A group of sign-waving supporters gathered outside the Henderson County Courthouse Monday morning to protest criminal charges against a man who sold cannabis out of his Fletcher home.


Todd Stimson said he started the Blue Ridge Medical Cannabis Research Corporation in 2011. 


He said in July 2013, law officers raided his business, seized his plants and charged him with criminal possession of marijuana and trafficking marijuana.


Stimson said he has paid $15,000 to the North Carolina Department of Revenue to operate the business and secure an “art of healing.”  Stimson also said he has paid the state $12,000 for the tax stamps required when selling “unauthorized substances.”


Before Stimson’s court appearance, he stood with supporters outside the courthouse.  Supporters said it wasn’t fair that the state would accept Stimson’s money to run operate but also criminalize his business.


After Stimson’s arrest last year, Henderson County District Attorney Greg Newman told WYFF “It’s common for the state to assess a tax on people facing drug charges based on the amount they’re accused of selling, using or distributing.”  Newman said the way to change the law is through legislation not the court system.


WYFF has contacted the NC Department of Revenue for more answers.