Those who have medical reasons for seeking out cannabis products will be the first to notice an awkward transitional phase in the way that marijuana use is governed right now.
Although some states have legalized it, others will only permit use as prescribed by a state-licensed doctor, while others still don’t allow it at all.
However, even in cases where legislation in favor of medical marijuana has passed, there can be an odd legal limbo where it remains illegal until the new rules can be drafted.
And as you can see in the full video, this legal limbo caused one Missouri cancer patient an unfortunate hassle.
By the time the video begins, police are already looking through the belongings of Nolan Sousley, who was staying at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, Missouri.
As the Bolivar Herald-Free Press reported , the search took place around midnight.
Sousley, who has stage four pancreatic cancer, recorded their search and questioned why they were there at all.
Sousley told the Bolivar Herald-Free Press that he was highly medicated when the video took place.
As he said, “I hadn’t slept for days. As a terminal patient, you always ask, ‘Is this the time I’ll fall asleep and not wake up?’ It makes it hard to sleep.”
In response, an officer said they had received a call reporting a marijuana odor in Sousley’s room.
When Sousley said on video that they had already told him that he was being arrested, one officer clarified, saying “If we find marijuana, we’ll give you a citation. We’re not taking you down to the county jail. But, we haven’t found marijuana, so we’re not citing.”
As Sousley had told police, he had recently left his room to take pills containing THC in the hospital’s parking lot.
He later said that his doctors were aware that he was taking these pills and that he didn’t have any marijuana in his possession.
So, who told police that he did have it?
While Sousley was taking his pills, he and his partner, Amber Kidwell, had also been smoking a cigar. A security guard approached them and asked if everything was OK.
Apparently, the tobacco in this cigar was mistaken for marijuana and a security guard later came into the room demanding to search Sousley’s bags. Sousley did not consent to this.
As the search progresses, a doctor enters the room and asks whether the police have probable cause for their search.
According to the Bolivar Herald-Free Press , police and a security guard said that they did have a right to search because they’re on private property.
Although Missouri voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana in the state back in November, it will likely remain illegal until July.
By the end of the video, police say that they need to search one last bag.
However, Sousley initially refused to let them into this bag of medication, saying, “It has my final day things in there and nobody’s going to dig in it. It’s my stuff. It’s my final hour stuff.”
At this point, the doctor asks Sousley to stop recording.
According to the Bolivar Herald-Free Press , Sousley then allowed one officer to search this last bag, which did not contain marijuana.
Although Sousley said he doesn’t begrudge the police for doing their job, the Bolivar City Police Department ended up shutting down its Facebook page due to negative feedback in connection with the incident.
Click here to see the whole video for yourself.
