Rich Paul Is Appealing His 81-Year Prison Sentence for Selling Pot | VICE United States - Harry Cheadle:
May 29, 2013 - "Rich Paul, a pro-marijuana activist in Keene, New Hampshire, who was facing 81 years in prison for selling marijuana ... refused plea-bargain deals (including one that would have let him walk away with no jail time) because he wanted to stand up for his principles — weed is basically harmless and you should be allowed to smoke it and sell it to your friends. 'Somebody had to stand up and say that this is wrong, and I thought I might well be that guy,' Rich emailed me. 'I took the risk and now we'll find out whether I bet my life well.'
Two days after he wrote that, the jury found Rich guilty, sending him to prison for a long, long time for a nonviolent crime.... 'I wasn’t shocked,' Rich admitted to me in a video recorded from jail. 'Jury nullification is a long shot.' Even so, he’s planning on appealing to the New Hampshire Supreme Court on the grounds that the judge misled the jury on what nullification is.
"Last year, New Hampshire adopted a law that allows defense attorneys to speak directly to juries and tell them that they have the right to judge the application of the law, not just the facts; that is, they can decide the law shouldn’t be applied in particular cases."
If his appeal is successful, it’ll set a precedent in New Hampshire that juries have to be informed that nullification is both possible and legal, which would presumably make a huge difference — one of the big hurdles for nullification advocates has historically been educating people about it. In order to make his appeal, Rich has to hire a lawyer, and his supporters have started a fundraising campaign to make that possible."
Read more: http://www.vice.com/read/rich-paul-is-appealing-his-81-year-prison-sentence-for-selling-pot
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May 29, 2013 - "Rich Paul, a pro-marijuana activist in Keene, New Hampshire, who was facing 81 years in prison for selling marijuana ... refused plea-bargain deals (including one that would have let him walk away with no jail time) because he wanted to stand up for his principles — weed is basically harmless and you should be allowed to smoke it and sell it to your friends. 'Somebody had to stand up and say that this is wrong, and I thought I might well be that guy,' Rich emailed me. 'I took the risk and now we'll find out whether I bet my life well.'
Two days after he wrote that, the jury found Rich guilty, sending him to prison for a long, long time for a nonviolent crime.... 'I wasn’t shocked,' Rich admitted to me in a video recorded from jail. 'Jury nullification is a long shot.' Even so, he’s planning on appealing to the New Hampshire Supreme Court on the grounds that the judge misled the jury on what nullification is.
"Last year, New Hampshire adopted a law that allows defense attorneys to speak directly to juries and tell them that they have the right to judge the application of the law, not just the facts; that is, they can decide the law shouldn’t be applied in particular cases."
If his appeal is successful, it’ll set a precedent in New Hampshire that juries have to be informed that nullification is both possible and legal, which would presumably make a huge difference — one of the big hurdles for nullification advocates has historically been educating people about it. In order to make his appeal, Rich has to hire a lawyer, and his supporters have started a fundraising campaign to make that possible."
Read more: http://www.vice.com/read/rich-paul-is-appealing-his-81-year-prison-sentence-for-selling-pot
'via Blog this'
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