In 2007, after retiring from a long career as a heart surgeon, Dr. David Allen came to California and set up a practice issuing medical marijuana recommendations to qualified patients under state law.  The 50-acre property he left behind in Mississippi, which was occupied by his sister and brother-in-law, became the target of a narcotics task force raid in early 2009.  During that raid, law enforcement agents claimed that they found hashish, marijuana and cultivation equipment, all valued at approximately $1000. 

That was enough for authorities to arrest Dr. Allen’s relatives, start forfeiture proceedings on the 50-acre property, and issue a warrant for the doctor himself, who was in California at the time of the raid.  Dr. Allen surrendered himself to authorities after learning of the bust and was immediately taken into custody.  He endured a harrowing transport cross-country to Mississippi, only to bail out and return to California while awaiting the resolution of his case.  Meanwhile, during a trip back to Mississippi in December 2009, Dr. Allen was arrested on new accusations that he was tampering with witnesses in his case and attempting to bribe them.  From a Mississippi jail, where he was thereafter held without bail, the doctor denied those allegations and claimed he was merely trying to help his sister. 

In March 2010, a grand jury indicted Dr. Allen on three counts related to the February 2009 raid, including the possession, cultivation and transfer of marijuana. In February 2011, the witness tampering/bribery charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence, and Dr. Allen went to trial on the charges from the earlier raid.  Jurors couldn't agree on a verdict, however, and the case ended in a mistrial.  Dr. Allen was released shortly afterward on a $200,000 bail bond and permitted to return to Sacramento, CA, while waiting to see whether his Mississippi case would be re-tried.  In the meantime, he is available for consultation (upon appointment only) by calling 510-421-6179.

Last updated January 31, 2013 by Lex Libreman for WEED WARS: United States v. Marijuana.