'I made a bad choice': Facing charges, York man says he grew 85 pot plants for epilepsy Michael A. Nichols, 38, of York, says he is stricken with epilepsy, a neurological disorder that can cause seizures.

Ted Czech | York Daily Record

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Michael A. Nichols said he decided to farm marijuana plants in his York home out of convenience and for his health, not to break into the highly-competitive drug trafficking market.

Nichols, 38, says he is stricken with epilepsy, a neurological disorder that can cause seizures, and was having difficulty digesting the pills he had been prescribed by his doctor.

So he turned to growing marijuana, in order to extract from it the compound CBD, also known as cannabidiol, which was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. CBD is used to treat epileptic seizures, but does not contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that gets users high.

But on July 9, York City Police paid Nichols a visit at his home in the 700 block of Conewago Avenue and found 85 marijuana plants, in addition to "numerous items of paraphernalia associated with the growing, cultivation, and manufacturing of marijuana," documents state.

READ: Son says he lit Manchester Township home on fire to stop drug dealers' attack, cops say

Now he is looking at a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver drugs and a misdemeanor charge of use/possession of drug paraphernalia, according to charging documents.

Nichols said he knew about the state recently approving the use of medical marijuana — a dispensary was set to open last month in Penn Township — so why didn't Nichols go that route?

More: Medical marijuana dispensary could open as early as August in West Manchester Township

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For one thing, he works long hours, putting in 15-hour days. Then it's come home, walk the dog, make dinner, collapse into sleep. And then do it all over again. He wanted to carve out the time to pursue obtaining marijuana legally, but it hadn't happened yet, Nichols said.

READ: Marijuana group blasts police for chasing Pa. suspect with bulldozer

Nichols said 85 plants sure does sound like a lot for one guy, but he discovered finding the CBD was not as easy as he originally thought. Plants were dying because he wasn't showing them enough love. So he kept growing more.

And he swears he never sold any, but, "I gave a little bit to my roommate," he said. Also, he doesn't need the money, making a solid living with his daytime job, he said.

Still, the law is the law, and he gets that.

"I made a bad choice, man," he said.

Watch: Where does medical marijuana money go? Pennsylvania will gain about $7.9 million from marijuana permit applicants this year.

Contact Ted Czech at 717-771-2033.