A sexagenarian farmer caught in possession of a stash of marijuana said the drugs were for his pigs, narcotics officers said in a statement Monday.
Officers from the Federal Drug Control Service in the Rostov region found 1.2 kilograms (42 ounces) of marijuana in the trunk of the 66-year-old pig farmer's car, along with a few hemp seeds, the statement said.
The man said that he had prepared the marijuana from wild-growing hemp for his sickly swine, and insisted its usage was strictly for medicinal purposes. It was not immediately clear what health problems the pigs had.
Though the farmer told police he does not use the marijuana, investigators have ordered him to undergo toxicological tests.
The man is currently under oath not to leave the area, the Lenta.ru news website reported. If charged and found guilty of possession of drugs, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
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