A Gwinnett County man accused of running a marijuana grow house contends he used the narcotics only to relieve pain from rheumatoid arthritis.
But when officers found nearly a half-million-dollars worth of weed growing in Kevin Wayne Sheehan's home, they arrested him last week and charged him with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, Gwinnett County police said Tuesday.
A tip from Sandy Springs police led Gwinnett officers to Sheehan's Norcross-area home, Cpl. Jake Smith with Gwinnett police told the AJC. At Sheehan's front door, officers could smell fresh marijuana, Smith said.
Inside the home, detectives recovered 148 grams of dried marijuana and 36 marijuana plants, worth nearly $500,000 total, Smith said.
Sheehan, however, told Channel 2 Actions News he didn't plan to profit from the marijuana. Smoking pot was the only way to ease the pain from his disease, Sheehan said.
"I'm not a criminal. I'm not a drug dealer. I'm a sick old man," Sheehan told Channel 2. "Of course it's illegal and you know, sometimes you do what you have to do."
Sheehan spent about six hours in jail before being released on $2,400 bond, jail records show.
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