WOMAN WITH MARIJUANA PRESCRIPTION ARRESTED FOR DRUG POSSESSION

A Colorado woman pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug possession
Thursday after authorities arrested her at a Casper hotel with .9
ounces of marijuana she said a doctor had prescribed her.

At her initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court, Carrie
Marie Ragsdale said she was given a prescription for the drug
following a car accident in December. The 32-year-old told the judge
and prosecutor she had documents with her proving it.

Assistant District Attorney Randy Carnahan told the court, "That means
absolutely nothing in the state of Wyoming."

The prosecutor said while some states seem "confused" about where they
stand on the legality of marijuana, "here in Wyoming we're very clear."

While 14 states across the country have in some way legalized
marijuana for medicinal purposes, Wyoming is not one of them. Colorado
did so in 2000.

But even in Colorado, the question of marijuana's legality is not
settled. Federal laws still classify pot as illegal in all
circumstances, and the Drug Enforcement Agency has raided several
shops that dispense medical marijuana - despite an Obama
administration policy that directed federal prosecutors to focus their
efforts on traffickers, money launderers and people who use state laws
as cover for illegal drug dealing.

Recently, a Wal-Mart worker in Michigan - where the use of medical
marijuana is legal - was fired after testing positive for the drug,
which he was using with a doctor's prescription to treat the pain of
an inoperable brain tumor. A spokesman for the Michigan Department of
Civil Rights said the agency is planning to investigate whether
Wal-Mart violated Michigan's disabilities protection laws..

After Ragsdale entered her guilty plea, Judge Michael Patchen ordered
her to pay $550 and sentenced her to six months of unsupervised probation.

Police were called to the Holiday Inn Express on Wednesday afternoon
after receiving a call about possible drug activity, according to an
affidavit from the case.

A hotel manager said Ragsdale told him she was indeed smoking
marijuana in her room but had a prescription for it, police say.

Once police arrived, "Ragsdale told officers that she had been unaware
whether or not Wyoming had a 'medical marijuana law,' and that she
'probably should have checked first,'" the affidavit states.

Police say she handed over two small red medicine bottles -- one
labeled "Purple Kush," the other "Blueberry" -- and two glass pipes.
The bottles contained a leafy green substance and tested positive for
marijuana, according to the affidavit.

In court Thursday, Ragsdale told the court she understood the
situation and accepted it. She did note to Patchen that, "I gave [the
drugs] to the officer -- they didn't have to search for it," and, "It
wasn't an outrageous amount or anything like that."

The maximum possible penalty for misdemeanor drug possession is six
months behind bars.