Man Gets 10 Years for Growing Marijuana

Bryan James Epis, who was found guilty of growing at least 100 marijuana plants in his Chico home in 1997 and conspiring to grow up to 1,000 plants, was sentenced to a mandatory 10 years in prison.

Epis, 35, who says he started using marijuana to manage chronic pain from a car accident, is the first person associated with a California medical marijuana dispensary to be tried in federal court.

Epis says the plants were for him and four other seriously ill people whose physicians recommended the drug under Proposition 215, the medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in 1996.