Marijuana Blog

Cops Total BMW Looking for Marijuana That Never Was

Category: News | Posted on Mon, January, 2nd 2012 by THCFinder

I’ve heard of someone’s drug-related past causing problems later in life, but seriously?

On September 23rd, Darren Richardson was pulled over by the Pompton Lakes, New Jersey police department, reportedly after almost causing a traffic accident. When Lt. Moises Agosto's police dog did a cursory check of Richardson’s 6-year-old BMW 325i, it was determined that the vehicle had a “strong odor of raw marijuana” eminating from its trunk. Lt. Agosto called to have the vehicle impounded for further inspection.

I can understand the initial concern, given that Richardson, 28, had previously served two years in prison over an earlier drug charge. Richardson himself admits that he “doesn’t trust cops” and had argued a bit with Lt. Agosto. “The way they were acting, their whole demeanor, and the way I was antagonizing them,” said Richardson, “I knew they were going to mess with me.”

Richardson and his passenger were initially handcuffed and jailed for evidence tampering and resisting arrest - likely based on their forceful arguing with Lt. Agosto. Richardson’s passenger further received charges of terrorist threats. These serious charges were later downgraded to disorderly conduct.

I’m sure Richardson never expected what he saw, three weeks later, when he was called to pick up his BMW. The car’s instrument panel and dashboard were missing, and the gearshift had been literally torn from its housing. Car seats had been cut into. In fact, so much damage had been done to the BMW by three separate police agencies (and a federal drug task force agent) that Richardson’s insurance company, GEICO, has declared the vehicle totalled.

So, given the estimated $12,636.42 in damage done tearing apart Richardson’s car for pot, what did law enforcement find?

Nothing. Not one wrapped bundle of Maui Wowie, or a single seedy brick of Skunk Weed. Not one dime baggie or even a half-smoked joint of backyard bud. Nada.

Understandably, last week Richardson filed a claim against the police department, and GEICO is within its rights to follow suit with their own case. Pomptom Lakes officials have stated that they initially tried to compensate Richardson directly; however, once GEICO got involved, things got complicated.

“This is a great illustration of the costs of this kind of law enforcement,” said New Jersey ACLU Executive Director Deborah Jacobs. Other law enforcement and legal experts agree that the Pompton Lakes Police Department search was overzealous, to say the least. An internal affairs investigation of the Department’s practices has been launched.

(Source) http://technorati.com

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Stoned as...

Category: Fun | Posted on Sun, January, 1st 2012 by THCFinder

How did they know?

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Toker smoke skill

Category: Fun | Posted on Fri, December, 30th 2011 by THCFinder

Show us your skill!

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States that legalized medical pot see decrease in traffic fatalities

Category: News | Posted on Fri, December, 30th 2011 by THCFinder

MISSOULA — States like Montana that have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana have seen a decrease in traffic fatalities and a reduction in beer sales, a new study has found.

A report authored by D. Mark Anderson, a Montana State University economics professor, and Daniel Rees, a professor at the University of Colorado Denver, discovered a 9 percent decrease in traffic fatalities in states that passed laws legalizing medical marijuana. The study points to marijuana as a substitute drug for alcohol.

So far, 16 states have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana. Surveys show that residents in these states are reporting consuming less alcohol and retailers are reporting a 5 percent reduction in alcohol sales.

“That was really compelling,” Anderson said. “It’s data that either wasn’t analyzed or isn’t analyzed as frequently as it should be.”

Most of the data collected between 1990 and 2009 came from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The study includes the 13 states that had passed medical marijuana laws before 2009.

The study was posted on the Institute for the Study of Labor at the end of November.

The research idea came to Anderson a year ago as he watched medical marijuana dispensaries spring up along Grand Avenue in Billings and saw the issue in the news.

“It seems like there would be spillover effects that would affect more than just the card-carrying users,” he said. “With all the publicity that medical marijuana had been receiving, especially in states like Montana, it was hard to miss.”

A portion of the study examines alcohol consumption and marijuana consumption in three states: Montana, Rhode Island and Vermont. In Montana and Rhode Island, the authors found that the passage of laws legalizing medical marijuana led to increased marijuana use among adults in these states.

In Montana, marijuana use rose 19 percent among people ages 18-25 after medical marijuana was legalized.

While not all traffic fatalities are alcohol related, the study found that these kinds of traffic deaths decreased significantly. Traffic fatalities on the weekends and at night, when many alcohol-related traffic deaths occur, decreased after laws legalizing medical marijuana were passed, the study found.

In addition, the researchers found that beer sales in these states dipped 5 percent after medical marijuana was legalized.

Anderson recognizes that it’s possible that residents in these states are driving less. And the study doesn’t say that medical marijuana laws cause a drop in traffic fatalities.

Researchers also aren’t saying that smoking marijuana impairs drivers less than alcohol, but “it could be that,” Anderson said. “We’re saying our results would be consistent with that.”

The study has been receiving mixed reviews since it was first presented to the public. Not everyone agrees with its findings. The study is under review by the Journal of Law and Economics.

“We are hoping it will stimulate some kind of policy discussion beyond what’s discussed in the press,” Anderson said. “That’s the goal of doing this research. Hopefully when states decide whether to legalize medical marijuana or decide to go back on legalizing it, that this will be some research that will be included in the discussion.”

(Source) http://billingsgazette.com

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