PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal prosecutors have agreed to dismiss a small-time marijuana case against an Oregon teenager following an outcry that got the attention of the state’s congressional delegation.
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In a court filing Thursday, an attorney for 19-year-old Devontre Thomas said the government has agreed to dismiss the charge as long as he works or attends school and doesn’t break any laws for the next two months.
Thomas was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession in April after prosecutors said he bought a gram for $20 from another student at the Chemawa Indian School in Salem.
The case — with its potential for a yearlong jail term — outraged many people in Oregon, which has voted to legalize marijuana for adults.
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley sent a letter to Oregon U.S. Attorney Billy Williams expressing concern about the office’s drug prosecution priorities.
