A Bluffton, South Carolina, man who admitted to growing pot plants to help his sick wife was charged with marijuana trafficking after turning himself in this week.
66-year-old Frank Dennis Peters told police the marijuana was being used for medicinal purposes by his wife, who suffers from multiple medical conditions including fibromyalgia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The marijuana enhances her appetite and also works as a necessary sleep aid.
"I have a moral obligation to make my wife as comfortable as possible," Peters is quoted as saying.
According to Sgt. Robin McIntosh, some 137 marijuana plants were removed from Peters' home after he voluntarily let investigators in, and brewed them a pot of coffee.
McIntosh told the Beaufort Gazette that police were tipped off to the plants by a neighbor, but Peters believes his neighbors knew and were fine with plants, and it was a guest at one of their recent parties who called the cops.
Though Peters was charged with a crime that carries a possible 10 years behind bars, medical marijuana is not actually illegal in South Carolina.
A law has been on the books since the early '80s which permits the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but only if purchased from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The catch: The DHEC has never actually sold anyone any weed because it is illegal to do so under Federal law.
Peters, who is his wife's sole caregiver, was allowed some time to make the necessary arrangements before turning himself in to the Beaufort County Detention Center this past Tuesday.
He was released on his own recognizance later in the day.
[H/T: Opposing Views, mug shot via The Island Packet, photo via Shutterstock]