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LAW ENFORCEMENT
Police actions, DEA raids, prison stories, seizures, border patrol, arrests
Idaho authorities bust a dozen head shops
Idaho has some of the toughest statutes in the nation regarding paraphernalia and simple pot smoking. Merely being in a place where people smoke pot is a misdemeanor worth 3 months in jail. If you are found to be stoned in public, you can get 6 months in jail. Being caught with a pot pipe (with no pot) can get you a year in prison. If you’re caught with some pot, there’s another year in prison. If you do any of this around a child, the crimes rise to a felony with 5 years in prison. Selling pipes, bongs, grinders, and kief boxes in Idaho is a felony worthy of nine years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Oregon asset forfeiture report shows marijuana reaps biggest windfall for cops
The CJC report offers a number of eye opening facts about asset forfeiture in Oregon. Civil forfeitures outnumbered criminal forfeitures 2-to-1. The vast bulk of defendants in civil forfeiture cases did not have attorneys. Vehicle consent and probable cause made up 37% of the searches. Over $1.1 million in cash was liquidated at judgment in civil cases, compared to just over $70,000 in property sold. Unsurprisingly, marijuana was the most common drug associated with both civil and criminal forfeiture and currency was the most common item seized.
Feds first prosecution of Oregon medical marijuana reveals shocking details
DEA agents photographed 455 large marijuana plants growing at the site and raided the farm on Oct. 5. Agents seized the plants and found 2,000 pounds of semi-dry marijuana in a barn, the affidavit states. Afterward, agents dried the marijuana and found that it weighed 1,022 pounds, the court document says. Agents also found 2,000 pounds of recently harvested buds in an outbuilding and in the back of a 20-foot Mitsubishi box truck, the affidavit says.
DEA forgets locked up 4/20 marijuana smoker for five days with no food and water but with meth!
DEA agents in San Diego conducted a raid late on Friday night, 4/20, as seven college kids were celebrating the marijuana holiday. The feds swooped in and rounded up seven suspects as well as marijuana, ecstasy, mushrooms, “bath salts”, and prescription meds. They took the seven into custody, handcuffed them, and placed them in various holding cells for processing. The only problem was that DEA then only released six of the suspects and completely forgot about 23-year-old Daniel Chong for five days with no food or water.
New Hampshire cops: Only good medical marijuana bill has no marijuana in it
The bill has passed with a veto-proof majority in the House, but lacks three votes it needs to override the governor’s veto in the Senate. And the governor’s veto is a reflection of his support for law enforcement, which has always opposed any reform to marijuana laws in New Hampshire:
“The problem with it overall is it’s a bad bill, and the only way to make it better is to take marijuana out of it,” said Enfield police Chief Richard Crate, a vice president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.
Berkeley Patients Group closes its doors for good
Medical marijuana industry leader Berkeley Patients Group of Berkeley will close its doors at the end of its business day today — and not re-open them. A receptionist there just confirmed the contents of an email sent to collective members this morning, stating: “Today is our last day.”
Wisconsin teen wins $265,000 settlement over public strip-search case
The city of Beloit, WI, has just settled a lawsuit out of court brought by a 16-year-old boy. He was in a parked car with two other boys when police received a call reporting “drug activity”. When the officer noticed a bulge in the teen’s pants during a routine pat down, the teen said it was his genitals.
Drug seizure money and drug testing – the growth industries of the 2010′s
But it’s not always fancy Corvettes and new SUVs that the police departments are buying, like Georgia police that have spent $30 million in drug seizure disbursements to purchase things like laptops and tactical gear. In Fayette County, Georgia, about $115,000 of it was spent flying, feeding, and lodging sheriffs who attended seminars in Georgia, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. In Palatine, Illinois, $65,000 of seized money was approved to purchase new fitness equipment for the police station. And now, in Suffolk County (Long Island) New York, money seized from pot smokers is being used to help parents drug test their kids at home:
Oregon Attorney General Race besieged by medical marijuana questions
Medical marijuana is always an issue for law enforcement in Oregon, so the race for Attorney General may be the most important race for marijuana activists to watch in the state. Recently the two candidates appeared at a debate at Willamette University. The moderator of the debate noted that there were eight separate questions submitted regarding marijuana policy, dominating the submissions.
Eating your marijuana stash to avoid cops requires some planning
So you’re caught by the cops and you have a little weed on you. Thinking about eating it to escape arrest? It’s not as easy as you might think… unless you plan ahead. There’s a reason why some tokers have an obnoxiously-large refill soda mug on them at all times, and it’s not always about [...]