Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A Duncan teen who was pulled over for speeding had charges referred to juvenile probation after pot brownies and a mason jar with marijuana and a glass pipe were found in the car he was driving.
The youth was pulled over by Safford officers working as a two-man unit on April 30 at about 9:11 p.m. after the officers clocked the juvenile speeding at about 67 mph in a 55 mph-zone on U.S. Highway 70. The officers reportedly were traveling westbound around milepost 341 when the juvenile’s car passed by in the opposite direction.
During the traffic stop, the driver was asked permission to search the car. The driver said it belonged to his father, so the officer would have to ask him. The officer then had the youth call his father on speakerphone and the owner said he didn’t have a problem with a search, according to the officer’s report.
The officer then located three individually wrapped chocolate brownies that the officer believed smelled of marijuana. After initially advising that his grandmother had baked the brownies, the juvenile then admitted the brownies contained marijuana. A mason jar with marijuana and glass pipe was located in a backpack in the back seat of the vehicle, and the driver took ownership of those items as well. A juvenile passenger denied ownership of anything in the vehicle.
After conducting impairment tests, the registered owner of the vehicle was contacted again and was informed of what was found in his car. The owner allowed the juveniles to drive the car back to him in Duncan, and after the driver was informed of the juvenile referral, they were released.
Recreational marijuana likely to be on November ballot
This November, Arizonans will likely have a choice to approve recreational marijuana as it did for medical marijuana in 2010.
Organizers for the Smart and Safe Arizona act claim to have roughly 100,000 more signatures than necessary to put the initiative on the ballot. The initiative would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over by allowing for the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis. Current medical marijuana dispensaries would be allowed the first option at recreational sales, with a 16 percent sales tax. While public consumption of marijuana would not be allowed, the act does allow for the private cultivation of up to six plants per person, with a cap of 12 plants per household. First offenses for having more marijuana than in the act or for smoking in public would be classified as petty offenses but rise to misdemeanors for subsequent violations.
The act also allows for edible marijuana products but will limit the amount of THC in each product to 10 milligrams per serving or 100 milligrams per package and will not allow for any edibles that resemble candy.
