A jury in the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County, Florida ruled that Ft.
Lauderdale resident, Jesse Teplicki, was “not guilty” on all criminal charges
surrounding his medical use of marijuana for the treatment of his chronic
anorexia. Michael C. Minardi, partner at the Kelley Kronenberg law firm and
longtime medical marijuana advocate, successfully argued Mr. Teplicki’s medical
necessity defense in front of a jury of his peers. Today’s verdict is
groundbreaking in that it is the first time that the “medical necessity” defense
was successfully argued in a jury trial, since Florida courts established the
defense over 20 years ago.
Florida for Care Executive Director, Ben
Pollara, reacted to the verdict with elation, “This verdict that Mr. Minardi won
for Jesse Teplicki is a game changer on the eve of the start of the 2015
legislative session. Legislative leaders in Tallahassee now have to look at
medical marijuana through the lens of this precedent established by a Florida
jury, in addition to the 58% of Floridians who voted for medical marijuana at
the polls last November.”
He continued, “the medical use of marijuana is
no longer solely a political issue with wide popular support, it is legal
precedent in Florida courts. This ruling should be a message to the legislature
that they should act this session on establishing a medical marijuana system in
our state so that sick and suffering Floridians don’t have to fight in court for
the right to use the medicine recommended by their doctors, as Mr. Teplicki did
today.”
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