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GoogleStuart Barton pleaded guilty Thursday in Plymouth County District Court to two counts of delivery of methadone, a class C felony.
A third charge, a class B felony for ongoing criminal conduct, was not addressed in the plea agreement.
During the plea taking, Barton confessed that twice -- in November 2008 and January 2009 -- he gave some of his prescription methadone to Justin Bringman, 18, of Akron, in exchange for a bag of marijuana.
"I was trying to wean myself off of the drug (methadone)," Barton told Judge John Ackerman.
Following the second incident, 20-year-old Nicholas Clay, of Akron, who had been present at the trade, died of a methadone overdose after taking methadone he received from Bringman, according to court documents.
Bringman pleaded guilty in August to delivering methadone to Clay and was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Barton's defense attorney, Dewey Sloan, argued Thursday that his client, who has AIDS, emphysema and a three-year life expectancy, should receive a deferred or suspended sentence and remain out of jail under close supervision.
Barton appeared in court wearing a respiratory mask, telling the judge he was recently released from the hospital after being treated for pneumonia and other respiratory issues.
Plymouth County Attorney Darin Raymond, prosecuting attorney, argued Barton should serve two 10-year sentences consecutively for a total of 20 years in prison.
Judge Ackerman told Barton he presented a difficult case in terms of choosing an appropriate sentence because of Barton's health conditions.
"There has to be some punishment," he said. "What you did resulted in the death of a human being."
He ordered Barton to serve the two 10-year sentences concurrently, or at the same time, and chose not to impose a minimum sentence.
"Although it took you a long time to come here and plead guilty and although you didn't quite come clean in my opinion to exactly what you did, you are coming here and pleading guilty and finally facing up to the facts," Ackerman said.
He suspended the $1,000 fine for both counts, saying that, given Barton's medical and financial condition, there were not appropriate in this case.
In court, Barton offered his condolences to Clay's family.
"I'm real sorry," he said. "I didn't even know the guy."
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This is one of the most saddest stories I have read in long time. One young man dies from an overdose, another is looking at death in the face and a 10 year prison term. Using marijuana to wean off methadone? That's a new one. Methadone is usually used to wean off morphine, fentanyl, oxycontin and percocet. Then after time take less methadone until your body does not crave for it anymore. However 13 states have approved the legal usage of medical marijuana for AIDS patients to take for neuropathic pain, mood disturbance, physical disability and improved quality of life, not to mention an increase of appetite. Once again, a sad story
Dale Gieringer's and Dr. Tod Mikuriya's work documenting the conditions suffered by 2,480 California patients surveyed, which showed:
4.6% = Nausea / Appetite Loss (AIDS, hepatitis, cancer chemotherapy, etc.)
9.2% = Spasms / Convulsions (brain injury, epilepsy, paralysis, multiple sclerosis, Tourette's syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.)
7.2% = Migraines / Neuralgias (migraine, neuropathy, amputation "phantom pain", etc.)
17.5% = Arthritis (fibromyalgia, lupus, etc.)
14.8% = Spinal / Skeletal (scoliosis, spinal stenosis, crushed vertebrae, degenerative disc disease, etc.)
2.3% = Traumatic injury (sprain, whiplash, carpal tunnel, etc.)
2.7% = Gastro-intestinal disorders (GERD, ulcers, Crohn's disease, etc.)
1.2% = Other inflammatory diseases (endometriosis, pruritis, etc.)
26.6% = Mood disorders (PTSD, depression, anxiety, ADD, OCD, etc.)
2.9% = Insomnia
5.5% = Substitution (alcoholism, heroin dependence, etc.)
1.0% = Glaucoma and eye diseases
2.1% = Asthma
2.5% = Miscellaneous (PMS, chronic fatigue, Lyme disease, etc.)
Ever wonder why Marinol is filled with THC and no other cannabinoids?
They basically strip away all the therapeutic properties of cannabis and overload this pill with the main PSYCHOACTIVE ingredient of cannabis and call it medication.
What is wrong with this?
If Marijuana has no medicinal value, why is the medical community trying to make a synthetic medicine from the healing properties of this plant?
What becomes of Justin Bringman? He bought the methadone from Barton, what becomes of Justin Bringman?
He was already sentenced to 10 years as well. He pled guilty. This drug is the same one that killed Anna Nicole Smiths son as well. Highly potent when taking with alcohol or mixed with any other drugs. If someone is on this, chances are he had a heroin or other hard drug addiction he is trying to kick. Sad, sad story. 3 lives ruined.
Methadone, oxycotin, fentanly, they are all killers, yet the drug companies make a fortune selling them. Fentanly is so strong and is considered as prescription legal herion, that it take 2-3 weeks to overcome the withdraws. The perfered drug used to be methadone to help with withdraw symptoms. But now with the 13 states that have legalized medical marijuana for medical pain relief, Doctors are prescribing it for narcodic withdraws. The American Medical Association have asked the Government to reverse their policy on marijuana, by having it removed from the Schedule 1 drug classification. They are also requesting that our government persue further research on the medical possiblities. A little late in regards to this very sad story.