Junction City — Authorities have uncovered about 830 pounds of pot during a weekend bust in northeast Kansas.
The Geary County Sheriff's Department said in a news release that a sergeant discovered the marijuana Saturday night after pulling over a tractor-trailer's driver for following another vehicle too closely on Interstate 70.
The release said the sergeant became suspicious after talking to the driver and received permission to search the vehicle.
The bales were found in the cab of the truck in a false-ceiling compartment.
The prosecutor's office said the driver was arrested but that no charges were immediately filed.
The release says the bust is one of the largest in the county's history.
Comments
IndusRiver 2 years, 9 months ago
Just drop it off at my house. I'll smoke it.
rabb 2 years, 9 months ago
Bales of marijuana are typically cheap, low quality, Mexican weed. Just think how many illegals were involved in transporting that "product."
Legalize and keep America working. Surely no one in Lawrence grows.
P.S. The sad part is your lame commentary. Marijuana is no more for kids than is your whiskey.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Just think, if you would quit purchasing an illegal product, you would help stop all the violence associated down in Mexico with the drug trade. You should ask yourself why that isn't an option.
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
Just think; if there weren't ridiculous laws on the books regarding cannabis, people wouldn't have to break the law. Show me one other product that is so incredibly useful and so completely demonized, but has never killed anyone who used it.
I'm so sorry that you find it ok to criminalize people over a plant.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Show me a product that is useful first. Hemp products are legal and are sold in a multitude of stores. It is solely the hallucinogenic use of the product that is illegal. You may wash your hair with all the hemp shampoo you want and then get dressed up in your clothes made from hemp fibers all you want without breaking any law. But that isn't really what people really want to do with Marijuana now is it?
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
yet you cannot grow hemp in the United States. and that's really at the root of why all cannabis is illegal. Corporations have been manipulating government for some time, even back in the 30's.
the hallucinogenic properties of cannabis were demonized in the 20's & 30's because it became associated with Mexicans and blacks; and we all know how popular they were at that time.
Once they government and the lobbyists had scared white America with the "minorities are scary on drugs", they were able to criminalize all cannabis products, including industrial hemp. William Randolph Hearst reaped the direct benefits of that.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Part of what you suggest is true, but it doesn't make it a useful product. The hallucinogenic properties of cannabis are illegal today, because it is a harmful substance. Even if it is a minimal as Tobacco or Alcohol (which I don't believe it is) the use of it as harmful to the user.
Olympics 2 years, 9 months ago
New weed was available on Tuesday.
IndusRiver 2 years, 9 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Good job Geary County Sheriffs department! Maybe the Douglas County Sheriff's department should increase their enforcement a little. This is the time of year where all the local grower's product is about to be harvested. Keep your eyes peeled, its around deputies!
Graczyk 2 years, 9 months ago
Oh no! Pot! Run for the hills!
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
yes, please; spend, spend, spend more money on locking up American citizens for a harmless plant. brilliant!
kernal 2 years, 9 months ago
Don't start harping on the DGSO. The only reason Geary County's Sheriff's Department nailed the driver is because of a moving violation. It's a different arm of law enforcement that ususally goes after pot growers. The DGSO doesn't have the money or the man power nor do most of KS Sheriff departments.
Jcjayhawk1 2 years, 9 months ago
Lets not forget that this is the time of year for DUI's. And don't forget about the 250k people that die each year from alcohol.
And the X number of people that die from Marijuana....oh wait that's 0.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Lets not forget that comparing driving under the influence of alcohol with Marijuana is like comparing murder to 2nd degree murder. They are both illegal and are both harmful to society.
windjammer 2 years, 9 months ago
That statement is debateable.
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
that statement is ignorant
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
practicality, have you ever smoked a joint? of course not, that stick wouldn't be lodged nearly so far up if you had...
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
"practicality, have you ever smoked a joint?"
No, I have not, but I have spent extended time around potheads and I have never seen anything good come from it in their lives.
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
maybe you just knew some lazy, worthless people, who also smoked pot. many cannabis users are lead quite productive and intelligent lives. Your perception is narrow.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Ha, that is hardly what I base my perception on. It is based on scientific research and studies, not a small number of individuals I associated with when I was younger.
Cannabis users harm the people around them by becoming undependable with their behavior, which is dictated by their desire to smoke marijuana no matter what it costs themselves or others. Hardly a intelligent choice or productive way to spend ones time.
