This is a subject matter that I have wanted to blog about for quite some time now. Jury Nullification consists of a jury rendering a not-guilty plea even though there is evidence to show the defendant is guilty of the crime. A jury engaged in jury nullification is not disobeying or breaking any law, or doing anything morally incorrect, they are simply saying they do not wish to apply the law as it is written/interpreted in that specific instance.

Most folks don't really understand what a Jurys job truly is. A jury's true job is not to enforce law or judge another, it is a check in the checks and balances built into the judicial system by our forefathers to ensure that our government is not taking advantage of its citizens. Again, the primary focus of a jury is to ensure that the government is not overstepping their bounds when it comes to their attempts to prosecute a citizen of our great country for something considered law. A more detailed explaination of Jury Nullifcation can be found on Wikipedia, I highly recommend you educate your self outside of wikipedia as well regarding this an all subject matters.

The point I wanted to make with regards to jury nullification and medicinal cannabis is rather simple. While we have a medical cannabis law here in Montana it is vague and contains areas of debate. This "grayness" of the act as some like to refer to it creates confusion for all parties involved. Therefore it is assumed that all parties will stumble and make mistakes during the initial period of growth. When a caregiver stumbles the police are ready and waiting, occassionally those arrests are not valid or have legitimate reasons. In these situations it is up to the jury to determine the validity of the reasons and if applicable find the defendant not-guilty even though there is overwhelming evidence against them. The simple fact is the law is vague and can be interpreted to either side of the line. The simple act of listening and applying compasion on the part of a jury is truly all it takes to discern if the defendant is worthy of the charges being brough upon them.

Know your rights, question authority and ALWAYS think for yourself, grapevine perception isn't all it is cracked up to be!

Google "cannabis jury nullification".