COUNSELOR ARRESTED IN MARIJUANA PROBE

HILO, Hawai'i - A Big Island social worker who links clients seeking
medical marijuana with doctors who will certify the patients for
legal medical cannabis use has been arrested in connection with a
marijuana case in Puna.

Matthew Brittain, 46, owns a company called Effective Change LLC,
and has a private practice in Hilo that provides mental health
services including family and marriage counseling, anger management
and substance abuse treatment, according to the Effective Change Web site.

Police arrested Brittain Monday after a search of his Fern Acres
property over the weekend turned up 64 marijuana plants -- some up
to 6 feet tall -- allegedly growing outdoors to the rear of
Brittain's house and a rental unit on the property.

Big Island police said they found another 31 plants in an indoor
grow room in a rental unit on the property, and also seized nearly
five pounds of dried marijuana and nearly an ounce of hashish oil.

Brittain said he was growing marijuana legally on his property under
the terms of medical marijuana permits, but said he was unaware that
a tenant in the rental unit was growing additional plants in the
grow room and in patches to the rear of the homes that exceeded
the legal limits.

"I would just like to emphasize the fact that I was not charged, and
I was operating in a complete legal fashion to benefit the
unfortunate patients who need their medicine and are unable to grow
it for themselves," Brittain said.

The state medical marijuana law allows a permit holder to grow up to
seven marijuana plants and have three ounces of dried marijuana.

East Hawai'i Vice Section Lt. Samuel Jelsma said police are still
gathering information, and will submit the completed investigation
to county prosecutors to decide whether Brittain should be charged.

For the past several years Brittain has been linking people seeking
medical marijuana with doctors on the Big Island and in Reno, Nev.
He has worked with three doctors, and Brittain estimated he has
helped about 700 patients get their "blue cards," or medical
marijuana permits.

A Web site advertising Brittain's services lists his fees for
combined case management and medical marijuana certification at
about $300 in Hawai'i, and about $500 in Nevada, although Brittain
said he now charges more modest fees in Hawai'i on a sliding scale
ranging from $175 to $250.

Brittain said he does not believe police targeted him for his work
with medical marijuana patients. "In fact, the police have been very
considerate and kind toward me, and I think they've been operating
with great professionalism," he said.

Police said they were drawn to the Fern Acres home by a 911 call
last Friday reporting that a man at the home had shot his wife.

When police checked the property they did not find a gunshot victim,
but did find the marijuana and hashish oil. Officers served a search
warrant the following day and seized the plants, hashish and other items.

Police charged tenant Christopher Holt with two counts of commercial
promotion of marijuana, two counts of promoting a detrimental drug,
one count of promoting a harmful drug and five counts of possessing
drug paraphernalia.

Police learned Holt's wife was unharmed, and did not find any
evidence that shots had been fired at the Fern Acres property.