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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 13,985
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INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

#10367716 - 05/20/09 12:09 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?
May 20, 2009 - WXYZ

(WXYZ) - Imagine getting arrested for just having chocolate, or oregano or even a certain brand of soap. That’s what is happening to people around the country and here in Michigan.

Action news investigator Heather Catallo put together this report:

Thousands of police departments use field drug test kits. But there’s a problem – the tests can be wrong. A man from Wyandotte found that out the hard way.

Tony Goulet: “We go to Canada a lot to pray and to visit…”

Tony Goulet is a proud Native-American. He and a friend were heading to Walpole Island in Canada for a prayer ceremony when agents at the border searched their car.

Tony Goulet: “…sometimes we’ll take our ceremonial prayer items with us…”

Among Tony’s prayer items was this pipe mixture made of willow bark, tobacco and other herbs. Tony and his friend planned to smoke it as part of a religious ritual. But federal agents seized it.

Tony Goulet: “…two agents came out, took us out of the car, cuffed us right there on the spot.”

The feds used a field drug test – like this—to analyze the pipe mix. The results: it contained marijuana.

Tony Goulet: “I said, impossible.”

Customs turned Tony over to the Marine City Police. They also tested the pipe mix and once again, the field test showed it was positive for marijuana.

Tony Goulet: “…I was told just confess, just say what it is, it will be easier for you in front of a judge.”

But Tony did not waver and after six hours he was finally released. The pipe mix was sent to the Michigan State Police crime lab. The results came back negative for marijuana or any illegal substance. Though Tony and his friend were innocent, under drug seizure laws, police impounded Tony’s car and took the $198 they had on them.
Tony even had to pay $100 to get his SUV back.

Tony and his friend are not the only ones to face this kind of trouble with drug field tests.
Ron and Nadine Obadia are from Ontario and Ron talked to Action News by phone.
When they tried to cross into the U.S. for vacation with their one-year old, Canadian agents arrested them for allegedly having hash. All the couple had was chocolate, but they were handcuffed and separated from each other and their son.

Ron Obadia: I had to have faith that there was justice and that we’d end up back together.”

The chocolate was tested at a crime lab and it came back negative for hash. That’s little consolation for the Obadia’s who spent $20,000 defending themselves.

Punk rocker Don Bolles made news for having some Dr. Bronner’s soap that tested positive for the date rape drug, GHB .

Don Bolles: “…the van was searched the soap was found it was allegedly tested, it was said to GHB, I was arrested.”

Bolles was jailed for more than three days. Once again, the crime lab determined the drug field test was wrong. But the NIK Public Safety tests and the NarcoPouch tests are used by police departments across the country.

John Kelly: “They don’t work…”

John Kelly is a forensic drug expert and wrote the report, “False Positives Equal False Justice." He says all kinds of herbs, chocolate and other things give false positives for marijuana.

Action News tested some of these items, including oregano, thyme and different kinds of chocolate. Oregano, thyme, Hersey’s chocolate, a Butterfinger candy bar, M&M’s and a dark chocolate all tested positive for marijuana.

So why do police agencies use these tests when they give wrong results?
Allen Miller, spokesman for Safariland, which makes the drug tests says the company’s own testing has shown the kits are about 95% accurate. Asked what Miller makes of the criticism that the tests are not accurate and result in false positives, he said:

Allen Miller: “I can’t disagree with that…there are other things in nature that occur, either naturally or made by man, that may or many—that may cause the test to kick off.”

But a test can kick off and get innocent people like Tony or the Obadia’s in trouble with the law.

Allen Miller: “They are simply a field tool to provide information to the officer to either seize, detain, arrest, whatever and have something tested at the laboratory. They are not conclusive.”

Miller stresses the tests must always be double checked at a crime lab. That’s what the Marine City Police Department does. But when the test for Tony Goulet’s tobacco came back negative for marijuana, police chief Don Tillery was shocked.

Don Tillerly: “I’ve used them hundreds of times in the past. There was a point in my career when I worked narcotics with the state police, and we used them on a daily basis almost and I’ve never had a false positive before.”

The chief says he stands by how his department used the field drug test. And until there’s a better one, Tillery says his department will keep using them.

