Grandpa arrested with marijuana, in town to help sick granddaughter
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A grandpa was arrested after he was caught with marijuana while traveling from California to Texas to visit his sick granddaughter.
"I'm a grandpa, so I'm thinking like a grandpa," Phillip Blanton said. "I'm thinking, I'm going to help my granddaughter. I'm going to give her some of grandpa's cookies to help her with her nausea and vomiting and the pain from the severe chemotherapy."
The 67-year-old didn't realize that while the medical marijuana is legal in his home state of California, it is illegal in Texas.
"I had it in a bag," he said.
Blanton said he has been using medical marijuana in California for 10 years. He was pulled over by DPS troopers just outside of Dallas.
"They tell me they pull people over from California or Colorado because they're always bringing in drugs into the state," Blanton said.
Troopers found four ounces of marijuana and a bag of marijuana-laced cookies. They also found his gun, which was registered and legal.
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"I'm thinking my God, the gun is far more deadly than the marijuana and cookies," he said. "If you can respect my gun license, why can't you respect my medical license?"
Blanton spent a night in jail before he was released on a $20,000 bond.
"All those guys fell in love with me because I'm grandpa. They took care of me while I was in there," he added. "When I left, they all clapped for me when I left the jail. They all hugged me and said, 'You're our hero because you're doing this for your granddaughter.'"
