The case coincides with a crackdown on sellers of marijuana paraphernalia. Last month, Tommy Chong, half of the 1970s comedy duo Cheech and Chong, pleaded guilty to selling marijuana pipes via the Internet. Chong, 64, who is based in Los Angeles, will be sentenced in September and could face five years in prison.
Sanho Tree, of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, said the prosecutions of Rosenthal and Chong came at a time when other countries, such as Canada, were relaxing marijuana laws
"Ashcroft and the DEA are fighting a culture war, not a drugs war. It smacks of a last, desperate attempt," he said.
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