Medical marijuana patient says her rights were violated by Greene County Deputy

A year ago Missouri voters approved marijuana for medical purposes.

Emergency rules that issue protections for users and cultivators were issued by Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft on July 1, 2019.

Julie Gariepy believes her rights were violated under the current amendment to the Missouri constitution when Greene County Deputies took away her medication last week.

"He basically said you cannot possess until after January 1, 2020," she said.

Gariepy also helps others navigate through the process to apply for a user's license and follows the current laws closely.

"Article 14, page 16, section 5 says that patients can legally possess their four ounce limit now," she explained.

Growers and dispensaries will be established and regulated January 1, 2020.

"We have a choice in Missouri to either go to a dispensary or we can cultivate at home. A lot of us are choosing to cultivate at home because we know where our medication is coming from," she said.

Gariepy was a passenger in a car that was pulled over. She said she told deputies about her pot when asked if they'd find anything during a search.

She said that she presented her documentation required to show she had it legally, according to state law.

"The officer refused to see it, refused to even look at it," said Gariepy.

Medical marijuana patient, Lance Johnston had a much different experience with the highway patrol. He recorded a traffic stop a few months ago in which the trooper verified his use card and returned his marijuana.

"Cool. Thank you," he said.

"It feels weird for me too," said the trooper. They're going to get a database pretty soon. When they get the database then we will be able to run your number and it will tell us valid or not."

In a text message, Greene County Deputy James Craigmyle said that the Greene County Sheriff's Office's policy is to follow the law. The newness of this law and some confusion behind it may take some time to sort out.

Gariepy said she's hoping law enforcement will continue to work with patients like her.

"Reach out for education. There are people out there who are willing to come in and train you on article 14, on how to handle patients," she said.

We are following up on Gariepy's traffic stop with Sheriff Jim Arnott later this week.

To read the full list of current medical marijuana laws for use in Missouri, click on the link in this story.