By Sharon Ko
GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- A medical marijuana manager will serve time for illegally growing and selling pot. A Josephine County Judge told her in court yesterday that her sentencing was to send out a message to other medical marijuana growers.
Brenda Thomas was a manager for The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation in Grants Pass. When police raided her home, they found a large scale growing operation. Two other people were also part of the grow and they admitted to growing for 13 patients, but the amount of pot for that number of patients should be just over 19 pounds; police say they found 200.
"She did get mixed up, she allowed someone into her life and I do believe she just got mixed up with the wrong person [...] It does send a message out that you can't be selling medical marijuana no matter how it comes to be," explained MADGE's Lt. Brett Johnson.
The judge sentenced Thomas to 16 months in prison. The judge says it was to show that if people were using the Oregon Medical Marijuana Law to cover up illegal activity, it would be punished. The Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Agency says it's common to find medical marijuana growers selling illegally.