As for tony -- he just wants the tests to be made fool–proof or banned.

Tony: “I just don’t want to see this happen to anybody else.”

Some forensic experts have found that if you put Tylenol PM into a drug kit, it will test positive for cocaine. When Action News did the test with Tylenol PM into a drug kit, it did not react. But if you would like to watch video of the forensics expert getting false positives from all kinds of every-day items click on the related link.

Also, for more information on false positive field drug tests, you can check out forensic expert John Kelly’s new book, “How to Obtain a Pretrial Clearance of Marijuana Charges or an Acquittal or an Exoneration.”

Related story: Field tests providing false positives, even air reacts with the reagents

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Techn9cian
Grower

Registered: 02/01/09
Posts: 335
Loc: Seattle, Wa
Last seen: 3 months, 18 days

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: veggie]
#10367756 - 05/20/09 12:26 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Damn... i almost forgot...

FUCK THE POLICE!

--------------------

HIS CD!Go stoopid :smirk:

dumb

retarded

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jenerikcairet
cognitivelibertist

Registered: 02/17/06
Posts: 546
Last seen: 7 days, 17 hours

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Techn9cian]
#10367828 - 05/20/09 12:57 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

i think the real question is why/how is there marijuana in chocolate?!?

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Yes, ordinary water. Laced with nothing more than a few spoons full of LSD- professor farsnworth

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Groomies
Ghost

Registered: 08/16/07
Posts: 1,119
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Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Techn9cian]
#10367831 - 05/20/09 12:57 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

if they just legalize it then none of this would even matter. :weirdeyes:

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Coaster
Baʿal

Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 33,501
Loc: Deep in the Valley
Last seen: 7 months, 15 days

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Groomies]
#10367986 - 05/20/09 01:53 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

they mite as well start using lie detector tests to solve murder cases thats 95% accurate as well

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Ego Death
Justadropofwaterinanendlesssea

Registered: 04/27/03
Posts: 10,447
Loc: The War Machine

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Coaster]
#10368149 - 05/20/09 03:19 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

In America you have to pay when the police are wrong!?? Thats insane.

If the police are wrong here then we pay nothing. No court costs or impound costs. We can even sue for loss of earnings.

You guys really need to take the power back.

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Seuss
Error: divide byzero

Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,193
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 9 hours, 48 minutes

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: veggie]
#10368200 - 05/20/09 03:53 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

> the company’s own testing has shown the kits are about 95% accurate.

Wow... I would like to know what a third party testing has shown. It isn't as if the company has any reason to lie about the accuracy of their own test kits or anything. :rolleyes:

If they were really 95% accurate, then 95 out of 100 times oregano should show up as clean, but instead 100% of the time oregano shows up as an illegal drug. With my testing criteria, their drug test kit is actually 100% inaccurate.

--------------------
Just another spore in the wind.

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neopet nub
Stranger

Registered: 11/29/08
Posts: 2,408
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Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Seuss]
#10368282 - 05/20/09 04:40 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Police just will not give up...

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Ego death from weed!

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pasucks
Stranger

Registered: 03/15/09
Posts: 255
Loc: pennsyltuckey
Last seen: 2 years, 7 months

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Groomies]
#10368549 - 05/20/09 07:00 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Quote:

Groomies said:
if they just legalize it then none of this would even matter.

yea and look at all the jobs and business's they would loose.

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Ritual
Spore Collecter/Microbiologist

Registered: 05/05/09
Posts: 208
Last seen: 20 days, 12 hours

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: pasucks]
#10368637 - 05/20/09 07:29 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Stuff like this INFURIATES ME!

Imagine having to pay to defend yourself in court for that?!?!

And not getting compensation afterwords!

Legalize drugs. Problem solved. Cops can bust down on real crime. No longer need to spend the money on the war on liberty and instead actually EARN tax dollars by taxing it and focus on treatment and awareness and STILL save money. The tax alone would probably fund the police who focus on drugs now to focus on REAL crimes with victims (the real crimes).

Crime would PLUMMET. Then the cascading affect of lowered prison populations saves even more money.

