Drugs confusion: woman arrested for asking if she could carry marijuana in police car

The confused and absurd US drugs policy (plus stupidity) has caused a woman in West Volusia, Florida, to be arrested. An “extermely intoxicated” Michelle Sanford tried to take marijuana into the patrol car of a sergeant who offered her a ride to a safe place.

The officer, who was responding to reports of a domestic row between Sandford, 36, and her boyfriend, first told her that carrying her open bottle of booze in his car was against the rules.

At which point Sanford’s boyfriend, Thomas Laudenslager, 46, piped up:

“Why don’t you take your weed with you?”

Sanford thought this a good idea. She asked the sergeant if she could take her marijuana in the car and smoke a joint at her father’s house. Sanford then showed her stash to the sergeant, was arrested and charged with possession of paraphernalia and a misdemeanor drug offence.



Sandford is clearly an idiot. Asked why she had shown the police her weed, she explained: “It’s just weed and he might be cool with it.”

And we can see her point. Florida is debating rules that would allow the ill to carry and use medical marijuana. A petition seeks to allow “registered patients and designated caregivers to purchase, acquire, and possess medical-grade marijuana subject to specified requirements.”

Sandford would be able to carry weed so long as was for her own or her father’s medical use. But what about if she were in another part of the US? And who decides what conditions are and are not helped by marijuana?

Although cannabis remains illegal on the federal level in the United States, some individual states have legalized cannabis for valid medical purposes (and two states, Washington and Colorado, have legalized cannabis both medically and recreationally).

What constitutes a medical need is inconsistent. Sandford might argue that weed chills her out, reduces anxiety and pain.

In Vermont, you can legally carry weed to treet: Cancer, AIDS/HIV, Multiple sclerosis, Cachexia (wasting syndrome), Severe pain, Nausea and Seizures. In Rhode Island, you can add Crohn’s disease and Alzheimer’s to the list. In other states, you can legally buy weed to treet: Parkinson’s disease (Mass.), Inflammatory bowel disease (Maine), Sjogren’s syndrome, Lupus, Interstitial cystitis, Myasthenia gravis, Hydrocephalus and Nail-patella syndrome (all Illinois) and pain (Arizona).

You don’t have to be stupid, drunk to stoned to fall foul of the ludicrous US drugs policy…

Anorak

Posted: 29th, March 2015 | In: Reviews Comments (10) | TrackBack | Permalink