A Kansas man who suffers from non-epileptic seizures was arrested and charged with possession and manufacture of a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute, and possession of paraphernalia after police raided his home and seized one cannabis plant and homemade extracts that help treat his seizures, KSNW-TV reports.
Larry Burgess admitted that he had previously traveled to Colorado for his medicine, and while he knows medical cannabis is illegal in his home state, he said he didn’t have much of a choice but to grow his own as the travel costs to Colorado had become too much for his family to bear.
“It was a chance decision that we took as a family and we were willing to take the chances so I could live a productive life,” he said in the report. “Instead of trying to deal with unsavory characters or actual criminals, I decided to start making it myself.”
Wilson County Sheriff’s deputies swarmed the Burgess family home with weapons drawn on Tuesday and arrested Larry – who said he suffered two seizures in police custody and was only able to receive medical help for the first one.
Larry and his wife, Shannon, say they were honest with members of their community and believe that might have led to his arrest.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office offered no comment about the arrest because the investigation is still pending.