Colorado Springs Woman Acquitted of Marijuana Charges

A jury acquitted a woman of Colorado Springs marijuana charges, following a five-day trial that sparked demonstrations by dozens of medial marijuana advocates.

Colorado Springs medical marijuana lawyers understand that it took the jury six hours over the course of two days to deliberate, but they ultimately dismissed all the charges against him.

The 52-year-old had faced up to a dozen years in prison if convicted on felony charges that were filed following a raid of her marijuana dispensary back in the spring of 2010. At the time, six other dispensaries were raided as well. Those defendants all took plea deals.

Marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in Colorado, although there are certain laws by which dispensaries are expected to abide.

In this case, who quit her job as a corporate trainer to open a dispensary, was accused of growing more than 99 marijuana plants without the proper documentation required by the state’s department of health and environment. It is that agency that oversees the state’s registry of medical marijuana. Authorities conducting the raid seized several marijuana cigarettes and over a pound of dried product.

Defense attorneys in the case presented evidence that all of the nearly two-dozen patients that the defendant assisted had doctor prescriptions and caregiver forms. Additionally, he showed that her plant count was within the state’s guidelines, which generally allow six plants per patient, though more is allowed if it’s deemed necessary.

The defense also took issue with the fact that local law enforcement squandered a $7 million grant to use a surveillance plane of the property to detect the building’s heat signatures – when the building was already registered with both the state’s revenue department and the city as a marijuana grow facility.

Police reported that there were extreme levels of electricity indicating a high plant count at the facility.

Our Colorado Springs marijuana lawyers are encouraged by this case because it sets a precedent that compels prosecutors to re-evaluate their interpretation of the law before pressing forward with criminal charges.

A number of advocates, who were out in full force daily, said that the entire ordeal had been a huge waste of taxpayer money.

The other six individuals who had been arrested in raids on the same day as this defendant have all previously accepted plea deals. This case illustrates why sometimes, it’s worth it to fight back.