Police in Ventura, California, were ordered in December to return 22 marijuana plants they had seized six months earlier.
A judge ruled that the plants should not have been taken and had to be returned to their owner, medical user Mike Loftus.

Although the plants were long since dead and moldy, Loftus was pleased.

"It's a matter of principle," Loftus said. "We have to stand up for our rights."