Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Los Angeles Times - September 13, 2003
The same goes for the smokers and growers of medical marijuana in California, many of them slowed down by AIDS or cancer or even confined to wheelchairs. The state's voters approved medical marijuana use in 1996. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft makes a credible case that some drug abusers wrap themselves in the cloak of "medical" use and that sellers of paraphernalia aid the abuse. Even so, that doesn't justify a heavy-handed federal law enforcement campaign against Chong and other small fry.
Chong most recently had a recurring role on Fox TV's "That '70s Show." With former partner Cheech Marin, he made a handful of silly movies including 1978's "Up in Smoke," and cut numerous Cheech and Chong comedy records of social comment and dope humor. Too bad Chong, 65, evidently didn't know when to leave the past behind him.
It's unlikely that Chong would have received a nine-month prison sentence in California. Federal prosecutors in June had requested a 6 1/2-year sentence for Ed Rosenthal, known as the king of Northern California medical marijuana growers. The presiding district judge gave him one day, time served. Chong's work was displayed last year at a Silver Lake art gallery without any law enforcement interest. But a Chong bong had turned up in Pennsylvania, the headquarters of a Justice Department crackdown on paraphernalia purveyors, so he was sentenced by a federal judge there.
A federal prosecutor in the case acknowledged that Chong, who had no criminal record, "wasn't the biggest supplier [of paraphernalia]. He was a relatively new player. But he had the ability to market products like no other." And to make headlines.
Ashcroft's predecessor, Janet Reno, tried to intimidate doctors who recommended marijuana for pain relief or appetite stimulation. But Ashcroft revived and expanded what amounts to a picayune crusade.
Measured against the war on terror, the crusade is a misuse of resources. The upside is that perhaps it will keep prosecutors too busy to examine library records for seditious reading under the USA Patriot Act.
030913
LT030908
Copyright © 2003 - Los Angeles Times. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Los Angeles Times, Permissions, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. http://www.latimes.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .