cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Claim in Doubt Medical Marijuana Claim in Doubt Posted by FoM on July 20, 2001 at 09:31:44 PT By Ty Phillips, Bee Staff Writer Source: Modesto Bee How much medicinal marijuana someone can have legally has never been clearly defined. But Modesto police say 150 plants appears to be too much. Kenneth Beams, 43, of Modesto was arrested Wednesday after the Modesto Narcotics Enforcement Team discovered his garage and back yard loaded with marijuana plants, Sgt. Tim David said. Beams, who was charged with marijuana cultivation and child endangerment, claims that he grew the plants to treat an array of illnesses. He furnished a letter from a Modesto doctor that Beams said gives him permission to grow and smoke marijuana. But Beams' story simply does not add up, David said. For one thing, Beams claimed that he smoked 2 ounces a week, or 6 pounds a year. But David estimated that Beams' mature plants could produce about 25 pounds a year. "We didn't find any large amounts of smokable marijuana in the house," David said. "It's got to be going somewhere." Also, Beams has been collecting disability for seven years because of knee injuries. But during their surveillance, investigators watched Beams come home from riding dirt bikes with his children, David said. His arm was skinned up from a fall during the outing. "Here's a guy with so much chronic pain, yet he can go out and ride dirt bikes with his kids," David said. Beams said he suffers from chronic knee problems and nerve injuries in his neck and elbow caused from bone spurs. He also said he recently got over meningitis and has been treated for depression and agoraphobia -- the fear of being in open or public places. He said pain pills make him pass out, which would make it impossible to watch his 2-year-old son during the day while his wife is at work. "With the multiple injuries and surgeries I've had, medicinal marijuana relaxes my body and helps me deal with my pain," said Beams, who said he is being treated by five doctors. "I'm not pain-free, but it helps me deal with it." Police began watching Beams' house recently after an informant's tip that Beams was selling marijuana, David said. Officers obtained a search warrant Wednesday. Inside the house, officers reported finding about 150 plants. There were 44 plants 4 to 6 feet tall, and 100 more less than 5 inches tall. Also, agents found five plants being dried in the garage. Beams, who posted bond Wednesday night, was charged with child endangerment because a pipe and an ashtray full of partly smoked marijuana cigarettes were found within reach of his sons, ages 2 and 7. The children were taken by Child Protective Services and tested at Doctors Medical Center to check for marijuana in their systems. Later, they were returned home. Source: Modesto Bee, The (CA)Author: Ty Phillips, Bee Staff WriterPublished: Friday, July 20, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Modesto BeeContact: letters modbee.comWebsite: http://www.modbee.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by lookinside on July 20, 2001 at 18:36:20 PT: a tip... why didn't they do a little investigation? they just assumethis guy is selling?...how do they prove it now? they havetaken his medicine...i hope he finds an aggressive attorneyto go after the gestapo...6 pounds is ALOT of pot...44 plants might produce 10 poundsif he knows what he is doing, but nobody knows what a plantwill produce until it's done producing...the 100 smallplants needed sexing which would eliminate at least half ofthem...considering the time of year, it's unlikely thatthose hundred plants would produce more than another 3-4pounds indoors...what do they want people to do? grow less than they need? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment