Jury Convicts Man Who Said Growhouse Was For Wife's Cancer
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — A Miami-Dade man has been convicted of operating a growhouse, though he had contested he grew the 15 marijuana plants in his home for his wife suffering from cancer.
The Miami Herald reports that a six-member jury convicted 43-year-old Ricardo Varona Friday night of trafficking in more than 25 pounds of marijuana. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison.
Varona was arrested in July 2014 after authorities found the plants growing inside his second-floor bedroom.
He is the second South Florida man to use medical necessity as a defense to operating a growhouse. In March a Broward County jury acquitted 50-year-old Jesse Teplicki of similar charges.
Earlier this year the Florida legislature authorized growing a low-grade strain of marijuana to treat ailments, including cancer.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
