the Juarez Seven. I simply find the fact that Obama is considering dispatching the National Guard to Juarez to fight the War on Drugs and the fact that "DEA" is attempting to link these cartels to anyone who is involved with hydroponic marijuana to be vexing when taken in concert. As such I'm prone to saying hilarious things when these issues are involved. Everything about the "Juarez Seven" is in voice-over form or added in post-production interview so I imagine it's a policy initiative.

It's also crazy to be posting in one thread about MA trying to put a big tax on weed when CA's trying to do the same thing, and here we have the wheels of the System crushing all these dudes for going medical. The MA bills don't even talk about medicine, just huge tax rates. It seems insane. How much money does it cost to try medical patients. Up on norml's page right now there's a senator vowing to fight relaxation on medical raids. Which hand washes which.

???? Way to ruin a very important thread.


This is a serious issue at hand, we are talking about charles lynch possibly going to prison for life. There is no need to hijack this thread and troll with some random off the topic shit. Show some respect please.

 

[Walter White]

Fuck icmag.

 

[the_man]

sorry i do not understand what you are tyring to say

 

[mj82]

Maybe I should set a good president and be as wise as you. Talk down to me more like we might every one of us not be going to jail for life.

comon dude. stop posting drunk. you are disrespecting charles and his family. Either contribute to the topic or a mod will take care of you.

 

[Blue Dot]

U.S. District Court Judge George H. Wu asked prosecutors for a written response from the Justice Department about its position on medical marijuana prosecutions in light of recent comments from Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr.

FINALLY, we'll get a written policy that will be public record.

 

[mj82]

FINALLY, we'll get a written policy that will be public record.

I didn't think about that. That's awesome!

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

This is huge. Not only will many people be freed, we might be able to force federal decriminalization laws through a court precedent. This will also force pot to be moved off the scedule 1 list.

GREAT THREAD.

 

[kmk420kali]

FINALLY, we'll get a written policy that will be public record.

That would be the turning point of the Legalization Movement!!
But Mr Holden will not do this...Courts will not recognize "Policy" as "Law"--
Don't get me wrong...I am very optimistic about all this...but (On this particular issue) I don't think he will answer-- Hope I am wrong--