Cleaner less expensive drugs. Tax revenue. Cops wont be the majority of americans enemies. Property crime would plummet. Murders would plummet. Overseas violent cartels would be out of business. ETC ETC ETC.

Makes sense to me.

The revolution is coming and if it doesnt I would be SURPRISED. Pulse of the country is unhappy right now with .gov

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ShroomerRoss

Registered: 08/29/08
Posts: 4,444
Last seen: 9 months, 12 days

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Ritual]
#10368742 - 05/20/09 08:06 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

that sucks, didnt they get any compensation or anything. :facepalm:

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Lucas89
lysergicmescalcybin

Registered: 07/03/08
Posts: 1,911
Loc: the arsehole of the earth...

Last seen: 1 day, 20 hours

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Techn9cian]
#10368826 - 05/20/09 08:37 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

even though the police are cunts, they are only doing their job. but their job should be changed. if i was that guy with the smoking mix that wasnt weed i would go back to those pigs and demand an apology.

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I AM PROUD TO BE ANTI AUSTRALIAN AND I AM PROUD TO BURN THIS FLAG. I SHIT ON YOU AUSTRALIA.

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Yungpunk
NewKidOnTheBlock

Registered: 05/12/09
Posts: 82
Last seen: 1 year, 9 days

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: pasucks]
#10368851 - 05/20/09 08:47 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Quote:

pasucks said:
Quote:

Groomies said:
if they just legalize it then none of this would even matter.

yea and look at all the jobs and business's they would loose.

Jobs and business losses arent the problem

What would you do with the people in the courts and in the jails that are already in trouble for growing or selling or smoking? Release them? They wont do that, when the crime was done it WAS illegal. Just because its not now doesnt mean they didnt break the law when it was in effect. But if you do not release them then im sure you would run into some other issues as well.

As of now i dont think that there is any field test that can PROVE that you are under the influence but i may be wrong, the laws and the guidelines of use would be incredibly difficult to come up with as well im sure due to people getting high before school and work and driving and smoking and everything else. But then again if they spent half the money they do on busting us, and spent it on testing or funding to make it legal, im sure all these problems would go away.

so idk 50/50 i guess, id like for it to happen. Just dont see it actually happening.

ALSO you would create much more jobs then you would lose. Farmers to grow the shit, Small business owners to sell the shit. Look at all the stuff we have for alcohol, im sure things would go the same way that did.

Edited by Yungpunk (05/20/09 08:51 AM)

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Dr. Siekadellyk
Weed is good.

Registered: 11/19/08
Posts: 2,292
Loc: Floating amidst nothing

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Seuss]
#10368868 - 05/20/09 08:55 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Quote:

Groomies said:
if they just legalize it then none of this would even matter.

Quote:

Seuss said:
> the company?s own testing has shown the kits are about 95% accurate.

Wow... I would like to know what a third party testing has shown. It isn't as if the company has any reason to lie about the accuracy of their own test kits or anything.

If they were really 95% accurate, then 95 out of 100 times oregano should show up as clean, but instead 100% of the time oregano shows up as an illegal drug. With my testing criteria, their drug test kit is actually 100% inaccurate.

--------------------
www.Growery.org

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oxalic32

Registered: 01/27/08
Posts: 3,615
Loc: .
Last seen: 1 year, 25 days

[Re: Ego Death]
#10369033 - 05/20/09 09:44 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Edited by oxalic32 (12/20/10 11:39 AM)

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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 24,722
Last seen: 20 hours, 35 minutes

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: oxalic32]
#10369598 - 05/20/09 11:49 AM (3 years, 7 days ago)

Quote:

You don't really have rights in America.

You have many rights in America. Read the constitution.

Quote:

You need to do as you're told to get by.

You may need to do as you are told, but most people do what they want no matter what they are told.

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thedudenj
Man of the Woods

Registered: 08/18/04
Posts: 14,684

Re: INVESTIGATORS: Busted for Chocolate?

[Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#10428197 - 05/31/09 12:38 AM (2 years, 11 months ago)

yeah fucking bull shit

--------------------

"You all are just puppets... You have no heart...and cannot feel any pain...""
you may think thats pain you feel but you must have a heart to feel true pain and that pain wont be yours

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