Medical marijuana advocates criticize bill

CARSON CITY — Medical marijuana advocates testified today that a bill that prescribes prison sentences for  growing pot  would prevent sick people from getting their “medicine.”

"This bill would send many patients to prison," testified Pierre Werner, a former medical marijuana patient who went to prison for growing more than the seven plants allowed for approved medical marijuana patients. "You would have to build another prison to hold them all."

Nevada is not an agriculture state and the seven-plant maximum limit prevents patients from growing enough medicine, Michael McCullough said.

"Most plants are grown indoors," he told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "They are lucky to get one or two ounces per plant."

Werner said the bill should  be amended to allow patients to grow as many as 99 plants. He said patients need a 24-ounce supply every 90 days.

"It is ridiculous to expect people on chemotherapy to grow their own medicine," he said.  "We need a system where they can buy it.  Charge a $50 per ounce tax and it would bring in millions for Nevada."

Judiciary Chairman Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, said he would consider Werner’s amendments at a future work session.

Under Senate Bill 262, a medical marijuana patient's possession of eight or more plants would be considered "prima facie evidence” of possessing it for purpose of sale.

Having one to 25 plants in excess of the allowed limit would be a felony punishable by one to six years in prison. Harsher sentences would apply according to how many plants the patient possessed.

A  patient with 500 or more marijuana plants in excess of the allowed amount could be sentenced to three to 15 years in prison and fined as much as $100,000.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.