Pennsylvania governor pardons doctor who grew weed to treat dying wife

Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf pardoned Dr Paul Ezell, 65, on Wednesday, an eye doctor who spent six months in jail in 2014 for growing marijuana, which he used to help his severely ill wife treat chronic pain without the use of addictive opioids.

“Here’s a doctor of 30 years who had not so much as a speeding ticket, and then his whole life is ruined for giving his wife medicine that’s now legal in Pennsylvania,” Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who chairs the state Board of Pardons, said following the announcement.

The pardon clears the way for Mr Ezell, who now manages a sports medicine practice, to reinstate his doctor’s license and begin practicing again. His first priority, however, is pushing for a pardon for his daughter Victoria, a nurse who also lost her license after a 2014 drug bust at the family’s Havertown, Pennsylvania home.