Colorado is generating millions of dollars in tax revenue thanks to the state’s legalization of marijuana. Meanwhile 700 miles away in Texas, 19 year old Jacob Lavoro is facing life in prison for having made pot brownies.

“I’m scared. Very scared,” said Lavoro. “I’m 19 years old and still have a whole life ahead of me.”

Last April, neighbors called and complained about the smell of smoke coming from Lavoro’s apartment. When police arrived at the scene, they found the pot brownies, a jar of hash oil, and cash in the apartment. They arrested the teenager and charged him with having a pound and possessing a pound and a half of drugs with the intent to sell.

Lavoro’s lawyer, Jack Holmes, told the Associated Press that the brownies in question barely had any TCH in the form of the hash oil, and were definitely not enough to justify the tough sentence hanging over the teenager’s head.

“There was a total amount of 2.5 grams of THC found in all of that stuff. I expected a little bit more out of it, but that’s what it is,” said Holmes. “That’s about the equivalent to two and a half of those sugar things you find at a restaurant when you sit down.”

As the charges stand now, Lavoro could face anywhere between 10 years in prison to life if convicted.

Such an incident seems incredibly strange at a time when most of the United States is undergoing a paradigm shift culturally. To date, 23 states have adopted medical marijuana laws, with several others considering making the change.

The entire affair seems strange considering how a simple change in legislature could prevent teenagers from getting thrown in prison, and simultaneously allow the state to collect millions in sales and excise taxes.