HILO — Jury selection was to begin Monday in the trial of longtime marijuana activist Mike Ruggles, accused by authorities of operating an unlicensed medical cannabis dispensary at his Fern Acres home.
Instead, the jury pool of 60 individuals was dismissed by Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura, and Ruggles’ trial was re-scheduled for March 4, 2019, almost nine months from now.
The 61-year-old Ruggles is charged with first- and second-degree commercial promotion of marijuana, first-degree promotion of a detrimental drug, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, and prohibited possession of an ammunition magazine with a capacity in excess of 10 rounds.
That’s far fewer than the 31 criminal charges Ruggles, the father of County Councilwoman Jen Ruggles, originally faced after police served a search warrant on Ruggles’ Pikake Street home on Sept. 10, 2015.
Officers reportedly confiscated 134 marijuana plants, 49.3 pounds of dried processed marijuana, 1.2 pounds and 357 capsules of suspected marijuana concentrate, 5.5 pounds of marijuana edibles, a loaded shotgun, a loaded pistol, a 15-round magazine for a pistol and $1,486 in cash.
The search warrant came five days after an undercover officer bought about 1 1/2 ounces of marijuana and a vaping device with a vial of marijuana concentrate from Ruggles, police said.
Ruggles pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains his Alternative Pain Management Pu‘uhonua Collective was not a dispensary, but a legal way for medical marijuana patients to obtain their medicine.
About two dozen of Ruggles’ supporters, including Jen Ruggles, were on hand Monday.
Ruggles is free on $36,000 bail.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
