Nolan Sousley, a terminally ill, stage 4 cancer patient in Missouri, had his hospital room raided by police who got tipped off by hospital staff that there was a cannabis smell in the room.
When officers arrived, they found CBD (which is legal) but were not able to find anything illegal in the man's room.
Sousley's family said that it's impossible that there would be a "smell" because the patient actually ingested the oil of the plant by capsule instead of taking opioids that were prescribed to him. Many people have reached out to Nolan's family in support according to Sousley’s wife Amber Kidwell. The Bolivar Police Department was forced to take down their Facebook page after the story went viral... due to all the negative comments.
Citizens Memorial Healthcare issued a statement: “Unfortunately, due to HIPAA (federal privacy law), we are unable to comment about any specific patient, their treatment or what was done or not done in any particular situation. Generally speaking, it is against the Hospital’s policy to smoke or vape on the Hospital’s campus. It is also our policy to call appropriate law enforcement any time Hospital personnel see or reasonably suspect illegal drug use in patient rooms or otherwise on campus.”
The state of Missouri voted to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes in 2018. However, the law hasn't yet been implemented by lawmakers in the state.