This was just plain WRONG! Police search cancer patient's hospital room for marijuana; video sparks backlash Yahoo is now part of Oath SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Missouri police department has faced backlash after a video posted to social media Wednesday showed officers searching for marijuana in the belongings of a cancer patient in a hospital room. the Springfield News-Leader reports, citing Sousley's social media.">The family has identified Nolan Sousley, stage 4 pancreatic cancer patient who has stopped receiving chemotherapy treatment. Sousley takes cannabis to manage his pain as he approaches the end of his life, the Springfield News-Leader reports, citing Sousley's social media. The video shows three Bolivar, Missouri, police officers in Sousley's hospital room searching through his bags. Sousley is told that if marijuana is found he will be issued a citation but not taken to jail. Bolivar Police Chief Mark Webb told the News-Leader that the social media backlash has included threats against police and a deluge of questions that the department was unable to keep up with. At one point in the video, Sousley references the legal status of medical cannabis in the state. Last November, Missouri voters overwhelmingly chose to create a medical cannabis system, but the state will not be taking any applications for cannabis patient ID cards until July 4. Tylor Sousley with his father, Versailles resident Nolan Sousley. The Sousleys say Nolan has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. On Wednesday, March 6, 2019, Nolan posted a Facebook Live video of Bolivar police searching his bags in his hospital room for marijuana that Nolan says he takes to manage his pain as he approaches the end of his life. Referencing marijuana, Sousley says in the video "medically in Missouri, it's really legal now. They just they haven't finished the paperwork." "Okay, then it's still illegal," one of the officers replies. "But I don't have time to wait for that," Sousley says "What would you do?" The officer says he refuses to engage in "what if" games. The video also shows police saying they received a call reporting marijuana in the room; one officer says he can smell pot. Sousley bristles at the allegation, saying, "And there is no way they could smell it, doc, because I don't smoke it, I don't ever use a ground-up plant. It's an oil I use in a capsule, there's no smoking it. I take it like a pill." In the video, Sousley admits to consuming cannabis "in the parking lot." Webb said that no marijuana was found with Sousley in the hospital room Wednesday night and that his officers issued no citations. He said officers were dispatched following a 911 call that came in from the hospital. Webb said more events took place during the incident than were shown on Facebook Live, which were recorded on officer body cameras, but he declined to be more specific. "I don’t know that they did anything," he said. "Making contact, looked through some bags and left." The incident happened at Citizens Memorial Healthcare in Bolivar. The hospital declined to confirm any details but emailed the News-Leader the following 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." ****** So the cops would rather have this poor guy die in pain rather than take a pill containing cannabis oil! They searched his belongings and threatened him with legal consequences for DARING to use a herbal medicine to ease his pain! If you live in Missouri (or even if you don't), email a polite but firm letter expressing your disapproval! I have already sent mine to the police chief under my real name. Contact info is available here- Contact Us - City of Bolivar, Missouri Granny
Stop caring what people do with a weed in the ground!!! I can't believe he isn't suing for illegal search and harassment because claiming to smell raw cannabis and only finding capsules is straight bullshit!
I did a comment on the story, and I'm getting a fair amount of "Thumb ups" on it. "Threatening a dying man for daring to use a herbal medicine to ease his pain! They weren't there to give him a "get well" card! Is this how the cops "protect and serve"?" 223 thumbs up to 9 thumbs down. Not a bad ratio. Granny
There must not be any real criminal activity in Springfield. Don't cops get enough bad press without stupidly bringing more upon themselves? Barney Fife syndrome is real.
Wow what absolute cunts those pigs were. Power tripping at its finest right there. Sent from my SM-G950F using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Plenty of meth riddled places in Springfield, i mean Missouri. I live here. Leave cannabis users alone. Do your job.
I noticed alot of homeless/hitchhikers downtown when I was there. Makes sense since there's massive loads of trucking going on, think there's a turnpike there. So basically a hub for drugs, and transient folk.
These sort of things tend to come back on people. Whoever was in charge of this decision to do this to a "criminal" who is trying to ease his suffering, I sure hope they will not be able to do this again.
I saw this article the other day myself. Terrible just terrible. And my understanding is someone from the hospital called the police on him. As a male nurse myself, it was probably some bitch mean nurse who went into healthcare because there weren't enough teaching jobs being offered... bitches
He is stage 4... he is DYING! Let the man have some dignity... jesus. Nurse bitches... I hope that hospital burns down with the bitch nurses inside
"Threatening a dying man for daring to use a herbal medicine to ease his pain! They weren't there to give him a "get well" card! Is this how the cops "protect and serve"?" That fact that this happened at all makes me so sick to my stomach. What a shit hole we are leaving for our children to deal with. Im disgusted with humanity because we are far from human more then not.. Sent from my screen to yours!