Mother says Sonic served her family a bag of marijuana with their meal

Can anyone say ...................... "Lawsuit?" It's the American Way ............... Dumb old me, on a plane once, out of Chicago, got my free airline bag of peanuts ... took a mouthful, chomped down, ouch, there was a metal screw .... could have choked, swallowed it, could have been bad. Did nothing .... dumb old me.

A woman in Frederick, Maryland was shocked and concerned when she found a bag of marijuana mixed in with her family’s drive-thru meal.

As reported by The Frederick News-Post, Carla McFarland took her two children, a 6-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, to get a special treat: a meal at Sonic. On Wednesday, the family rolled through the drive-thru and McFarland passed her children their chicken strips and french fries, then reached into the bag for her own food. That’s when she discovered a small plastic bag of what looked like marijuana, in with her french fries.

“I just kind of sat there in my car in shock,” McFarland said. “I kept thinking, what if my kids had eaten it?” The mother called the police and notified Sonic’s management. They were apologetic and the customer’s meal was remade at no charge. “I definitely can't say that they didn't go out of their way,” said McFarland. “I honestly think they were more in shock than I was.”

A Sonic employee eventually admitted that the marijuana was hers and guessed that the bag slipped out of her apron at some point. That fast food worker was fired and McFarland was notified. John Louderback, the franchisee of the Sonic location, told the paper that the incident is under investigation and did not speak about the employee drug-testing policies of the restaurant.

Lieutenant Jennifer Bailey, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said that the case was under investigation and no arrests had yet been made. The bag was seized by deputies but it is unknown if the contents were tested to confirm it was marijuana.

Ms. McFarland decided to post her experience on Facebook and the story drew laughs from some of her friends. The mother was not laughing though. “I think that's why everyone thinks it's so funny, because it's marijuana and it's going to be legalized,” McFarland said. “It could have been crack. It could have been cocaine in that little baggie.”

A sign of the times .................

DENVER (AP) — Pot at the county fair? Why not?

Colorado's Denver County is adding cannabis-themed contests to its 2014 summer fair. It's the first time pot plants will stand alongside tomato plants and homemade jam in competition for a blue ribbon.

There won't actually be any marijuana at the fairgrounds. The judging will be done off-site, with photos showing the winning entries. And a live joint-rolling contest will be done with oregano, not pot.

But county fair organizers say the marijuana categories will add a fun twist on Denver's already-quirky county fair, which includes a drag queen pageant and a contest for dioramas made with Peeps candies.

"We thought it was time for us to take that leap and represent one of the things Denver has going on," said Tracy Weil, the fair's marketing and creative director.

The nine marijuana categories include live plants and clones, plus contests for marijuana-infused brownies and savory foods. Homemade bongs, homemade roach clips and clothing and fabric made with hemp round out the categories.

An employee weighs portions of retail marijuana to be packaged and sold at 3D Cannabis Center in Den …

Judges will look only at plant quality, not the potency or quality of the drugs they produce. Other contests — patterned after Amsterdam's famed Cannabis Cup — already gauge drug quality and flavor.

Top prize is $20, plus of course a blue ribbon. The fair already has a green ribbon — awarded for using environmentally conscious methods.

Family-owned Colorado. marijuana shop wants to become 'Costco of weed'

"Smoke Dreams"

The pot business is booming in Colorado, and the owners of one of the state’s largest marijuana dispensaries have big plans: to become the "Costco of weed."

According to the Denver Post's Cannabist, members of the Williams family, who own the Medicine Man in northeast Denver, are embarking on a $2.6 million expansion including a retail space "all in white like an Apple store."

Their current headquarters — located in Denver's Montbello neighborhood, now dubbed "Potbello" — includes bulletproof glass, armed security guards, 65 video cameras and a $35,000 charcoal air filtration system that is supposed to eliminate the pot smell coming from the building.

“We really are trying to industrialize a hippie process,” Pete Williams told the paper.

The Medicine Man opened in 2010 and quickly became one the state's largest dispensaries of medical marijuana. According to the Cannabist, the company was the first to apply for a license to distribute recreational marijuana. On Jan. 1 — the first day retail pot sales opened — the store sold 15 pounds of marijuana, taking in close to $100,000. More than 600 customers came through Medicine Man's doors.

