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MISSOULA- Defense attorneys for the former University of Montana football player Jason Washington and the six others co-defendants in his case asked the judge to continue the trial date for another six months on Tuesday.

They said the case is just too complex and involves multiple disks with video surveillance, wire taps and thousands of pages of materials.

Defense attorney Milton Datsopoulos spoke on behalf of the nine other attorneys and their seven clients, when he asked federal court Judge Dana Christensen to continue the trial until after September 30, 2012.

"Thousands and thousands of pages of investigatory material. Interviews, wire tap, surveillance tapes," Datsopoulos said in court.

He added there's about a year's worth of materials from a federal investigation.

"It's now a matter of us trying to get a handle on what happened here and why it happened, and why are people that are not normally looked at as criminals, being treated as criminals," said Datsopoulos.

The case involves possession, manufacture and distribution of marijuana and centers around former Griz Quarterback Jason Washington and his medical marijuana business Big Sky Health. His business was among several dispensaries raided by federal agents last November.

"Montana seems to be the poster child on the part of the federal government attacking the state's marijuana laws," said Datsopoulos.

Prosecutors also charged Steven Sann, Darin Mower, Christopher Cronshaw, Gregory Zuckert, Jesse Shewalter and Lisa Flemming in connection to the alleged drug crimes.

The defense said its clients followed state law and if they knew they would face federal prosecution then they wouldn't have gotten involved in the medical marijuana business.

The defense also says more than 100 other people may be involved and some could also face charges.

"They've already indicated on certain occasions they're not willing to talk to us because that may incriminate them, which then again blocks our ability to affectively prepare a defense," Datsopoulos said.

The specific details of this case haven't been released yet.

During Tuesday morning's court hearing prosecutors didn't object to continuing the trial date, so the judge granted the extension. No specific date was set, but the Judge Christensen said he'd like to set it for early October.

Jason Washington was not at the hearing, but his attorney says Washington didn't have to be there and that he was in California with his family.