Although marijuana is now fully legal in the state of Oregon, there are still some bizarre situations where the cannabis plant can cause the average citizen to catch some unwanted heat from law enforcement.
Just ask 29-year-old Jason Owen of Sandy, who was busted over the weekend by Oregon State Police after he allegedly attempted to use marijuana as currency to purchase a snowmobile.
It seems that Owen found a nice little ditch banger for sale on Craigslist last week, but he was a bit short on the necessary funds to procure it. That is when he devised the brilliant scheme of implementing some old school trader tactics in hopes of convincing the owner to accept a large stash of marijuana in lieu of payment.
We are almost certain Owen felt that he had just schemed up a pretty solid method of alternative financing. The only problem was the snowmobile’s owner just so happened to be an Oregon state trooper.
Once the cop received Owen’s leafy green offer, he contacted his supervisor to determine what course of action the state police should take to handle such an unusual exchange. The two cops eventually contacted the agency’s drug enforcement division, and together they formulated a master plan to take Owen down.
Reports show that the trooper arranged to meet Owen on Saturday at a convenience store in the town of Brooks. As soon as a surveillance team spotted Owen’s truck pulling into the parking lot, a number of squad cars came rushing in to get his attention. It was then the trooper approached the man and informed him that the deal he was trying to make was against the law.
Fortunately, the incident did not result in any criminal charges. Owen, who was found in possession of 1.5 pounds of weed, was issued a citation for a couple of minor marijuana infractions and released. Reports indicate that his vehicle was impounded, only because he had been operating it with a suspended driver’s license.
Oregon State Police want to remind the cannabis community that while marijuana is now legal in Oregon for adults 21 and over, all pot transactions must go through the state’s licensed retailers. And while it is perfectly acceptable to grow up to four cannabis plants for personal use, it is not legal to trade that product for snowmobiles or anything else.
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