In a surprising twist, Yahoo! News reports that police in Ellsworth, Maine recently returned $12,800 worth of stolen pot to a local grower and legal caregiver, Thomas Davis.
Originally stolen by Aaron Pert of Trenton, Maine, police confiscated the stolen plants after Pert admitted to breaking into Davis’ home and stealing them previously. Once in police possession, though, they weren’t sure what to do with the plants.
Normally when police confiscate illegal drugs the drugs are destroyed (as Pert was not a legal user). In Davis’ case, however, he legally had possession of them AND had filed a police report following the theft. Still, police were unsure what to do as they did not want to violate federal law by returning the goods to Davis.
In the end the police finally returned the stolen plants (17 in total), however approximately 85% of the crop had been damaged due to mold developing on them after they left Davis’ greenhouse. Nevertheless, Davis is simply happy to have his plants back, and hopes that this case will set precedence to treat stolen medical marijuana like any other stolen medication elsewhere.