I PAID THE IDAHO
Founder and Curator of the USA HEMP MUSEUM
www.hempmuseum.org
I paid the
At the end of what seemed like a couple of hours in the hot sun, the troopers and the pot dog had come up with a small jar of medical marijuana salve I made to use on my hands to prevent skin cancer (which I’ve had twice), a small stub of a medical marijuana cigarette, and some homemade pills containing powdered medical marijuana leaf. I was called back to the car where the pot dog officer was to watch me repack some goods and load the car. I saw him reach into the grass beside the freeway and pull out a small baggie which he asked if it was mine. This got trooper number one excited and he showed me the tiny baggie with another baggie inside and said he could see a crystal inside the bag. I saw nothing, but at age 69, I do use reading glasses for close work. He said he was filming the stop and if I was seen dropping the baggie I was doomed.
I was allowed to put the 350 pounds of hemp exhibits back in the car, whereupon the car was towed and I was placed in handcuffs, read my rights and arrested by the trooper who stopped me.
Off I went to the Bonneville County Jail, just north of
I am a medical marijuana patient in
At the jail, the state trooper called in and a large rollup door opened to let him drive me into a receiving area where I was turned over to the county police for booking into the jail. I was being charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, two charges both misdemeanors that require $300 bond each for me to be released from jail. Luckily, I had been given gas and lodging money by the Bozeman Hempfest people and $754 dollars was taken from my wallet and envelopes from my vest so I could post bond, promise to appear in court the next day for arraignment, and be released.
All the possessions I had on my person were recorded and bagged right down to my suspenders. I answered questions about my medical history, signed forms for the next hour. Next I was placed in a holding cell with glass door and windows so that I could see others in the jail. In all, I saw seven other inmates in other holding cells. After another hour passed I was called out (the door magically unlocked) and told to sit on a chair below the command center which was a couple of steps higher than the cell level.
I was sitting just outside a holding cell where I could hear moaning and other noises coming from within. This is where Jeff was being held. I knew his name because the jail nurse came pushing a large cart that was parked in front of me and started getting medication for Jeff. She called for an officer to open the door of Jeff’s cell. “Did you bring my meds,” Jeff said. The nurse then proceeded to tell Jeff the names of the medications she had brought. I had never heard of any of the drugs she named, but she did say to Jeff he would only get half a dose because it was for psychiatric problems.
Another hour passed during which I had my picture taken. Then it was Jeff’s turn to be fingerprinted and photographed. Jeff was much bigger than the deputy who was escorting him, but the deputy was talking and making friends with Jeff. “Are you doing ok on those meds Jeff,” he said. Jeff passed me and we shook hands. I heard Jeff say to the deputy as he was being fingerprinted just around the corner, “The meds help, but what I really need is a big fat joint.” And that really made me smile.
When I was ready to leave, Jeff was standing by the window in his cell looking at me as I put on my Tilley hat decorated with pot leaf pins. “Where you going,” Jeff yelled. “To
One of the papers I had to sign was a promise to appear in court the next day in
Court was at 1:00pm and a much shorter walk so I was very early. I walked along the Snake River Greenbelt behind the falls that give Idaho Falls its name for what seemed like a couple of miles. I was happy I wasn’t sore from the night before.
At court we were instructed that some of us were eligible for an early resolution conference with the prosecutor, a new program for the county. My name was called. I wanted him to drop the charges, but early resolution means you plead guilty to something, you pay the tax, court costs and fees and they let you go. I plead guilty to possession. He made it clear, and so did the judge, that no amount of marijuana was legal in
Moral of the story is if you drive through
Back to work!
