James and Lisa Masters said they want to send a message to police departments all across Colorado.
The couple and one of their attorneys filed a motion late Thursday seeking compensation for 39 damaged medical marijuana plants.
"We're hoping that they'll at least be more careful when they go into people's homes," Lisa Masters said. "And if they (homeowners) claim medical use, then they (police) should keep those plants alive instead of having to pay for it later."
Police confiscated the Masters' plants in August of 2006 on the same day that human service officials removed the couple's two children, because of the marijuana.
"They took our life away for a year and a half," James Masters said.
Police returned the marijuana last month after a judge ruled the plants were seized illegally.
But the plants were dead. Now the couple wants to be compensated.
"The cannibus means a lot to me because it keeps me and my wife well," said James Masters.
James said he suffers from chronic nausea and pain, and that his wife suffers symptoms of fibromyalgia.
When asked how much compensation they're seeking, the couple's attorney, Robert Corry, replied, "We're asking for the Drug Enforcement Agency's estimate of what the marijuana plants are worth.
That could be well over $1,000 a plant.
"I think it's fundamental that we're able to use the same figures that they use against us," James said. "If they're inflated, then maybe they (the DEA) shouldn't be using them in a court of law to condemn somebody for five or six years."
"Medical marijuana is worth more than gold by weight," Corry said. "I'm not an expert in current gold prices, but I think by ounce, medical marijuana is worth more."
The request for compensation, filed with the Larimer County District Court, is believed to be the first such request in Colorado history.
source: officers.com
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