Medical Marijuana Activist Pleads Not Guilty to Charge
Medicinal marijuana proponent Todd McCormick, a cancer patient arrested in July for allegedly growing thousands of pot plants in a rented house in Bel-Air, pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug charges.
Kirill Dyjine, an alleged accomplice of McCormick also known as Hermes Zygott, also pleaded not guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to an identical charge of manufacturing 4,116 marijuana plants, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha.
Joel Isaacson, an attorney for McCormick, said Monday that he plans to file a motion this week asking for a modification of the terms of McCormick’s bail. Isaacson hopes the court will allow his client to take a prescribed medication containing a synthetic version of the painkillers active in marijuana.
McCormick, 27, has said he cultivated pot plants to fight pain from the cancer he has had since childhood.
McCormick’s trial is set for Dec. 9.
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