Banda Sues State Over Her Drug Arrest
Garden City, KS (westernkansasnews.com) Leading cannabis and medical marijuana advocate Shona Banda of Garden City has confirmed on her facebook page that she is suing the state and Department of Children and Families for her arrest on charges for possession of both cannabis and marijuana with intent to distribute. Banda if convicted could face a maximum sentence of up to thirty years in prison.
The attorney representing Banda, Sarah Swain of Lawrence shared the link to a news report on facebook Friday, but said the initial report was inaccurate because they had not yet filed the papers to initiate the lawsuit.
Swain claims her client’s civil rights were violated when police used information obtained during an interrogation of Banda’s 11 year old son to arrest her client. Banda says she needs cannabis to help with symptoms of Crohn’s Disease.
Banda is scheduled to make her next appearance in a Finney County courtroom August 24th. It’s unclear when Banda’s lawsuit against the state will be taken up by a federal judge. Swain’s office says the attorney was arguing another case and could not be reached for comment on Friday. Several attempts to reach Swain were unsuccessful.
Attorney Sarah Swain on left with Shona Banda on right
