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Man's Texas arrest shows conflicts over medical marijuana

A California man is facing possible prison time in Texas after he was arrested while carrying his supply of medical marijuana as he drove to Houston to visit his hospitalized granddaughter.  Phillip Blanton's case is an example of the nation's conflicting attitudes toward marijuana.

Medical marijuana is legal in 28 states and the District of Columbia. In 2015, Texas passed a law letting patients with a rare form of epilepsy be legally treated with a compound found in the marijuana plant.

Blanton says he'd brought his supply of medical marijuana to treat chronic pain he suffers as a polio survivor. Medical marijuana is legal in Blanton's home state of California.

Authorities in Wise County near Fort Worth are still deciding whether to prosecute Blanton's case.

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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.