Shona Banda, a well-known advocate of medicinal marijuana, pleaded not guilty to drug and child endangerment charges Friday during an arraignment and pretrial conference at the Finney County Courthouse, where two doctors well-known in the field of cannabis also testified.
As the Garden City Telegram reports, Banda is charged with endangering a child, distribution or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of school property, unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges that stem from a March 2015 investigation by the Department of Children and Families and the Garden City Police Department after Banda’s then 11-year-old son allegedly told school officials that his mother was an avid user of marijuana, which resulted in his removal from Banda’s custody.
Chief District Judge Wendel Wurst made no finding on whether the two doctors’ testimony would be admissible in Banda’s upcoming trial and scheduled a pretrial conference at 1 p.m. on May 12.