Churchs Ferry woman facing drug charges says marijuana was medicinal

A Churchs Ferry, N.D., woman says the 60 marijuana plants seized on her property were not for selling but for medicating her husband who suffers from several ailments.

“You gotta realize that some of these 60 plants were about a foot tall,” Donna Eli told the Herald. “I’d say that about half of them were useless.”

Eli, 53, said her husband, Philip, who is also 53, has two crushed discs in his back, experiences depression, is bipolar and had a heart attack this past summer.

Eli, who does not use marijuana herself, said psychologists have told them the drug has been shown to help relieve symptoms similar to her husband’s.

State’s Attorney Lonnie Olson said Ramsey County deputies searched the couple’s property and found the plants Saturday. Eli said the plants had recently been harvested and were previously growing among some trees.

Eli noted that authorities said a smell of marijuana led them to search the property, but she says a neighbor turned them in.

Eli and her husband were each charged today with possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Eli’s husband also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

The two are not in custody and are set to appear in court Oct. 11. Donna Eli said she and her husband, unable to afford an attorney, expect to seek court-appointed representation.

She believes they might find sympathy among the public, but thinks their prospects of beating the charges are bleak.

“What is there to fight?” she said. “They got it.”

Ingersoll reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com.

Tags: daily updates, north dakota, churchs ferry nd, crime and courts, ramsey county, devils lake, news, drugs, crime