VENTURA COUNTY II: Medical Marijuana Case Settled
An woman accused of violating a 1996 medical marijuana law will not incur any penalties, according to a settlement released Monday, the Ventura County Star reports. After enduring a two-year legal battle with the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Andrea Nagy stated that the decision is vindicating, adding, "I feel this is an important decision in establishing patients' rights. I feel I did my best to establish a very structured system to verify a patient's legitimacy." Nagy argued in court filings that she was a "primary caregiver," as defined under the language of Proposition 215 and thereby permitted to distribute and sell cannabis to more than 60 people. Nagy helped operate the Rainbow Country Ventura County Medical Cannabis Center in Thousand Oaks. But Senior Deputy District Attorney Mitch Disney argued that Nagy was selling marijuana under false pretense, saying, "She was purporting to operate as a primary caregiver for over 40 individuals while she was working part-time as a legal secretary and that's not what the statute requires." Disney added, "The voters didn't intend to legalize sale of marijuana. It allows a caregiver to cultivate marijuana for personal medicinal purposes." Nagy's attorney J. David Nicks said, "This settlement proves what she was doing was lawful" (Shepnick, 2/15).
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