Viral video shows police searching stage 4 cancer patient’s room for cannabis

A man suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer in a Missouri hospital was left feeling shaken and violated last week after police entered and searched his hospital room.

In a video clip that first streamed on Facebook Live last Thursday and has since been viewed over 500,000 times on that platform alone, two police officers enter Nolan Sousley’s hospital room and comb through his bags and belongings.

 

 

The officers claim that are responding to a complaint about a cannabis odour emanating from the room.

Sousley explains that he took some THC pills in the parking lot, was not in possession of flower or any cannabis product that would give off a distinguishable odour.

He was initially hospitalized in Bolivar, Missouri, at Citizens Memorial Hospital after experiencing fevers and night sweats on Tuesday evening.

The following day, Sousley says a hospital security guard came in and asked to search his belongings, claiming he could smell cannabis coming from the room. Sousley declined to allow the guard to search.

Shortly thereafter, police arrive and video shows an officer digging through Sousley’s luggage while anther stands near the foot of his bed.

 

 

“I had some capsules that had some THC oil in them. I took them outside in the parking lot,” Sousley tells police.

One of the cops responds that “If we find marijuana we’ll give you a citation. We’re not taking you down to the county jail. We haven’t found marijuana.”

Sousley then points out that medical cannabis is soon to be legalized in the state.

“It’s still illegal,” one of the officers responds.

“But I don’t have time to wait for that,” says Sousley. “Man, what would you do? Tell me what you’d do.”

The officers ask to look through another bag, but Sousley refuses, saying that it’s his “last hour” bag. He says in a second video that he later allowed one of the officers to search the bag, once everyone else had cleared the room.

The state of Missouri has legalized medical cannabis, but the laws do not take effect until this summer. Until then, possession of cannabis remains illegal.

Bolivar Chief of Police Mark Webb told the Herald Free-Press that the officers at the hospital had received consent to search the room, and that no illegal substances were found in the patient’s possession.

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