MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a request by a former medical marijuana provider to be released from probation early so he could rebuild his career and visit his ailing mother without travel restrictions.

Thomas Daubert, a lobbyist and consultant who helped draft Montana's 2004 medical marijuana ballot initiative, was a founder of a medical marijuana business that was shut down during a statewide crackdown in 2011. In September 2012, Daubert was sentenced to five years on probation for maintaining a drug-involved premises.

Last month, Daubert asked for his probation to be lifted.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen denied his request. The Missoulian reports (http://bit.ly/1hqBFvh ) Christensen noted that Daubert was granted leniency in his original sentencing and that he can still obtain permission to travel to Pennsylvania to care for his mother.

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