Famed California marijuana cultivator Ed Rosenthal's conviction has been overturned due to jury misconduct. Three years ago Rosenthal was originally sentenced to just one day in prison when it was discovered that he was growing hundreds of marijuana plants for the City of Oakland's medical marijuana program. Rosenthal claimed innocence on the grounds that he was immune to prosecution because the plants were for medical use only. Believing the sentence was far too lenient, the federal government sought a two year prison term for Rosenthal. His victory is a boon for the medical marijuana growing community. The government's beliefs that it is an illegal substance, that it has no positive value for treating cancer patients and that California's voters wishes do not affect the federal laws have been severely underscored by Rosenthal's brief sentence.

The jurors who sat on Rosenthal's jury were not allowed to hear his defense. They were unaware that he was growing the pot for medicinal purposes. After the trial was over and the jurors heard of his position, nine of the twelve jurors decried their verdicts.