Pubdate: Mon, 01 Oct 2012
Source: Lethbridge Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2012 The Lethbridge Herald
Contact:  http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/239
Author: Katie May

POLICE GET TO ROOT OF THE PROBLEM WITH DAISIES

Samples of the plants police had sent to a lab in B.C. tested 
negative for marijuana, so police have dropped the most serious 
charge against him: producing a controlled substance, although 
41-year-old Rockman still faces charges of possession for the purpose 
of trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, and possessing 
proceeds of crime in relation to the 697 grams of dried marijuana, 
6.3 grams of cannabis resin and some cash that police also allegedly 
seized during the investigation.

Rockman's lawyer, Art Larson, said he expected the dropped charge to 
help his client's case, but added Rockman's reputation was tarnished 
from the moment police put out a news release on July 31 declaring 
the bust the largest outdoor marijuana grow-op Lethbridge had ever seen.

"I've never seen anything like this with such deliberate publicity," 
Larson said. "It's very disappointing that it was made such a big 
deal to the extent that his name gets blasted on the front page of 
the Lethbridge Herald with what turns out to be not marijuana."

The test results didn't confirm that the plants were daisies, only 
that they weren't drugs, said a spokesperson for the Alberta Law 
Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), which investigated the case.

"All we know at this time is that it's not marijuana," Jill Baird 
said. Because the remaining charges are still before Lethbridge 
Provincial Court, she declined to comment on whether the outcome of 
this case will change the way police investigate drug busts, but she 
said she's never heard of this kind of mix-up happening before.

"I can't recall this happening in the past, at least not here at 
ALERT," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom