Pulled over for "DIM" taillight, got my bong taken away.

[TylerNettlebeck]

California:

The [real] reason he pulled me over:

I went to a friends house. He didn't answer his door, but he was sopposed to be home. I was going to be there at 4, but due to LA traffic, I got there at 4:30. I walked back out of the apartments to look in the parking lot for his truck. Just as I walked out the front gate to go to the parking lot, a cop drives up. I was a little paranoid because I had my bong, in its carrying case strapped ti my back. He pauses at the stop sign long enough for me to walk by him. I turn the corner and enter the parking lot. He circles around, and parks at the end of this street.
At this point I went to my car. The way I was leaving was away from the cop was not suspicious, cause the parking spot pointed the other way. I drive around the block only to find that there is construction, and I have to turn around. There is no way out, execpt for past the cop, who is still chillin on the side of the road. 2 cars drive by him before I do. He pulls out behind me.
The speed limit is 25 and I was making a point to do 24. I stopped at the crosswalk and let 3 bicycles cross, and even waited till they were fully off the street. 24 mph again. He followed me for roughly 1 mile. Just as I start to turn onto the on ramp to 101-N his lights come on.
DIM TAIL LIGHT MY ASS!!! It was sunny as hell, and I doubt he could even see them.
When he approached my car he was very stand off-ish. He asked for my info and all that good stuff. I didn't have my license or insurance, but I gave him my registration, and recitted all the info to him. He didn't tell me why he pulled me over, so I asked.
"Well, you back light looks like it is out. Well, it is dim."
He walked back to his car and another cop pulls up. The first cop asked me if there is anything in my car he should know about. I say no.
He asked me to get out of the car and go and talk to the other cop. He started searching my car. He went through everything. Sure I had a huge water bong and a pipe in my car, but none were in plain view. The bong was on my passenger seat, but it was in a padded bag and was not recognizable. He also found some weed crumbs inside my zipped CD case. Poped my trunk and searched there too. The only place he asked to search was under my hood.
After he took my bong out of the bag we talked about it and I admitted what it was, although the bong was CLEAN. he even said that if it didn't smell it was fine. it didn't have ANY grime or anything. the bowl piece was dirty so he took the whole thing. Over $550 in value.
The officer endded up giving me a sitation for no DL and no proof in Insurace. Oh and a drug paraphanelia missdimeanor.
I have a court date in a while. I will get the DL and insurance dropped, but what about the paraphernalia charge? He searched without any probible cause. He could have put his entire head in my car and never would have known it was there. here is the key, he even told me that when he say me walking, he thought it was a sleeping bag on my back, not a bong in a bag. So why did he search my car if my tail light was dim?

[JETX]

Originally Posted by TylerNettlebeck

I have a court date in a while. I will get the DL and insurance dropped, but what about the paraphernalia charge? He searched without any probible cause. He could have put his entire head in my car and never would have known it was there. here is the key, he even told me that when he say me walking, he thought it was a sleeping bag on my back, not a bong in a bag. So why did he search my car if my tail light was dim?

Of course, no one here can answer that for you..... However, your defense attorney can certainly ask him.

[stephenk]

weed is a big part of your life, right?

[TylerNettlebeck]

Originally Posted by stephenk

weed is a big part of your life, right?

ummm, yes. I am bong shopping tomorrow.

would a judge be inclined to dismiss the carge if I remind him that he searched my car because my tailight was dim.

[CdwJava]

What paraphernalia offense were you charged with? It's not illegal to have marijuana pipes.



- Carl

[TylerNettlebeck]

I had a 2.5 foot bong and a pipe. both glass. The pipe had resin and the bowl for the bong was dirty too, so he took the whole bong which was 100% clean. the bowl wasn't in it.

charge: 9.48.010 cmc possession of grug Papaphernalia: Misdemeanor

[JETX]

Originally Posted by TylerNettlebeck

charge: 9.48.010 cmc possession of grug Papaphernalia: Misdemeanor

Sounds like a Municipal Code. What city?

