In a ruling that centered on the definition of "plant," the Kansas Court of Appeals determined Friday that a Kansas City man shouldn’t have been convicted of cultivating marijuana after police found 29 marijuana clippings in his attic.

On March 1, 2013, Kansas City, Kan., officers knocked on Steven Holsted’s front door after receiving complaints of marijuana odors. He invited the officers inside.

Once inside, they found 2 grams of marijuana, which Holsted admitted was his. Officers asked to search the house and Holsted consented, according to court documents, so they walked into his attic.

There they found an apparent marijuana-growing operation. Along with the 29 small plants, referred to as "cuttings," they found grow lights and one large marijuana plant with a complete root system.

Holsted was convicted of cultivation of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. Since the cultivation charge requires proof of five or more marijuana plants, Holsted challenged the charge by claiming his 29 cuttings weren’t plants because they didn’t have roots.

On Friday, Judges Kathryn Gardner, Stephen Hill and Anthony Powell agreed and, in a unanimous ruling, reversed the conviction.

"The clippings found by the police here were just that — clippings," Hill wrote. "They may have been on the way to becoming plants, but with no roots they could not sustain life by absorbing water and inorganic substances through their roots."

The judges consulted three reference books — The Oxford English, Merriam-Webster and Cambridge dictionaries — in making their decision.

"These definitions contemplate that a plant is marked by leaves and roots, growth, and the taking in of sun and water," they determined.

As the judges acknowledged, there have been no Kansas rulings stating exactly what a marijuana plant is, leaving the three-judge panel to define it for the first time.

"Holsted did not possess 29 individual marijuana plants — he possessed 29 freshly cut pieces of his mother plant," they ruled.

Clippings require weeks of care before growing into a full marijuana plant. Though the judges "have no doubt" about Holsted’s intent to grow, Hill wrote, intent to cultivate marijuana isn’t enough to convict someone of cultivating.

"Indeed, the parties stipulated that the clippings would grow roots in approximately 1 to 3 weeks’ time if kept properly. We note the future tense of that statement," Hill wrote. "The clippings here did not yet constitute plants when they were seized by the police."

The judges’ ruling could be appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court. Clint Blaes, a spokesman for Attorney General Derek Schmidt, said Friday his office was consulting with the Wyandotte County district attorney’s office about further appeals.