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/148013
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
I know all about the farce you people like to refer to as NORML and have posted on it extensively.
Chronic marijuana use may affect the heart's health as well as the brain's. A study published yesterday in the journal Molecular Psychiatry found that chronic marijuana users—those who smoke on average nearly every day—may up their risk of both heart attack and stroke. That finding comes on the heels of a government report that linked pot use to psychiatric problems, including depression.
Compared with non-users of the drug, heavy marijuana smokers in the new study had significantly higher levels of a specific protein in their blood known to increase triglycerides, which are fatty molecules linked to vascular and coronary disease risk. Previous studies have tended to focus on marijuana's cognitive, behavioral, and psychoactive effects, including impaired memory and learning deficits. Long-term and chronic marijuana abuse has been associated with adverse effects on the heart, too, says lead author Jean Lud Cadet, a molecular neuropsychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, but scientists are only beginning to understand how the drug impacts the cardio- and cerebrovascular systems.
The best way to prevent any potential health effects is to refrain from heavy, chronic use, according to George Kunos, an NIH researcher specializing in substance addiction and cardiovascular health, who wasn't involved in the study. He says the increased presence of the protein in heavy marijuana users may also predispose them to metabolic disorders like diabetes.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/heart/articles/2008/05/14/marijuana-linked-to-heart-disease-and-depression.html
Again, this is just a few things Marijuana is linked to.
Marijuana might very well stimulate appetite in cancer patients and Aids patients. So will Marinol but without the Halucgenic effect to go with it.
beatrice 2 years, 9 months ago
Chronic? What about occassional use? Is every person who drinks alcohol an alcoholic?
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
http://drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
"Effects on the Heart Marijuana increases heart rate by 20–100 percent shortly after smoking; this effect can last up to 3 hours. In one study, it was estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug.7 This may be due to the increased heart rate as well as effects of marijuana on heart rhythms, causing palpitations and arrhythmias. This risk may be greater in aging populations or those with cardiac vulnerabilities.
Effects on the Lungs Numerous studies have shown marijuana smoke to contain carcinogens and to be an irritant to the lungs. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50–70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which further increase the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. Marijuana smokers show dysregulated growth of epithelial cells in their lung tissue, which could lead to cancer;8 however, a recent case-controlled study found no positive associations between marijuana use and lung, upper respiratory, or upper digestive tract cancers.9 Thus, the link between marijuana smoking and these cancers remains unsubstantiated at this time.
Nonetheless, marijuana smokers can have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, and a heightened risk of lung infections. A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers.10 Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.
Effects on Daily Life Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing problems worse. In one study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status.11 Several studies associate workers’ marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover.
Do you still want to claim 0?
kernal 2 years, 9 months ago
his info means little without knowing the dates of the research, who did the research and what the controls were. Some of this sounds out of date. The controls in a study like this are really important.
bigdave 2 years, 9 months ago
Buy USA keep that dirt weed in Mexico!!!!
parrothead8 2 years, 9 months ago
In general, people who go out and wind up fighting, breaking stuff, and hurting people have been drinking alcohol. Alcohol is legal.
In general, people who smoke weed stay home, laugh a lot, and order pizzas. Weed is illegal.
It just doesn't make sense.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
In general, people who smoke weed do so at the expense of their family and others who depend on them with little concern at how their negative behavior effects others.
In general, people who smoke weed think that it is of the utmost importance that they smoke weed, even at the expense of legal troubles or career advancement or opportunities.
In general, you shouldn't try to justify one bad behavior by comparing it to another bad behavior.
It just doesn't make sense.
KLATTU 2 years, 9 months ago
In general prohibition has nothing but a failing record in the United States. In general every pothead in jail is a pothead we are paying approximately $24,000 a year for. It just doesn't make sense.
http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/13/politics/main6480889.shtml
booyalab 2 years, 9 months ago
We probably pay in the millions in welfare for people to support their drug habits. That number would undoubtedly quadruple if those drugs were legalized, not to mention all the taxes that would go to hospitals for people who OD.
kernal 2 years, 9 months ago
We're talking marijuana here, not narcotics and speed.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Ah yes, the ol' prohibition of alcohol argument. Because it didn't stop drinking then we should just legalize all vices, is that it?
