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UID:Indybay-18585776
SEQUENCE:18632107
CREATED:20090403T202900Z
DESCRIPTION:Medical Marijuana Provider to be Federally Sentenced in LA April 
 30th\n\nCharles C. Lynch, victim of outdated federal policy, seeks 
 time-served sentence\n\nLos Angeles, CA -- Morro Bay medical marijuana 
 provider, Charles C. Lynch, 46, who operated a city and state-sanctioned 
 dispensary for qualified patients and their primary caregivers will be 
 sentenced in federal court Thursday, April 30th. 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.\n\n"Mr. Lynch is a victim of an outdated federal approach 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.\n\nBefore 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.\n\nDuring 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.\n\nSince 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."\n\nInterviews with Charles C. Lynch and his 
 attorneys will follow the sentencing hearing at U.S. District Court, 312 
 North Spring Street, Courtroom 10, Los Angeles.\n\nFor further 
 information:\nCharles C. Lynch Interview with John Stossel: 
 http://www.friendsofccl.com/johnstossel.htm\nDrew Carey/Reason TV 
 documentary on Lynch: http://reason.tv/video/show/413.html\nPicture of 
 Lynch at Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony for his dispensary: 
 http://safeaccessnow.org/img/original/Lynch_Photo.jpg\nFriends of Charles 
 C. Lynch website: http://www.friendsofccl.com\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/04/03/18585776.php
SUMMARY:Medical Marijuana Court Date: Charles Lynch
LOCATION:Los Angeles Federal Court, 312 N. Spring Street, Courtroom 10
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/04/03/18585776.php
DTSTART:20090430T173000Z
DTEND:20090430T173000Z
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