Pay us for ruining our weed, coppers
Ex-suspects want police to pay for dead marijuana plants
DENVER – When the Fort Collins police arrested James and Lisa Masters and carted away their 39 marijuana plants, they put the plants where they normally put confiscated property involved in alleged crimes: the evidence room.
And there they sat, without a grow lamp, water or pruning.
A year later, the case against the Masterses – who claimed they used the drug for medical purposes – fell apart, and a judge ordered the police to return their property.
“All the plants were dead,” said Brian Vicente, one of the attorneys for the couple. “Some had turned to liquid – this black, moldy liquid. There was mold over everything.”
Incensed, the couple asked the Police Department to reimburse them $200,000 for the destroyed plants. City officials refused, and the Masterses are now considering a lawsuit to compel the northern Colorado city to compensate them.
Of the 12 states that have legalized marijuana for medical use, Colorado stands out for its law specifying that police must not “harm, neglect or destroy” seized plants in such cases, said Noah Mamber, legal services coordinator for Americans for Safe Access, an advocacy group.</em>
