It's time for a test. Is there anyone out there who is not familiar with the term "420"?
For those who may have been on a secret government mission to confirm Pluto's existence, legend has it, or at least one of the legends, that referring to pot as "420" started in San Rafael, Calif., where a group of schoolkids met to puff after school ended--which was 4:20 p.m.
Anyway, there seems to be a man in Quincy, Mass., who may not have thought that the police might be familiar with the term.
(Credit:
CCEl Pablo!/Flickr)
You see, according to a report in the Patriot-Ledger, police say 30-year-old Christopher Gray put an ad on Craigslist that read in part: "420 help is here."
He then allegedly followed that up with: "Give me a ring if you need some help."
Unfortunately, he seemed to be in an area where police are so fond of reading Craigslist ads that they have learned the secret code. For a detective allegedly called and asked if he might please avail himself of a little quarter ounce.
You can guess the rest. Well, perhaps not. According to Capt. John Dougan, Gray was allegedly fearful when he met the detective and his partner in a parking lot that these purchasers might be members of law enforcement.
How they allegedly satisfied him of their innocence is not recorded. However, according to the good Captain, Gray allegedly said: "Well, I trust you. You look normal."
A transaction then allegedly ensued that would net Gray $45 and an arrest.
Some readers might be a little surprised that police might go to this kind of trouble. Just a brief perusal of the Craigslist San Francisco site Tuesday night yielded ads such as this, which seems as if it might have something to do with marijuana. And for many, this seems entirely normal.
So perhaps the saddest part of this tale comes from Capt. Dougan: "It goes without saying that we will continue monitoring Craigslist."
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