I imagine you also believe that our society is so much the better for having a bar at every other store front downtown and a liquor store on every other block. Yeah, I agree that is much better for society. Lets add more legal vices to the downtown atmosphere. Then things will be even better!
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
“Yet high numbers of nonviolent, lower-risk criminals have been swept up in the prison boom. Getting tough on them has gotten tough on taxpayers, without an adequate public safety benefit. A prison cell costs about $65,000 to build and $24,000 a year to operate.”
From your “supporting” link.
Show me where it says those cells are filled up with Marijuana users? It won’t, because that would be untrue and you are generalizing a false premise to support a false argument.
"Police arrested an estimated 872,720 persons for cannabis violations in 2007, the highest annual total ever recorded in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent, 775,137 Americans were charged with possession only. An American is now arrested for violating cannabis laws every 38 seconds.”
This is from your next link,which is a phony pro-drug websitethat takes a snippet from the FBI crime statistic. Please show me the 775,137 inmates incarcerated for Marijuana Possesion in either State or Federal Prisons costing the tax payer 24,000 dollars a year?It would also suggest that the others were arrested and incarcerated for something else now wouldn’t it?
http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm
And your last link just talks about the amount of money spent on the Drug War some pro some anti. Hardly a supporting argument to your hypothesis which was every pothead in jail cost the taxpayers $24000, yet the only supporting link you showed said that a prison cell costs $24000 a year to operate. A prison cell is different from a jail cell. But, you want the uninformed reader to follow your logic that potheads are filling up our prison cells at the cost of $24000 a year. Nice try, it didn’t work. Simple Marijuana possession does not result in a prison term. Thanks for playing though! http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/13/politics/main6480889.shtml
AreUNorml 2 years, 9 months ago
"Police arrested an estimated 872,720 persons for cannabis violations in 2007, the highest annual total ever recorded in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent, 775,137 Americans were charged with possession only. An American is now arrested for violating cannabis laws every 38 seconds.”
so the courts are slapping 3/4 of a million people on the wrist each year with merely a fine and a requirement to attend treatment. That sounds like a tax to me. It also sounds like the government subsidizing mental health facilities by forcing people to attend. meanwhile, the country is overrun with people who have actual mental problems and can't find help to save their lives; literally!
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 9 months ago
In general, overgeneralizing leads to unsupported overgeneralizations.
Graczyk 2 years, 9 months ago
Finally, someone generally put a stop to this. (Slap backs are really lame, BTW.)
parrothead8 2 years, 9 months ago
LOL...nice.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
So says the king of unsupported overgeneralizations. Ha, your post did make me laugh.
kernal 2 years, 9 months ago
Then there's brownies. Yummmm.
nobody1793 2 years, 9 months ago
I'm impressed that 830 lbs was not THE biggest bust in Geary county.
unelectable 2 years, 9 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
jonas_opines 2 years, 9 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
jonas_opines 2 years, 9 months ago
Why did mine get pulled? I used the exact same word as in the post above.
jonas_opines 2 years, 9 months ago
Whoops. That wasn't the intended result
grammaddy 2 years, 9 months ago
At least not without someone making an ungodly profit! lol
bad_dog 2 years, 9 months ago
Unless perhaps it was coming from the southwest when it was intercepted in Junction City?
"playhard" isn't the sharpest tool in the KC Star shed, if you know what I mean. I usually rely on users like "chickenscheat" for the most insightful and objective comments about KU, Lawrence (or "Low rents" as they so endearingly refer to it) and the state of Kansas. You know those Mizzery lovers always look at all things Kansas in the most objective light... No one in Columbia ever got a DUI, or pulled a gun, or got into a fight or committed a sexual assault or came to Kansas to murder his estranged family, or...
Kontum1972 2 years, 9 months ago
in general..... wars and drunk drivers cause more deaths than pot smoking...
emaw 2 years, 9 months ago
This will definately help out the local growers and help "weed out" that nasty mexican dirt weed. Buy local!!!
Paul R. Getto 2 years, 9 months ago
Drug-taking ape, as good a definition of humanity as any. And that doesn't even account for all the digital drugs, the latest iteration of our addictive personalities. Crackberry, anyone?
whynaut 2 years, 9 months ago
Later that evening, Geary county deputies confiscated an entire shipment of Tony's pizza headed west on I-70 out of Salina. Officials at the sheriff's department could not be reached for comment, but in a press conference early Sunday afternoon, a spokesperson stated that the situation was "like, totally chill now," and that "pizza dude" would be released shortly.
kernal 2 years, 9 months ago
...as they picked the pepperoni out of their teeth.
