Thomas Wease, from delightfully named Grass Valley, CA, was told by his doctor that he could grow medical marijuana reports the AP. But after he grew about a ton of the controlled substance, he decided to call the cops and find out if it was legal. Apparently, it wasn’t.

Wease says he called the sheriff’s office to find out just how much pot he could grow. Wease says he would have taken a machete and chopped down the excess weed himself, had somebody told him to do so.

Wease says he has a doctor’s marijuana recommendation for his bad back. He adds he was also growing the weed for more than 20 other medical marijuana users. Wease was busted on suspicion of illegal cultivation and possession for sale.