A Franklin County man answered his door to receive a delivery, only to be arrested on drug charges later that day.



Inside the two packages were 10 pounds of leafy green vegetation that Franklin County detectives identified as high-grade marijuana while executing a search warrant, according to an obtained arrest affidavit.



The marijuana was addressed to the �Rugg family,� and accepted Oct. 29, 2015, by Terry Lynn Rugg, 64, Ottawa, a retired science teacher who is battling multiple cancer diagnoses.



Rugg now is charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia � which are all felonies � after he was arrested Oct. 29, 2015.



He is scheduled to appear with his attorney, John Boyd, for a third status conference 9 a.m. Monday in Franklin County District Court, 301 S. Main St., Ottawa.



�If he goes to prison, he would likely die in prison,� Boyd said about Rugg�s diagnoses of thyroid, bladder and urethral cancer.



Boyd said he plans to provide the Franklin County Attorney�s Office with Rugg�s medical history, in the hopes of a plea agreement.



The arrest affidavit written Oct. 30, 2015, by a Franklin County detective details allegations, but not facts, from an interview with Rugg that led law enforcement to believe he was selling marijuana from his home in the 2100 block of Sand Creek Road.



Postal inspectors in California and Kansas City first deemed the packages sent from Oakland, California, suspicious, and conducted a controlled delivery to Rugg�s residence, according to the arrest affidavit.



When it was dropped off, the postal inspector said Rugg said, �you saved my life.�



Boyd said Rugg recalls thanking the mail carrier for saving him a trip to the post office.



Rugg was visited by law enforcement later that day, who said they smelled burnt marijuana coming from inside the home.



Rugg said he has been using and growing marijuana for 15 years, which Boyd said helps him combat the affects of chemotherapy as well as a recent relapse and surgery.



On his front porch, Rugg told detectives his son-in-law who runs a marijuana dispensary in California, or someone who works there, could have shipped the packages to his address. He said someone he did not know from the Kansas City area was supposed to pick up the delivery, according to the arrest affidavit.



However, Boyd said Rugg does not order marijuana through the mail and was only guessing who sent it. Boyd also said Rugg does not sell the drug.



More marijuana was discovered on the property, including 10 pounds of dried marijuana plants along with processed marijuana inside and 10 dying marijuana plants behind an outbuilding. Inside the high-powered lighted and ventilated outbuilding were 50 small dead plants, according to the arrest affidavit.



Rugg told detectives his health had prevented him from harvesting all the plants, so he let them die.



A weighing scale, several marijuana pipes and water bongs, plastic baggies, cash and 12 firearms were also found on the property, the arrest affidavit said.



Boyd said the appearance of the inactive operation is consistent with home grown and his client experiments with different strains to find out which is most effective in treating his illnesses.



Up to 22 pounds of marijuana were seized, according to the arrest affidavit, which has an estimated street value of $150,000. Boyd said the amount of marijuana could be worth one year of treatment for Rugg.



Marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes is illegal in Kansas.



Boyd said Rugg has obstained from using marijuana, but has contacted a doctor in Colorado, who could not provide medical marijuana across state lines.



Boyd said a resolution might be Rugg retires in the western state, where marijuana is legal.



Amelia Arvesen is a Herald staff writer. Email her at aarvesen@ottawaherald.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AmeliaArvesen.