Elderly California Couple Arrested With 60 Pounds Of Cannabis
Senior Citizen Drug Smugglers are Getting More Common from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
My grandparents are cooler than yours.
That’s because they thought of giving off $300,000 worth of pot for Christmas, but unfortunately they got caught. On the 19th of December, my grandparents Patrick Jiron, 83, and Barbara Jiron, 70, were arrested in Nebraska for allegedly transporting 60 pounds of weed which they told cops were going to be given away as presents.
They were driving a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck but weren’t able to signal a turn, although I doubt this is because they smoked any pot before going off on a drive. York County Sheriff’s Department deputies stopped them on the Interstate 80, just a few kilometers away from Bradshaw. The deputies smelled the really dank odor of pot, then found $300,000 of it in the car!!
Not just raw pot – they also found several containers of cannabis concentrates. My grandparents were traveling from California to Vermont, acting as Santa’s helpers distributing cannabis for family and friends throughout cities with a stop over in Boston. Legal weed, both recreational and medicinal, is legal in California and Massachusetts, although it hasn’t been legalized in Vermont yet. Sadly for them, they were charged for possession of cannabis with the intent of delivering as well as due to the lack of their drug tax stamp. According to Lt. Paul Vrbka, who told The York News-Times, my grandfather was being held in the York County Jail but grandma was not, “due to some medical issues.”
The drug tax stamp that was required is a stamp that is placed on container storing drugs, verifying that the person who is in possession of said drugs has already paid the drug tax. According to Nebraska law, the drug tax requires individuals to pay “immediately upon acquisition or possession of marijuana or controlled substances, says the Nebraska Department of Revenue.
Thankfully, my grandfather was already able to pay 10% of his $100,000 and was released. I mean, the truth is that my grandparents are do-gooders, and they would never do anything illegal. Just like what they told Vrbka, “they didn’t know it was illegal to transport marijuana in Nebraska.”
Cannabis Use For Seniors
If grandma and grandpa were off to give pot to their friends, I don’t blame them at all. After all, the senior demographic is one of the fastest-growing in the cannabis industry, and for good reason.
Let’s look at the facts:
- Pain is the most common reason that people seek out medical cannabis. Guess who experiences the most physical pain? Yep, it’s our parents and grandparents! A government survey revealed that 53% of Americans who are 65 and above reported troublesome pain.
- Cannabis can safely replace, and even eliminate, many dangerous prescription medications. Because of their prevalence to developing painful and chronic disorders due to age, the elderly also take much more pharmaceutical and prescription medications. In fact, it’s so common for them to take twice as many prescription meds because the second one is made to alleviate side effects of the first. On the other hand, cannabis has no side effects at all, and it’s beneficial for numerous ailments that seniors are predisposed to including high blood pressure, arthritis and other inflammation-related disorders, cognitive decline constipation, insomnia, headaches, digestive disorders, anxiety, cancer, and so much more.
- Cannabis is beneficial for the brain, especially the aging brain! Contrary to myths popularized by reefer madness, smoking pot won’t make you stupid. In fact, cannabis can help your brain and make you smarter.
- My grandparents are still sharp – and yours can be too, thanks to pot! Grandparents can live longer, more productive lives thanks to cannabis. A recent study conducted by the John Hopkins School of Public Health revealed that in legal states, there are more seniors over the age of 50 who are still employed in the workforce. The study looked at data from the last 20 years, and the results were amazing! They found that medical cannabis laws were associated with a 9.4% increase in probability of employment, as well as a 4.6-4.9% increase in hours worked per week. The study also adds that cannabis use is effective for treating age-related health problems, such as depression, pain, anxiety, and nausea. Basically, when older workers have access to cannabis, they can stay in their jobs for a longer period of time.
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