[Curt581]

Originally Posted by TylerNettlebeck

I had a 2.5 foot bong and a pipe. both glass. The pipe had resin and the bowl for the bong was dirty too, so he took the whole bong which was 100% clean. the bowl wasn't in it.

charge: 9.48.010 cmc possession of grug Papaphernalia: Misdemeanor

Dude... like, whoa.... that's like...uh... totally bogus.

You got any chips?

[TylerNettlebeck]

Originally Posted by Curt581

Dude... like, whoa.... that's like...uh... totally bogus.

You got any chips?

Hey Curt, why dont you open your eyes. Do you realize how many people that you see and talk to everyday smoke pot? Alot more than you may think. Do you have kids? If so, are they 15 or older? If they are, I bet they have smoked or have been around it.
It is becomming more and more common for people of all ages to smoke pot. It is a very safe and natural drug. There are zero deaths on record caused by "marijuana overdose".
I dont drive when I am high. I dont go around advertising that I smoke. I do it in my spare time.
I have hemp shoes. Do you think less of me? I dont really care. Because I have better things to do.

[smutlydog]

Originally Posted by TylerNettlebeck

Hey Curt, why dont you open your eyes. Do you realize how many people that you see and talk to everyday smoke pot? Alot more than you may think. Do you have kids? If so, are they 15 or older? If they are, I bet they have smoked or have been around it.
It is becomming more and more common for people of all ages to smoke pot. It is a very safe and natural drug. There are zero deaths on record caused by "marijuana overdose".
I dont drive when I am high. I dont go around advertising that I smoke. I do it in my spare time.
I have hemp shoes. Do you think less of me? I dont really care. Because I have better things to do.

It is a very safe and natural drug. There are zero deaths on record caused by "marijuana overdose".

I smoked high grade MJ through a bong (US Bongs) for 25 years starting at the age of 13. It was Columbian gold and Tia weed in the 70s and northern lights in the 80s.In the 90s it was my very own skunk #1 northern light cross bread.

It destroyed my immune system and caused bronchial problems which led to me being hospitalized once. To this day I catch colds easier than most people. Right now I am on my second cold of the summer. I am not saying this will happen to everyone who smokes weed but it did happen to me. I think that I make a good Ginny pig because my friends and I were smoking chronic high grade pot before anybody here in south Texas knew what it was.
For me it was easy to give up doing cocaine but almost impossible to kick the weed habit. So for me weed was more addictive than cocaine. If you smoke weed on a daily basis like I did I would think that you have a problem. Maybe you don't for which I am happy for you.
Also I recommend that you stop smoking out of that bong. I know what you’re thinking. “The water cools down the smoke which makes it less harmful". The cooling affect allows you to take bigger hits which make it actually worse for you.

Just so you know my son is 15 and doesn’t smoke weed. Maybe its because he knows what it did to me.

[JETX]

Originally Posted by TylerNettlebeck

Hey Curt, why dont you open your eyes. Do you realize how many people that you see and talk to everyday smoke pot?

Yep, even idiots must experiment every once in a while. But anyone with any intelligence quickly realizes the REAL ramifications of using dope.

Alot more than you may think. Do you have kids? If so, are they 15 or older? If they are, I bet they have smoked or have been around it.

Maybe in your dope world.... but in the REAL world, there are far more teenagers who have NEVER smoked pot or done any other illegal drugs. And there are even more of those who have.... who stopped.
Only the druggies try to use the "well, everyone does it" excuse.

It is becomming more and more common for people of all ages to smoke pot.

Get your FACTS straight you idiot!!
"Overall, the United States has seen a decrease in marijuana’s popularity among teenagers since 2000, after a prolonged increase in use during the 1990s. For example, compared with 1996, about 43 percent fewer 8th graders and 9 percent fewer 12th graders reported they had used the drug in the past 30 days in 2003.

At the same time, past-month use dropped by half among the state’s 9th graders and by one-quarter among 11th graders, according to the report, which analyzed federal and state statistics. Approximately one-fifth of California’s high school juniors now acknowledge using marijuana within the last month."
[url]http://www.mpp.org/USA/news/10084.mpp[/url]

It is a very safe and natural drug.

Where did you get that?? Marijuana use is NOT safe. Have you ever tried to catch a tossed baseball while you are high?? Bet you can't catch it. And why is that?? Because your motor control is affected!!

