Medical marijuana provider Virgil Grant III came to the attention of law enforcement in December 2007, when marijuana from one of his Los Angeles dispensaries was found in the possession of a young driver responsible for a fatal car accident.  A truck driven by Jeremy White killed a driver and paralyzed a CHP officer. White, who possessed edibles obtained from Grant's facility in Compton, confessed to a marijuana DUI.   Although Virgil had nothing to do with the accident beyond this tenuous association, the investigation triggered events that put him squarely in the cross-hairs of federal prosecutors.  

Along with his wife Pshyra, Virgil was arrested in May 2008 on federal charges of running a drug-involved facility, money laundering and drug conspiracy.  These charges put the Grants in a difficult spot – although there was some hope that there would be a change of law once a new U.S. President took office, defendants in federal court have been unable to fight their charges by showing that they complied with state medical marijuana laws.  Employee Stanley Jerome Cole was also arrested, accused of selling marijuana to an undercover agent.

However, the Grants’ case never went to trial – instead, federal prosecutors offered Virgil a deal in which the charges against Pshyra would be dropped if he pled guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana.  As a loving husband and father, Virgil was unable to pass up such a deal.  He took the guilty plea, and in March 2010, Virgil was sentenced to six years in federal prison.

Virgil Edward Grant 47375-112
Terminal Island FCI
PO Box 3007
San Pedro, CA 90731

Updated January 31, 2013 with information from www.calnorml.org.  Originally published by Vanessa Nelson at www.medicalmarijuanaofamerica.com (now defunct).