Charges dropped in couple’s pot arrest

GUTHRIE, Okla. — Oklahoma prosecutors have dropped all charges against two people arrested for marijuana possession during a June traffic stop who contended they were delivering the cannabis for a dispensary.

Prosecutors authorized the release of marijuana seized from Daniel Richard Arthur and Rebecca J. Davis, in addition to $5,400 in cash, The Oklahoman reported.

Arthur and Davis, both 40, were arrested June 4 after Logan County sheriff’s deputies found 21 pounds of pot and charged the pair with felonies for “unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute.”

The criminal case dismissals on Thursday underscore the uncertainty around Oklahoma’s new medical marijuana law that voters approved in 2018.

“Part of me wants to tell my guys, ‘Hey, if they got dope, just let them go,’” said Sheriff Damon Devereaux. “It is frustrating, but we’re always willing to learn something new. It’s not our intent to violate anybody’s rights.”

Tyler Box, Arthur and Davis’ defense attorney, said they were delivering marijuana from an Enid dispensary to another in Edmond. The pot, appraised at $55,000, will be returned to the Enid business, Box noted.

Earlier this year, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a medical marijuana measure that expands the framework for the medical cannabis industry. It goes into effect in August.

It also will require dispensary employees to carry a medical marijuana transporter license when transporting product and for transport vehicles to be equipped with a GPS tracker.