California Woman Asks Obama to Drop Federal Marijuana Charges Against Her Husband

Conflict in state and federal marijuana law threatens family; wife doesn't want kids to grow up fatherless.

Holly and Matthew Davies

(SACRAMENTO, CA) - "What has my husband done that would justify the federal government forcing my young daughters to grow up without a father?"

Molly Davies and her children are facing a real nightmare.

Federal authorities raided the Sacramento medical marijuana business her husband, Matthew R. Davies, operated legally under voter-approved California state law.

In the wake of the arrest by federal authorities, Molly wrote to President Barack Obama, to ask for relief for her husband; a man was swept up into a vacuum of legal conflict.

Davies wrote. "How can your Administration ignore the will of the California people and prosecute this good, law-abiding man for doing exactly what state law permits?"

Matthew Davies is facing a 10-year prison sentence. This is an astounding legal issue, with federal police fully dismissing the validity of California state law.

Matthew R. Davies, who is 34-years old, was indicted in July 2012 for manufacturing marijuana. Co-owner of the business, Medizen, Lynn F. Smith, was also arrested, along with Robert Duncan, operation manager for the grow warehouse. They were charged by federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.

Federal interest in the case began after Matthew Davies received a speeding ticket, responding to an alarm at Medizen.

It comes at a time when the U.S. President has made repeated statements about lightening up on legal marijuana patients, as two states, Washington and Colorado have passed legalization laws

In her letter to Obama Molly wrote,

"Mr. President, my husband is not a criminal and shouldn’t be treated like one. Matt is not a drug dealer or trafficker. He’s not driving around in a fancy car and living in some plush mansion -- trust me."

She continued, saying, "My husband is a regular guy, and we’re a regular, middle-class family. Yet even though Matt took great pains to follow state and local law, he is currently facing a severe prison sentence. This all seems so surreal."

Both Davies and Smith are in current plea negotiations with federal prosecutors. They next appear in court 18 Jan.

Duncan agreed to cooperate with the feds and reached a plea agreement with the feds in September, in exchange for the government recommending a sentence of about three years.

There is a great article in today's Huffington Post

In conclusion, it is never too late for justice. The men involved in this child sex scandal are mostly people in power and they deserve for a true story to be told.

Photo by Bonnie King

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With almost 25 years of experience on the west coast and worldwide as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor, Tim King is Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine who follows stories of Marines and Marine Veterans; he's covered British Royal Marines and in Iraq, Tim embedded with the same unit he served with in the 1980's.

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Anthony January 15, 2013 3:14 am (Pacific time)

All of the California dispensary operators thrown into federal prison need to be released.

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