Swoop on sweet factory where treats were made of cannabis

[emrandel]

Swoop on sweet factory where treats were made of cannabis

CRAIG HOWIE IN LOS ANGELES
AMERICAN federal drug agents have raided "the biggest candy marijuana factory" on the west coast of the United States - a highly sophisticated operation where workers clocked in to make "Toka Cola", "Pot Tarts" and "Keef Kats".
They discovered hundreds of boxes of brightly-packaged cannabis confectionery and a massive hemp-growing and distribution operation in a raid on Thursday just outside San Francisco.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.scotsman.com/js/init_250x250.js"></script>

Twelve people are in custody and await charges relating to distribution of marijuana after searches of four warehouses and a house in the Oakland area netted the sweets, $100,000 (£57,000) in cash, several automatic weapons and between 4,000 and 5,000 marijuana plants.
The wrappers of the sweets and soft drinks - cannabis- infused sugar, caramel and/or chocolate - parodied prominent brand names normally found on supermarket shelves such as Buddahfingers, Munchy Way, Rasta Reece's and Puff-a-Mint Pattie.
Police described a "sophisticated" wholesale factory where employees wore white laboratory coats and clocked in and out using timecards.
Javier Pena, a special agent in charge of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in San Francisco, said the sales operation, named Beyond Bomb and under investigation since last October, "involved different labels, pretty much knock-offs of the real thing". He added: "This is the biggest candy marijuana factory that we have seen on the West Coast.
"This is potentially dangerous for kids and people who don't know what they're eating and what they're drinking.
"What so many people don't realise is that innocent children will somehow get their hands on these products and think they are just normal candy or soft drinks - making this action not only illegal but potentially tragic."
The cities of San Francisco and Oakland, as well as Berkeley, are known for their tolerance towards medicinal marijuana and dispensaries where marijuana is sold in the open are common. All sales by the state-licensed centres require a doctor's prescription.
A medicinal marijuana website claimed the goods were frequently on sale over the counter in the Bay Area's pot dispensaries, where the drug is often taken orally by people who do not like to smoke or are medically unable to do so.
The state of California decriminalised marijuana in 1976 and was the first state to approve Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which later became California State Bill 420. Californians, including some 15,000 medicinal users, are believed to consume up to £3.4 billion of marijuana a year.
According to police figures from 2004, almost all local and state law enforcement agencies describe the availability of marijuana as "high or moderate" in their area. However, possession of up to an ounce of marijuana can still be punished by a fine of £57 and supplying the drug is illegal, as is possession, under federal law.
As a result of increasing eradication efforts by DEA and National Park officials, growers who previously would have openly cultivated crops outdoors have been forced to move production inside.
On Monday, federal agents raided 13 medical cannabis dispensaries in San Diego, a more conservative city in Southern California.
More than £57,000 worth of caramel sweets and confectionery-making equipment made with hallucinogenic mushrooms has been seized in the northern cities of Provo and Arcata in the past month.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=427812006
Last updated: 18-Mar-06 00:31 GMT

[O/\/\ni]

what a waste, thats all i have to say. lol rasta reece's

[LilWyte2590]

fuckn raids...


pot tarts??? ahahaha!

[salchi]

haha, i could do with a keef kat

[GreenLantern420]

MMMMmm pot tarts and some toka cola to wash it down.

[HerbsINtheBurbs]

I've seen this all over the forums, but I still say, I really really want some toka-cola.