Owner wants police held responsible for destroyed medical marijuana

David Edwards and Adam Doster

Published: Tuesday December 4, 2007



del.icio.us

Print This Email This

The return of marijuana plants to a Colorado couple is being interpreted by some as a milestone in the debate over medical marijuana.

A Colorado District Court Judge ordered police to hand back 39 marijuana plants to James and Lisa Masters more than a year after it was seized from their home. One problem: the plants were dead.

"The Fort Collins police absolutely did not obey the state law," says the Masters' attorney. "The medical marijuana law in Colorado could not be clearer."

The plants were not usable, according to Masters. "This was a bag of marijuana that they had preserved," he says. "Now, it's completely full of mold." The Masters were also returned drug paraphernalia, which was broken.

The Masters contend the plants were worth around $100,000, and they will ask the judge for that much in compensation.

According to CNN, "the new medical marijuana laws put police in a strange position. Seized marijuana plants have to be maintained in their original condition, essentially putting police in the cultivating business."

Masters joked that he could be of assistance if the police asked him. "If they need somebody with experience to help them with it, I would definitely give them advice."

Read more HERE.

This video is from CNN.com, broadcast on December 4, 2007.







