Former Alaskan TV Reporter Enters Plea Deal

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]n Alaskan cannabis activist and former TV reporter avoided jail time by making a plea deal with state authorities after being charged for selling cannabis illegally.

Earlier this week on Sept. 10, former Alaskan Cannabis Club (ACC) owner Charlo Greene filed a plea deal for one felony count of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth-degree, and she will pay a $10,000 fine and forfeit the items seized in the raids. The remaining 13 charges will be dropped, and she will not serve jail time. The official sentencing will occur on Nov. 19.

Greene gained notoriety in 2014 when she quit her TV reporter job on live television by stating “F*ck it. I quit.” At the time, she kept her ownership of ACC a secret, and frequently sent from her club to the TV station for coverage. Cannabis coverage was at an all-time high, as Alaska and many other states were gearing up to vote for legalization. “I decided to use my exit as a way to draw as much attention to the vote,” Greene told CULTURE in an exclusive interview. “Knowing I was kamikazeing my own career over this, I wanted to make use of my exit to achieve what I set out to do, which was legalize cannabis in Alaska and make medical marijuana real for all of the patients I serviced.”

In October of 2015, Greene’s business was raided by the Anchorage Police Department and she was charged with 10 felonies and four misdemeanors, equating up to a 54-year sentence. Unfortunately since the state of Alaska had not yet legalized cannabis at the time, it has taken years of legal battles for Greene to get to this point. Local authorities seized computers, vehicles, cannabis product and bank statements. Subsequent raids found over six pounds of cannabis at the location. Even though Greene had stated it was for customers to come consume their own cannabis, later she added that sales were accepted via donation only.

Greene’s journey is a long one, but with her most recent please deal she’s finally near the end. She remains positive through her trials and example, telling Forbes last year that because of her, no one else will have to go through such a process in her state.