[rescue] OT: response to "small town"

[Phil Stracchino]

Jonathan C. Patschke wrote:
> Execpt that if any of those plants are growing on your property without
> your knowledge[0] or use or cultivation, you are just as "guilty" as
> someone with a "mad stash" to sell.  As far as I've been able to find,
> it's legal to -use- the stuff (provided you can do so without possessing
> it--an impressive feat!); the laws prohibit the possession and sale of
> it.
> 
> 
> [0] It does happen out here.  Occasionally the state police will raid a
>      farmer who unfortunately had some pop up in a back pasture.

California is known for raiding just on suspicion that there *might* be
some growing in a back pasture.


There was a notorious case on this a while ago.  Old guy had a big ranch
someplace in Southern California.  Department of Parks & Recreation
wanted it to add to a state park, but he didn't want to sell.  So the
local Sheriff's department got an "anonymous tip" phoned in that said he
was growing weed.  They made a no-knock raid, siezed the place under
civil forfeiture, I don't remember whether he had a heart attack or got
shot in the raid.  Oops.  There turned out to be no drugs, but, well, he
was dead then, and unable to petition to get his ranch back, so it ended
up getting turned over to ... you guessed it, Parks & Recreation.

Phone company records turned out to show that the "anonymous tip" was
phoned in from a pay phone, which just happened to be more or less right
outside the sheriff's department.

This is as I heard it.  I don't remember original sources or references
at this point.



-- 
 Phil Stracchino       phil.stracchino at speakeasy.net
    Renaissance Man, Unix generalist, Perl hacker
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