'I have a moral obligation to make my wife as comfortable as possible': 66-year-old man arrested for growing marijuana for his sick wife



Drug trafficker: 66-year-old Frank Dennis Peters is being charged with drug trafficking for growing marijuana in his backyard for his ailing wife. He faces up to 10 years in prison

Frank Dennis Peters, a 66-year-old man in Bluffton, South Carolina was arrested earlier this week and charged with marijuana trafficking.



Peters had been growing marijuana at his house for use by this wife, who suffers from many medical conditions including fibromyalgia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.



The drug helps comfort his ailing wife of 40 years, by increasing her appetite and helping her to fall asleep.



'I have a moral obligation to make my wife as comfortable as possible,' Peters told The State .



According to Sgt. Robin McIntosh, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office received a tip from Peters neighbors who said that there was marijuana growing in Peters' backyard.



But Peters believes it was a recent guest at a party who saw the plants and reported him, and his neighbors have always known about the marijuana.



On May 30 investigators found more than 137 marijuana plants growing in pots in Peters' backyard.



When they showed up, Peters made them coffee and asked for time to arrange a caregiver before voluntarily turning himself in - which he did on June 11.



He was released the same day from the Beaufort County Detention Center on his own recognizance.



His charge of trafficking marijuana could land him up to 10 years behind bars, despite the fact that medical marijuana is began in South Carolina.



But because marijuana is outlawed by the federal government, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has never actually distributed it.



Without her husband, Peters wife would need another primary caretaker, as she rarely leaves the house due to her illnesses and can't be left alone for more than a few hours because of the treatments she requires.

Primary caretaker: Peters was his wife's primary caretaker. She rarely leaves the house due to her conditions and requires near-constant help



