PARIS — Richard R. Jackson, 48, of King Hill Road in Paris was indicted Oct. 16 on charges of possessing more than a pound of marijuana and cultivating 100 or more marijuana plants.
The charges come more than a year after police seized 18 pounds of marijuana and 173 plants from two King Hill residences in September 2014.
Jackson was indicted on one count of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and one count of marijuana cultivation.
According to Sun Media archives, a person at one of the homes was licensed to grow medical marijuana but had more than the 24 plants allowed.
In October 2014, Sun Media reported that police said they were continuing their investigation into individuals suspected of illegally cultivating nearly $500,000 in medical marijuana from a home in a quiet, residential neighborhood.
Evidence gathered in the September 2014 raid was referred to the Oxford County District Attorney’s office, then-police detective Sgt. Jeffrey Lange, who spearheaded the investigation, said.
In July 2015, Lange reported the marijuana wilted, molded and decomposed inside a steel vault and consequently, police burned it.
Then-Police Chief Michael Madden said, the haul “grossly” exceeded Maine Department of Health and Human Service’s rules. After consulting with regulators at the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program, he handed the case over to the state for prosecution.
The law allows caregivers to register up to five qualified patients with DHHS for $240 apiece. Caregivers can then grow — per patient, in separate areas — up to six plants and possess 2.5 ounces of processed marijuana.
The owner said three caregivers operated at the residence, each with five patients. Police said records showed only three patients on file.
Medical marijuana has been legalized in Maine since 1999, when a statewide ballot referendum passed with 61 percent of the vote. It allows patients with a doctor’s permission to have small amounts.
After an amendment three years later, the law allowed licensed caregivers to cultivate and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana per patient or cultivate up to six plants for them.
In 2009, the law was amended again, laying the groundwork for the state to establish and regulate marijuana dispensaries, which broadened the list of conditions for which doctors could write a prescription.
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