Man tells Border Patrol he thought marijuana was legal (10 a.m.)
By The Associated Press
Article Launched: 06/21/2007 10:05:39 AM MDT

ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — A man stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Alamogordo with marijuana plants told officers he thought marijuana was legal in New Mexico, police said.

Charles Barnes, 24, had 67 marijuana plants in the trunk of his car when he was pulled over on U.S. 70 last week, police said.

"Dude, I totally thought weed was legalized in New Mexico," Barnes told police.

Barnes told police he wanted to see how marijuana would grow in the Cloudcroft area, according to the Otero County Narcotics Enforcement Unit.

The plants were mostly seedlings and weighed less than an ounce, so Barnes was released with a citation for possession of marijuana.

Police kept the plants.
Information from: Alamogordo Daily News, www.alamogordonews.com

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