By, Angela Stelmakowich on TheGrowthOp
An Ohio man’s bid to scarf down the evidence before officers could find out he was packing illegal cannabis failed big time following a recent traffic stop.
According to Cleveland.com, the uncooperative and impaired driver was still busted for the illegal weed after being stopped on Interstate 90 at about 1:41 a.m. last Aug. 20.
Citing the Avon Police Department’s incident blotter, the website reports the man initially caught the eye of patrolling officers for hard-to-miss infractions like running a red light, stopping abruptly in traffic, driving very slowly and weaving within his lane.
After transporting him to the police department and while booking him for the infractions, the man reportedly refused a breath test and was caught eating an unidentified amount of cannabis, according to ENews.
He was later taken to a local jail where a urinalysis test was to be completed, with police reporting charges could be pending.
“Ohio criminalizes possession of marijuana in any amount,” notes information from Joslyn Law Firm.
Specifically, possessing less than 100 grams of weed is a misdemeanour charge punishable with a $195 fine for a first offence. But those caught with more than 100 and less than 200 grams of cannabis still face a misdemeanour charge, but one that carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 days in jail and/or as much as up to a $325 fine.
Any amount over 200 grams spurs a felony offence, with incarceration time, depending on the amount, ranging from one year in jail to a minimum of eight years in prison for possessing 40,000-plus grams of cannabis.
But the Ohio incident is not the first time a driver tried to eat the evidence, however head-shaking that prospect may seem.
In the summer of 2021, again in Ohio, a driver directed to pull over for driving 151 km/h in a 113 km/h zone on Interstate 76 opted to get rid of his bag of cannabis by eating it. Unfortunately, he ended up choking and needed the help of an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, who managed to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre.
“Don’t try to swallow a bag of drugs before getting pulled over in an attempt to keep a trooper from finding them,” advises the common sense OSHP tweet.
The same approach to eliminating the bud occurred in late 2020 in Florida, where medicinal cannabis is legal, but recreational weed is not. Indeed, possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana is a misdemeanour charge punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,300 fine.
The incident involved a 21-year-old man who successfully swallowed his weed, but did not have time to wipe his mouth and face, where officers later “observed small pieces of a green leafy substance.”
In 2018 in Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old driver was charged after he allegedly tried to eat a bag of cannabis. The driver was reportedly charged with marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence after trying to “chew and ingest” the weed.
Fishman Firm reports that recreational cannabis remains illegal in Pennsylvania, with possession of any amount a criminal offence under state law. Possessing 30 grams or less is a misdemeanour carrying a fine and up to 30 days in jail, but possession of more than that amount could lead to thousands of dollars in fine and as long as a year behind bars.
H/T: TheGrowthOp
You can view the whole article at this link Man tries to eat bag of cannabis while in police custody
