AMHERST, MASS. (WHDH) - An Amherst grandmother said her privacy was violated after officials pulled a marijuana plant out of her garden.
Margaret Holcombe, 81, said she has been growing and smoking marijuana for the past 10 years to help relieve her glaucoma. She kept the plant in a pink trellis in the raspberry patch in her backyard.
Last month, State Police and the National Guard came to Margaret Holcombe’s house and took the plant as part of an annual marijuana operation. Holcombe’s son, Tim Holcomb, said police found the plant with a helicopter circling her house.
“They said, ‘We’re undercover, this is a DRU operation. We’re with the State Narcotics Division. And we’re doing this with the DEA and did you know there’s a marijuana plant on the property,'” said Tim Holcomb.
Holcombe and her son said they are upset with the seizure and accused the government of encroaching on their privacy.
“Where I’m coming from is a police state that smacks of fascism and someone has to speak out,” said Holcombe. “I’m lucky that I’m in my older years and don’t have a lot to lose by speaking out.”
Tim Holcomb acknowledged that his mother having a marijuana plant in her yard was illegal but said she was discreet about it.
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