Jury acquits grower who cited medical need for marijuana
While Florida might have lost the battle for medical Marijuana with a 57% majority, the people have not lost the ability to be rational. Making history in Florida for the first time a Broward jury acquitted a man of cultivating and harvesting cannabis after further discovering he has a medical condition that calls for the use of this illegal drug. Jesse Teplick didn’t hide the evidence from the detectives that arrived at his Hollywood home two years ago moving on a tip from an informant that he was harvesting marijuana on the property. And he hid nothing from the jury on Thursday when he took the stand at his criminal trial, even confessing that he used cannabis earlier in the day to help aid the nausea and loss of appetite that had been giving him issues for more then 10 years. Jesse Teplick has suffered from anorexia since he’s been 9 years claiming marijuana helps provide proper treatment for his medical issue. Medical reasons for using marijuana have worked as a defense in the past, but it’s never been used in the presence of a jury. “You saved my life,” a rejoiced Teplicki said to three jurors who remained in the courtroom after they were discharged by Broward Circuit Judge Michael Ian Rothschild.
“This is an historic decision in the state of Florida,” said defense lawyer Michael C. Minardi. “Hopefully prosecutors heed the decision and are less likely to prosecute this kind of case in the future.”
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