MEDICAL POT ARGUMENT WORKS IN KEY WEST

KEY WEST, Fla., Dec. 9 (UPI) _ Harold Baranoff maintains a lifestyle far
different from that of Hollywood's portrayal of a drug dealer's life.

``Ziv,'' as he is known in Key West, Fla., lives in a secondfloor
apartment and rides around town on a rusty tricycle.

Facing charges of marijuana possession and intent to distribute, Baranoff
went to court and argued he only sold drugs to AIDS patients as a medical
necessity.

Circuit Court Judge Richard Payne agreed to hear the defense, ruling
Baranoff did not have a criminal intent in distributing drugs. Payne's
decision prompted Monroe County prosecutors to drop their case.

Advocates for the medical use of marijuana believe it is the first time in
the U.S. a judge has been willing to hear that defense.

Prosecutors dropped the case as part of a plea bargain stemming from
Baranoff's 1995 arrest for marijuana possession when he operated the
Cannabis Buyer's Club across the street from the Monroe County Courthouse.

Baranoff was sentenced to 18 months of probation.