New Hampshire Jury Acquits Pot-Growing Rastafarian - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Jacob Sullum:
September 24, 2012 - "A few months ago, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed a bill declaring that 'in all criminal proceedings the court shall permit the defense to inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.' Although the new law does not take effect until ... January [2013], a case decided ... in Belknap County illustrates the importance of the nullification power it recognizes. A jury unanimously acquitted Doug Darrell, a 59-year-old Rastafarian charged with marijuana cultivation, after his lawyer, Mark Sisti, argued that a conviction would be unjust in light of the fact that Darrell was growing cannabis for his own religious and medicinal use. More remarkably, Judge James O'Neill instructed the jury that 'even if you find that the State has proven each and every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt, you may still find the defendant not guilty if you have a conscientious feeling that a not guilty verdict would be a fair result in this case.'"
Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/14/new-hampshire-jury-acquits-pot-growing-r
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September 24, 2012 - "A few months ago, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed a bill declaring that 'in all criminal proceedings the court shall permit the defense to inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.' Although the new law does not take effect until ... January [2013], a case decided ... in Belknap County illustrates the importance of the nullification power it recognizes. A jury unanimously acquitted Doug Darrell, a 59-year-old Rastafarian charged with marijuana cultivation, after his lawyer, Mark Sisti, argued that a conviction would be unjust in light of the fact that Darrell was growing cannabis for his own religious and medicinal use. More remarkably, Judge James O'Neill instructed the jury that 'even if you find that the State has proven each and every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt, you may still find the defendant not guilty if you have a conscientious feeling that a not guilty verdict would be a fair result in this case.'"
Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/14/new-hampshire-jury-acquits-pot-growing-r
'via Blog this'
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