Thousands Push for Imprisoned Missouri Pot Farmer’s Freedom

More than 30,000 people have signed an online petition for the release of a blind, 79-year-old Missouri pot farmer in federal prison.

The Springfield News-Leader on Wednesday reported that the Change.org petition is in support of Charles F. White. White was sentenced in 2017 to 10 years in prison for growing more than 1,700 marijuana plants on his southwestern Missouri farm.

The newspaper previously reported that a federal judge denied White’s motion for compassionate early release. White’s attorneys argued that White’s vision impairment makes it hard for him in “an aggressive prison population.”

Federal prosecutors opposed his early release.

White is eligible for release in 2023. But White can apply for compassionate early release again if his condition worsens before then.