520dude 2 years, 9 months ago
830 pounds = street value of $109,000,000,000,000,000.12
How would Geary county deputies stop someone heading west out of Salina?
bad_dog 2 years, 9 months ago
Hot pursuit from Juction City? They were so "euphoric" from the bust they got mixed up and headed the wrong way on I-70?
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
So, the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) whose sole purpose is the understanding and treatment of Drug Abuse is discredited because YOU want to believe their information is biased???? Is that your lame argument. Maybe you should look around on their site some, you will be surprised at what you will see. They are not an advocacy organization, it is a scientific and medical orgainization. They do not trouble themselves with legal or moral concerns.
About NIDA
Mission NIDA's mission is to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.
This charge has two critical components. The first is the strategic support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines. The second is ensuring the rapid and effective dissemination and use of the results of that research to significantly improve prevention, treatment and policy as it relates to drug abuse and addiction.
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
From the Director In the 1970s, the baby boom generation was coming of age, and its drug of choice was marijuana. By 1979, more than 60 percent of 12th-graders had tried marijuana at least once in their lives. From this peak, the percentage of 12th-graders who had ever used marijuana decreased for more than a decade, dropping to a low of 33 percent in 1992. However, in 1993, first-time marijuana use by 12th-graders was on the upswing, reaching 50 percent by 1997. Although the percentage of 12th-graders who have experience with marijuana has remained roughly level since then, there is still reason to be concerned.1 In 2002, an estimated 2.6 million Americans used marijuana for the first time. Roughly two-thirds of them were under age 18.2 Furthermore, the marijuana that is available today can be 5 times more potent than the marijuana of the 1970s.3
The use of marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral changes, and - contrary to popular belief - it can be addictive. Marijuana smoke, like cigarette smoke, can harm the lungs.4,5,6 The use of marijuana can impair short-term memory,7,8 verbal skills,9 and judgment10 and distort perception.11,12 It also may weaken the immune system13,14,15,16 and possibly increase a user's likelihood of developing cancer.14,17 Finally, the increasing use of marijuana by very young teens may have a profoundly negative effect upon their development.9, 18, 19,20
We hope that this research report will help make readers aware of our current knowledge of marijuana abuse and its harmful effects.
Nora D. Volkow, M.D. Director National Institute on Drug Abuse
http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/default.html
Printed 2005
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
The Body's Natural THC-Like Chemicals
THC owes many of its effects to its similarity to a family of chemicals called the endogenous cannabinoids, which are natural Cannabis-like chemicals. Because a THC molecule is shaped like these endogenous cannabinoids, it interacts with the same receptors on nerve cells, the cannabinoid receptors, that endogenous cannabinoids do, and it influences many of the same processes. Research has shown that the endogenous cannabinoids help control a wide array of mental and physical processes in the brain and throughout the body, including memory and perception, fine motor coordination, pain sensations,70 immunity to disease, and reproduction.71
When someone smokes marijuana, THC overstimulates the cannabinoid receptors, leading to a disruption of the endogenous cannabinoids' normal function. This overstimulation produces the intoxication experienced by marijuana smokers. Over time, it may alter the function of cannabinoid receptors, which, along with other changes in the brain, can lead to withdrawal symptoms and addiction.60,72,73
http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/Marijuana4.html#addictive
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction for some people; that is, they use the drug compulsively even though it often interferes with family, school, work, and recreational activities. According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 21.6 million Americans aged 12 or older were classified with substance dependence or abuse (9.1 percent of the total population). Of the estimated 6.9 million Americans classified with dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs, 4.2 million were dependent on or abused marijuana.57 In 2002, 15 percent of people entering drug abuse treatment programs reported that marijuana was their primary drug of abuse.58
Along with craving, withdrawal symptoms can make it hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop using the drug.49 People trying to quit report irritability, difficulty sleeping, and anxiety.59,60 They also display increased aggression on psychological tests, peaking approximately 1 week after they last used the drug.61