“This was one of these great opportunities, like a gold rush,” Williams continued. “We were just kind of pioneers, willing to take that risk.”

Williams said the company recently raised $1.4 million in loans from a marijuana-focused investor group.

I just remember it rained a lot ....

SEATTLE (AP) — A few things will be different at this year's Hempfest, the 22-year-old summer "protestival" on Seattle's waterfront where tens of thousands of revelers gather to use dope openly, listen to music and gaze at the Olympic Mountains in the distance.

The haze of pot smoke might smell a little more like victory, after Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize marijuana use by adults over 21. Having won at the state level, speakers will concentrate on the reform of federal marijuana laws.

Oh, and the Seattle police — who have long turned a lenient eye on Hempfest tokers — don't plan to be writing tickets or making arrests. They'll be busy handing out Doritos.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun," said Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, department spokesman and junk-food-dispenser-in-chief. "It's meant to be ironic. The idea of police passing out Doritos at a festival that celebrates pot, we're sure, is going to generate some buzz."

The idea isn't just to satisfy some munchies. The department has affixed labels to 1,000 bags of Doritos urging people to check out a question-and-answer post on its website, titled "Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle." It explains some of the nuances of Washington's law: that adults can possess up to an ounce but can't sell it or give it away, that driving under the influence of pot is illegal, and that — festivals aside — public use is illegal.

Organizers are expecting as many as 85,000 people each day of the three-day event, which begins Friday and is the first Hempfest since voters passed Initiative 502 last fall.

Four tons of marijuana found floating off Southern California coast

Four tons of marijuana in large bales were found bobbing off the Southern California coast, and authorities are still trying to determine where it came from.

Harbor patrol agents began receiving tips about "suspicious bales" 13 miles offshore near Dana Point, in Orange County around noon on May 20, according to a report from CBS Los Angeles.

The Coast Guard, Orange County Sheriff's Department and U.S. Border Patrol hauled in some 160 bales or 7,623 pounds of marijuana. Border Patrol agents said the bales had a street value of $3.6 million.

So far, there have been no arrests, and there were no suspect vessels sighted near the area where the dumping occurred.

Border Patrol spokesman Michael Jimenez called the incident unusual in the Orange County Register. Typically, bales are found in the water because suspects and boats fleeing from authorities are in a hurry to get rid of them.

Mexico finds 2nd 'pot-catapult'

Mexico finds 2nd 'pot-catapult' used to fling marijuana across border into US

Associated Press

HERMOSILLO, Mexico - Drug smugglers are using an ancient invention as a new way to move marijuana across the border from Mexico to Arizona.

The discovery of two "drug catapults" in the Mexican state of Sonora marks the latest twist in the cat-and-mouse game traffickers play with authorities.

U.S. National Guard troops operating a remote surveillance system at the Naco Border Patrol Station say they observed several people preparing a catapult and launching packages over the fence late last week.

A Mexican army officer says the 3-yard (3-meter) tall catapult was found about 20 yards (20 meters) from the U.S. border on a flatbed towed by a sports utility vehicle.

The officer says the catapult was capable of launching 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of marijuana at a time. He says soldiers seized 35 pounds (16 kilograms) of pot, the vehicle and the catapult.

The smugglers left before they could be captured. The surveillance video of them using the catapult was released Wednesday.

A second catapult was discovered Thursday in near Agua Prieta, another border town. Another army officer in that area said an anonymous tip led soldiers to the scene and the catapult was similar to the first.

Mexican officials say it is the first time they have seen this smuggling method used by local traffickers.

Mexican traffickers have previously used planes, tunnels, vehicles, boats and couriers to smuggle drugs into the United States. Colombian drug traffickers have even used homemade submarines.

Option ONE

A creative school board member in Grove City tried a unique way to generate income for their suspended athletic programs.

GROVE CITY, Ohio —As many as 6,000 marijuana plants were found in a growing operation in Grove City Wednesday evening.

The discovery was made in an area just west of state Route 104 south of Grove City by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration after receiving a tip from a hunter.

A hunter with what is known as a deer camera was reviewing video in preparation for the upcoming deer season when he noticed people on the video going into a remote area.

He thought something was suspicious and contacted police.

The street value of the marijuana is valued at more than $1 million and it’s believed that this was the second crop of the season.