Reason Foundation

Recent Research and Commentary

Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner Charles Lynch Discusses His Prison Sentence

Lynch sentenced to one year and one day in prison; Lynch will appeal

June 12, 2009

Update: Reason.tv video of Charlie Lynch, his family and attorneys discussing the sentence he received:

The Associated Press reports:

 A federal judge in Los Angeles has sentenced a medical marijuana dispensary owner to a year and a day in prison in one of the nation's first such cases since the Obama administration adjusted its pot policy.

U.S. District Judge George Wu on Thursday found that the case of 47-year-old Charles Lynch merited an exception to the mandatory minimum five-year sentence that guidelines called for.

Lynch was convicted of five marijuana-related offenses last year for running a medical marijuana dispensary collective in San Luis Obispo County.

He sought leniency after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced earlier this year that federal agents will now target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state laws.

Reason.tv's Drew Carey first told Lynch's story a year ago. Lynch owned and operated a medical marijuana dispensary that was completely legal under state and local laws. He also had the support of the town's mayor and sheriff. But federal authorities ignored California's laws and prosecuted Lynch under federal drug laws. The jury that convicted Lynch wasn't even allowed to know that he was legally providing medical marijuana only to patients with prescriptions from their doctors. Reason.tv's newest video recaps Lynch's situation and features interview footage with one of the jurors. The video was produced in collaboration with Everloving Records and features Chris Darrow’s song “Whipping Boy.”

Reason.tv's Drew Carey Tells Charlie Lynch's Story

Marijuana Arrests Fall in Denver After Ballot Initiative

February 10, 2009, 10:00am

Adrian Moore

Prosecutions of adults for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana dropped by a fifth in Denver last year, following the passage of a November 2007 ballot initiative that instructed city officials to make such cases their "lowest law enforcement priority."

The Drug War's Collateral Damage

Drug prohibition militarizes our police, enriches our enemies, undermines our laws, and condemns our sick to suffering.

January 23, 2009

Radley Balko

Culture11 asked me to write a piece outlining the drug war’s collateral damage. That’s a tall order. The drug war touches nearly every area of American life—certainly all facets of U.S. public policy. But here are a few areas where drug prohibition has done the most damage...

Feds Try to Send California Business Owner to Jail for Filling Doctors' Prescriptions

When it comes to medical marijuana, Reason.tv's Drew Carey asks if the government is treating adults like children

June 11, 2008

Reason.tv  host Drew Carey asks, "Are we really helping minors by keeping them from medical marijuana at all costs? Or are we treating their parents like children?"

Drew Carey Defends Medical Marijuana

New Reason.tv video examines the war on drugs and dubious DEA raids on legal medical marijuana dispensaries

November 1, 2007

"I think it's clear by now that the federal government needs to reclassify marijuana. People who need it should be able to get it – safely and easily," says The Price Is Right host Drew Carey in a Reason.tv video examining medical marijuana and the war on drugs.

Study Corrects LAPD Inaccuracies on Medical Marijuana

Think tank urges city to take "sensible approach" in regulating dispensaries

March 20, 2007

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