Appeals court upholds charges in medical marijuana arrests

Original reporting: Court finds Maine marijuana growers can be prosecuted despite congressional limits (Bangor Daily News)

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Source: Associated Press

Appeals court upholds charges in medical marijuana arrests

January 28, 2022

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld charges against two men accused of being part of a large drug ring in Maine that sold medical marijuana to people who were not patients.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled Thursday that the prosecution of the two men was not prohibited under federal protections granted to states by Congress to regulate medical marijuana, the Bangor Daily News reported.

In their appeal, the two defendants, Tyler Poland and amateur golfer Brian Bilodeau, argued they shouldn’t be charged because of those protections, the newspaper reported.

“The conduct that drew the government’s attention was the defendants’ cultivation, possession, and distribution of marijuana aimed at supplying persons whom no defendant ever thought were qualifying patients under Maine law,” Judge William Kayatta wrote in the ruling.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-health-arrests-boston-marijuana-01c9ac94b9f4f14f2996ce24f066a02d