And if it is so safe, how do you explain the number of auto accidents where the driver was under the 'influence'.
"It was found that habitual cannabis users were 9.5 times more likely to be involved in crashes, with 5.6% of people who crashed having taken the drug compared to 0.5% of the control group."
[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4498419.stm[/url]

"The cerebellum is the section of our brain that does most of the work on balance and coordination. When THC finds its way into the cerebellum, it makes scoring a goal in soccer or hitting a homerun pretty tough.

THC also does a number on the basal ganglia, another part of the brain that's involved in movement control.

These THC effects can spell disaster on the highway. Research shows that drivers on marijuana have slow reaction times, impaired judgment, and problems responding to signals and sounds on the road. In one study of 150 reckless drivers, 33 tested positive for marijuana. "
[url]http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_mj2.asp#driving[/url]

There are zero deaths on record caused by "marijuana overdose".

Yeah. And there are 'zero deaths' on record caused by eating boiled turds... but does that make you want to do it??

I dont drive when I am high.

Great. So, lets make a special law allowing you to smoke... and no one else.

I dont go around advertising that I smoke. I do it in my spare time.

Sorry, but your drugged out mine just caught you in a lie. If you don't go around advertising you smoke... why carry a bong in your backpack???
Come on!!

I have hemp shoes. Do you think less of me? I dont really care. Because I have better things to do.

Yeah, like light up, huh??
And you really have so many BETTER things to do... but can't because you got that wild THC induced addiction.

[JETX]

In any case, rather than your diverting the REAL issue here (possibly more of your 'short term memory' affected by the marijuana)..... You asked:

what about the paraphernalia charge?

Sounds like you had defined 'drug paraphenalia'. Guilty.

He searched without any probible cause. So why did he search my car if my tail light was dim?

Good questions. And only your defense attorney can answer them. Simply... if you have an attorney, he/she can raise those questions in the right format and time. You, without an attorney, will look foolish.
So, what is it going to be... get an attorney or not??

[CdwJava]

Originally Posted by TylerNettlebeck

Hey Curt, why dont you open your eyes. Do you realize how many people that you see and talk to everyday smoke pot? Alot more than you may think. Do you have kids? If so, are they 15 or older? If they are, I bet they have smoked or have been around it.

They have probably witnessed acts of violence as well ... does that make it right?

All because people do it does not make it right or legal.

It is becomming more and more common for people of all ages to smoke pot.

Interesting ... I hear that use is dropping.

Again, all because someone does it does not make it right or legal.

It is a very safe and natural drug.

Natural? ... okay ... well, except for the decades of hybrid breeding to increase the THC content ... so ... is that really "natural"?

Safe? Nope. Safer than heroin or methamphetamine, probably. As safe as drinking a soda? No way! It's "safe" like smoking cigarettes (with added carcinogens and fun stuff to kill brain cells) is "safe".

There are zero deaths on record caused by "marijuana overdose".

Non sequitor.

I dont drive when I am high. I dont go around advertising that I smoke. I do it in my spare time.

Good for you.

I have hemp shoes. Do you think less of me? I dont really care. Because I have better things to do.

I have leather ones, do you think less of me?

Like you, I don't care.

- Carl

[TylerNettlebeck]

So I just read everything you all responded with. There is deffinatly some missunderstanding here. Let me clairify a few.

The bong being in the bag: It was in a bag because people DIDN'T know what was in the bag. EVEN THE COP SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS A SLEEPING BAG WHEN IT WAS ON MY BACK.

Me not driving while I am stoned: Thats out of consideration for everyone besides myself.

Boiled turds? WTF? Are you serious. I dont smoke weed BECAUSE there are no overdosses. That happens to be one of the facts about pot. I smoke it because it relaxs my muscles, I get a full nights sleep, and I am also alot LESS lathargic when I DO smoke.

As a matter of fact. I am smoking a bowl right now, and then skateboarding to the foot ball field to play frizbee with about 20 of my other pothead friends.

[Shay-Pari'e]

(QUOTE)I smoke it because it relaxs my muscles, I get a full nights sleep, and I am also alot LESS lathargic when I DO smoke. (QUOTE)

Umm, like that made no sense dude. Like Umm, don't forget to set your alarm for school.