Flo Matheson, the democratic candidate for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District is in legal trouble after 180 marijuana plants were found growing in a barn behind her house. Matheson denies knowing about the indoor operation built by her friend, Stephen Matheson, whom she let stay in her barn in exchange for work around the house after he became homeless and penniless.
“I had never seen them – I never went back there,” explained the 77-year-old Matheson, who says she smokes 2 to 3 times per week. Flo Matheson also makes oil from leaves given to her by Harrington and says they did not come from the barn behind her house because those plants were not far enough along.
After the search warrant was served, law enforcement also found almost 2 ounces of weed, cash, and a firearm inside of the house. Matheson says that weed did not come from her barn, but from a friend who owed her money. She has no remorse for the legal trouble she is facing.
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“I really do not regret that this happened,” she says. “It’s been a life changing experience for me in that it made me more defiant and determined to try to get these laws changed.” Whether or not this ordeal hurts Matheson’s campaign against U.S. Rep. Diane Black (R- Ten.) remains to be seen, however, Matheson is remaining steadfast in her belief that marijuana laws need reform.
“I don’t feel that bad about breaking a bad law.”
