A multiagency drug task force raided the homes of medical-marijuana activists Steve Sarich and John Worthington days apart in January 2007, taking more than 1,500 marijuana plants from Sarich’s northeast Everett home and six plants from Worthington’s.[1][2] Sarich’s house filled almost a full floor at one point, while Worthington, who holds a doctor’s authorisation for chronic bone-disease pain, said his six plants were personal medicine.[1][2]
The West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Team, serving Kitsap and Mason counties, opened the cases after the two men filed declarations supporting another defendant and complained to officials about task-force raids on patients.[1][2] A detective wrote that he “decided to investigate these individuals”, then won a warrant for Sarich’s home with evidence including a high power bill and cannabis smelled from an alley.[2] Neither man was arrested or charged, and investigators said they would ask federal or county prosecutors to decide.[1][2]
Both men said the raids punished their campaign for medical-marijuana rules, pointing to a report they had just delivered to the state legislature on task-force practices; the task force’s leader said he did not know of their advocacy and laughed at the retaliation claim.[1][2] Sarich, whose CannaCare group said it supplied starter plants to 1,200 patients, argued state law left patients no legal way to obtain plants, while prosecutors called the legal picture troubling.[2]
