SWANTON, Ohio — Swanton Township resident Mike Carr has been left frustrated and questioning why the Lucas County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday confiscated what he claims were hundreds of hemp plants he grew himself.
"What's the crime here?" Carr said. "They were acting like big troopers. And yet fentanyl is still on the street killing people and pornography is all over the internet but they can't do anything about that. They have to come and mess with me."
Carr said he sells the plants to the public. He drives around with a truck that advertises his product.
"My intent is to operate within the law, not outside of the law," Carr said. "I'm not being malicious; I'm not trying to hide anything when I got the stuff right here in front of the house."
So, what is the law in Ohio?
Since Ohio voters passed Issue Two in November of last year, it's legal to grow marijuana at your house. You can only have up to twelve plants per household as long as two people live there that are older than 21 years old, according to the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3780.29.
Carr claims these are hemp plants, though, so they fall under a different section of the code.
Hemp has less than .3% THC, while marijuana plants have more than .3% THC.
According to ORC Section 928.02, it is legal to possess, buy, or sell hemp. But in order to cultivate the plant, Ohio law states you need a license.
Carr says he doesn't have one.
"If I don't have a license, I don't have a license," Carr said. "Do you need me to buy a license?"
He's sad to see his hard work be taken away.
"We had hemp plants since Mother's Day," Carr said. "We'll have people lined up and cops go by and the troopers wave and it's all good because times are changing."
"What if I start selling tomatoes? Is there a limit on them?" he added.
The sheriff's office says it plans to test the plants to see what they are and then consult a prosecutor on possible charges.