Life in Prison for Growing Medical Marijuana? (protest tomorrow 8am Denver)

it is almost darwin award worthy.

JACE LARSON, THE SCUM WHO TIPPED OFF THE DEA FOR RATINGS, set this guy up. He was an idiot for going on camera, and Jace preyed upon that fact.

Five years seems like a pretty good outcome.

from Chris Bartkowicz, Highlands Ranch marijuana grower likely to plead guilty at Thursday hearing - Denver News - The Latest Word

Update: Since the original version of this post went live at 1:15 p.m. today, I've had a chance to speak at greater length with Joseph Saint-Veltri, attorney for Highlands Ranch's Chris Bartkowicz, who faces federal marijuana cultivation charges in relation to a home grow he showed off to a 9News reporter earlier this year. He confirms a guilty plea in exchange for a stipulated sentence of sixty months, or five years.

Saint-Veltri stresses that Judge Philip Brimmer must sign off on the agreement in order for it to move forward. As for the decision to reach such a compromise with prosecutors, he says Brimmer's decision to nix a medical-marijuana defense at a September hearing made moving forward all but impossible.

"The trial would have proceeded based on the court's rulings -- as if Amendment 20 did not exist," he says, referring to the 2000 measure that legalized MMJ in Colorado. Saint-Veltri offered numerous arguments on Bartkowicz's behalf at the earlier hearing, he continues, "but every one of them was sort of connected to Amendment 20 in some way."

The result would have forced an unfortunate flashback.

"When we did these kinds of cases before Amendment 20, they looked a certain way," he notes. "And this one would have looked the same way."

Look below to read the earlier item:

no, it's not a good outcome. going to jail for 5 years for growing a plant is not a good thing. this deal is the same offer he had before he decided to fight it.

The general public, a/k/a the entire pool from which jurors will be chosen should this case (or the next if this one settles) go to trial, needs to be educated as to the ABSOLUTE right of jurors to exercise jury nullification. The fact that jurors disagree with a particular law, state or federal, is sufficient for them to ignore the foregone conclusion of a guilty verdict in a case like this if the judge's instructions are followed, and come back with a not guilty instead. Jurors do not need to explain their verdict, just go home. Prosecutors, of course, despise this right (ask Laura Kriho), and many will deny it even exists, as will judges, yet it is the very reason the right to a trial by jury is so important to a free society. We have no other defense against an overreaching government(is there any other kind?)when the limitless resources of the government are arrayed against us and, as here, the result is preordained. Judges will not allow defense lawyers to mention the right at trial, let alone educate jurors about it, so potential jurors must know about it before even getting summoned for jury duty. Be strong, brothers and sisters. Do some research and tell ALL your friends.

they ask potential jurors if they've heard of jury nullification, as a disqualifying question..

5 years a good outcome for growing plants to help people? CG420, you really need to look in the mirror.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by copobo

no, it's not a good outcome. going to jail for 5 years for growing a plant is not a good thing. this deal is the same offer he had before he decided to fight it.

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I'd be happy to admit if I'm wrong, but he was facing 60-life if he lost at trial, right? In my personal opinion, 5 years is better than 60-life.

Whatever though, haters gonna hate. Keep on truckin'.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by boulderbud5525

5 years a good outcome for growing plants to help people? CG420, you really need to look in the mirror.

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Stop acting like he was 'helping people'. He was a for-profit 'caregiver' who didn't play by the rules of A20. He was breaking the law, even under A20. I would be careful defending him, because he was illegal. I'm not 'glad' that he got busted, but when you blatantly ignore the law, of course there will be consequences. I'm not wishing a bust on anyone else, him or otherwise. For example, Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion, not anything criminal. Don't you realize that unclesam saw that bartkowitz wasn't paying taxes on the revenue he bragged about making on 9news, and that's why he's where he's at?

When you ask me to 'look in the mirror', are you saying that I'm similar to bartkowitz? Are you suggesting I have firearms, or that I have a large scale grow within 1000 feet of a school? Are you suggesting that I have prior drug related criminal convictions? Why exactly do I need to 'look in the mirror'?

cologrower420-----> "Why exactly do I need to 'look in the mirror'?" to make sure you know what a piece of shit is, that's why.

you deserve to buy your pot on the street or grow it your self if you can.

Who's fucking team are you on?

choke on your chinese roor and die.

I bet your ACE'n your law enforcement class this semester

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HarvestHouse

cologrower420-----> "Why exactly do I need to 'look in the mirror'?" to make sure you know what a piece of shit is, that's why.

you deserve to buy your pot on the street or grow it your self if you can.

Who's fucking team are you on?

choke on your chinese roor and die.

I bet your ACE'n your law enforcement class this semester

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nailed it. :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HarvestHouse

cologrower420-----> "Why exactly do I need to 'look in the mirror'?" to make sure you know what a piece of shit is, that's why.

you deserve to buy your pot on the street or grow it your self if you can.

Who's fucking team are you on?

choke on your chinese roor and die.

I bet your ACE'n your law enforcement class this semester

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Are you still pissed at the methlab comment? Are we still derailing threads from that? It's tiresome making a post to clarify posts that have been deleted, and I don't think the mods appreciate having to repeatedly delete posts when people derail threads, like you're doing here.

I can't think of anything I could have possibly done to you personally. I've been a repeat customer of your business (harvesthouse), I've referred other patients to you as well.

Would you mind clarifying? I could understand the hate from older growers/caregivers like copobo who would be intimidated by people like me who are new to this industry and have large budgets. I'm curious why an MMC would call one of their patients a piece of shit.

I don't show respect to people unless it's earned, and I certainly expect to be treated the same. I have never said I'm anything other than a patient and a new grower. I spent the money to get legal and legit, and I don't have any patience for people who are illegal, and I have made posts the same way. I don't really care that I've somehow upset you, it's more a passing curiosity.

I'm not sure what 'choke on your chinese roor and die.' is, either.

What 'team' are you referring to? I'm a patient and you're a for-profit MMC, right? I'm pretty sure we're both pro-MMJ, but I think that's about all we share. Maybe our efforts to obtain quality medicine or something.

I'm not sure if you're insulting me by accusing me of being law enforcement, but I find it hilarious.