In addition to its addictive liability, research indicates that early exposure to marijuana can increase the likelihood of a lifetime of subsequent drug problems. A recent study of over 300 fraternal and identical twin pairs, who differed on whether or not they used marijuana before the age of 17, found that those who had used marijuana early had elevated rates of other drug use and drug problems later on, compared with their twins, who did not use marijuana before age 17. This study re-emphasizes the importance of primary prevention by showing that early drug initiation is associated with increased risk of later drug problems, and it provides more evidence for why preventing marijuana experimentation during adolescence could have an impact on preventing addiction.62
http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/Marijuana4.html#addictive
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
Health Consequences of Marijuana Abuse Acute (present during intoxication) Impairs short-term memory Impairs attention, judgment, and other cognitive functions Impairs coordination and balance Increases heart rate Persistent (lasting longer than intoxication, but may not be permanent) Impairs memory and learning skills Long-term (cumulative, potentially permanent effects of chronic abuse) Can lead to addiction Increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema Increases risk of cancer of the head, neck, and lungs
The Science of Medical Marijuana THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, produces effects that potentially can be useful for treating a variety of medical conditions. It is the main ingredient in an oral medication that is currently used to treat nausea in cancer chemotherapy patients and to stimulate appetite in patients with wasting due to AIDS. Scientists are continuing to investigate other potential medical uses for cannabinoids.74
Research is underway to examine the effects of smoked marijuana and extracts of marijuana on appetite stimulation, certain types of pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. However, the inconsistency of THC dosage in different marijuana samples poses a major hindrance to valid trials and to the safe and effective use of the drug. Moreover, the adverse effects of marijuana smoke on the respiratory system 4, 5, 6 will offset the helpfulness of smoked marijuana for some patients. Finally, little is known about the many chemicals besides THC that are in marijuana, or their possible deleterious impact on patients with medical conditions.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/Marijuana3.html#acute
Practicality 2 years, 9 months ago
That is for those of you who wish to be better informed about a subject i.e. what the experts in the field of science and medical health, have to say about some of the issues concerning Marijuana. It is a little more factual than just the advocacy of pot heads who like to get "high", which is why the discrepancies exist. Those pot heads like to take snippets of these studies and take them out of context. Again, these are often the very same studies that are being conducted in an objective and scientific process by the NIDA, but they want to just gravitate towards the results that favor their argument and totally ignore the ones that don't. It is interesting that you discount the NIDA yet use some of their findings to justify your argument, now isn't it.
beatrice 2 years, 9 months ago
Practicality, if you do just about anything to access it can be harmful, including exercise. Why talk about long term and chronic use? Not every person who has a drink is an alcohoc. Same with pot. The vast majority don't over indulge. This is why so many have tried it or smoked with some regularity when they were in college (or around that age) but stop when they get older. Most of us are probably just too darn busy.
Pot isn't meth. That is the real danger in our society today. Meth really ruins lives. Pot just makes people relax, but it isn't addictive in the traditional sense. (And no, I don't smoke it myself.)
kernal 2 years, 9 months ago
Beatrice, I agree. Who the heck has time not to mention there's better uses for money than letting it go up in smoke.
We only get one body, so we need to treat them well.
jonas_opines 2 years, 9 months ago
Speak for yourself. I came in a six-pack. Still got four left in the attic.
Calliope877 2 years, 9 months ago
Practicality, I like reading your posts while I'm high...they make me laugh.:)
7texdude 2 years, 9 months ago
There are so many overstatements on this commentary that it is sad. I understand why people who do not drink say that marijuana is evil. You are against putting anything in your body that hurts it. I respect that stance.
I do not understand why it is socially acceptable to get drunk off your can, but it is just terrible to get bombed from a bong. The reason why drug use has risen so quickly is because kids - and I put most college students in that catagory - move from grass to other stronger, harsher drugs. Why? Because you buy weed from a shady dealer rather than a bartender or liquor store clerk. He moves you up the chain of illegal use and can taint any drug you buy. But, wait a minute, what is the difference from sipping beers at a party in high school to doing shots at the frat house or sipping at wine taster with your co-workers?
Both grass and alcohol are not good for you. How can you not see the parallel between a huge pot bust and 22 DUIs rang up last weekend? To say one is better the other is ludicrous. There are some differences between getting drunk and stoned, but the end result is the same: you spent some of your money in search of a buzz.
savage101 2 years, 9 months ago
does anybody know if it was some medical marijuana?
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