A Texas teenager faces five years to life in prison for making pot brownies with the wrong ingredient, KUTV reported.
Jacob Lavoro was arrested for making and selling pot brownies and cookies. But instead of being charged with a misdemeanor, the 19-year-old is facing life in prison because he made the brownies with hash oil, which has a higher concentration of THC, instead of using solid marijuana.
"Possession of the smallest amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor. Possession of the tiniest amount of hash even a gram is a state jail felony," Jamie Spencer, legal counsel for Texas NORML, which advocates for pot legalization, told KUTV.
Police confiscated 1.5 pounds of brownies from Lavoro. According to an affidavit, the teen's recipe consisted of coconut oil, marijuana and hash oil, which comes from the flowers of a marijuana plant and has a higher concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is a chemical that stimulates the brain cells and causes the release of dopamine, which triggers a sense of happiness, according to Live Science.
Because using hash is a felony, state police are allowed to include the brownie's entire weight, including the sugar, butter and other brownie ingredients, KUTV reported. With the 1.5 pounds, Lavoro faces a punishment of at least five years.
"That's higher than the punishment range for sexual assault, higher than the punishment range for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. It's kind of crazy," Spencer told the station.
It is not yet clear who Lavoro's attorney is, according to the station. Lavoro, who has no criminal record, is being held on $30,000 bond at the Williamson county jail.
"This case is the perfect example of the insanity of Texas' drug laws," Spencer told KUTV. "Especially when it comes to marijuana or anything where the active ingredient is THC."
