U.S. didn’t have authority to try Kettle Falls Five for medical pot

Oct. 18, 2017 | Jim Camden

The convictions of four Washington residents for growing marijuana near Kettle Falls may soon be erased after federal prosecutors in Spokane say they shouldn’t have spent money on the trial and can’t continue to spend any on the appeal.

More than two years after prosecutors twice convinced a federal judge they had the authority to try the medical marijuana growers who came to be known as the Kettle Falls Five, they now agree with defense attorneys that they did not.

“The law changed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl Hicks said Wednesday. “The United States follows the law and we really can’t comment further. It’s still an active case.”

U.S. didn’t have authority to try Kettle Falls Five for medical pot