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Jury selection for the Mike Ruggle's marijuana collective trial starts Monday 6/18. Mr. Ruggles turned down a plea deal several months ago in favor of a jury trial, and if I overheard correctly on the coconut wireless party line, he has dismissed his attorneys and will (mostly?) represent himself. This should be confirmed in the courtroom tomorrow morning (if true). I only mention the possibility because should Mr. Ruggles represent himself, it will make an already interesting trial even more so.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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More info on the topic.
http://bigislandnow.com/2018/01/29/inter...ollective/
Interesting the arrest occurred in Sept. 2015--nearly 3 years ago.
Changes in public sentiment on marijuana and also gay marriage represent two of the most amazing shifts in public opinion we have ever seen. In both cases, roughly speaking, support for each of these rose from some 35% to just over 50% in about 15 years.
Indeed according to some graphs here, support for marijuana rose from 34% in 2004 to 58% in 2016.
Marijuana support
What exactly is it that prosectors think they are doing here?? The 3 years have likely more liberalized views on marijuana, if anything. Prosecutors think they are going to win? That's rich.
Good man, Mike. Continue to reject any pleas. Stand up to these A--holes.
And all the old-type prosecutors in Hawaii that tyrannized people for decades on marijuana charges--you're Pau...irrelevant.
Go to your nursing home. Your time is over. The world moves on without you.
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The nerve of Ruggles, stealing business from the legal dispensaries.... oh, wait.
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The jury selection process does allow the jury to be stacked.
An anti med-mj jury could be the one that hears the trial.
The prosecution could possibly make it happen.
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Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.
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Jury selection is scheduled to begin this morning.
Over 150 potential jurors may be called in order to seat 12.
I believe this is a much larger pool than usual. What is the expectation? That too many people are already familiar with details of the case? Or that it will be difficult to find 12 people on the Big Island who don't have a strong opinion about growing marijuana, for or against, which they are unable to set aside for the duration of the trial in order to hear details of the case in an objective manner?
I alternate between thinking of the planet as home — dear and familiar stone hearth and garden — and as a hard land of exile in which we are all sojourners. Today I favor the latter view. The word “sojourner”... invokes a nomadic people’s sense of vagrancy, a praying people’s knowledge of estrangement, a thinking people’s intuition of sharp loss: “For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.” - Annie Dillard
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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quote:
Originally posted by 1voyager1
The jury selection process does allow the jury to be stacked.
An anti med-mj jury could be the one that hears the trial.
The prosecution could possibly make it happen.
Can you explain how? I was under the impression that the 2 sides have the same tools to work with for jury selection. Please excuse my naivety.
Also, assuming the selection process is fair, wouldn't you expect the final jury to reflect similar percentages of pro and against mmj as the general population of this island? If so, it seems like this would favor Ruggles.
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Somewhat related but more for amusement, I spoke with a friend on Oahu today who has a mmj license. He generally grows his own but went into a dispensary over there just to check it out. They had 4 varieties, one of which was shake. That was the extent of their wares. No pens, no oils, no edibles. Nothing other than the 4 varieties. The price? $25 a gram.
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Court appointed attorney assigned to Mr. Ruggles case.
Trial delayed for one year.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Perhaps in a year recreational MJ will be legal, in an attempt to balance the county budget...
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$25 a gram.
Don't forget, Hawaii had to invent a whole new industry from scratch, because regulated medical dispensaries have never been done anywhere else, ever.
Perhaps in a year recreational MJ will be legal, in an attempt to balance the county budget...
State won't let that happen. Even though they do keep all the GET that would be paid on recreational sales, along with most of the TAT that might be generated from "marijuana tourism".
