On Aug. 15, 2002, federal agents raided the California home of Angel Raich. They arrested her, seized six marijuana plants and kicked off the start of what would become a years-long legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court.
Join Fayetteville Technical Community College on March 13 for Legally Unlawful, a public discussion about the events leading to the 2005 Supreme Court case Gonzales v. Raich and the shifting public perception around medical marijuana since its ruling.
Legally Unlawful is the latest presentation in the Living Law Project, a series of discussions focused on significant Supreme Court cases. The series, which is presented with support from the Cumberland County Public Library, features a documentary film and panel discussion.
Legally Unlawful is March 13 in FTCC’s Tony Rand Student Center, located at 2220 Hull Road. Free refreshments will be served starting at noon, and the film starts at 1 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public.
Raich had been using homegrown marijuana under the California’s Compassionate Use Act, which was passed in 1996 and allowed the state’s residents to access the drug for medical use.
However, her possession of homegrown plants violated federal law, placing Raich’s arrest squarely at the intersection of medical marijuana use, federal controlled substance laws and interstate commerce regulations.
This year’s panelists include experts from the legal, law enforcement and medical fields.
- Hon. James F. Ammons Jr., Senior Resident Superior Court Judge
- John Lesica, MD; Chief of Child and Behavioral Health Services, Womack Army Medical Center
- Rakesh Gupta, MD FACG; Gastroenterologist, Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Major Terry Ray (ret.), Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office
- Alexandra Robinson, Ph.D. student, Department of Public Policy, UNC Chapel Hill
Learn more about the Living Law Project and RSVP for Legally Unlawful.