Local News

Juvenile arrested with Marijuana purchased locally

Oct 14, 2015

On Thursday night, Omak Police were called to Wal-Mart on a shoplifting complaint. When officers arrived, two juveniles were in the custody of the stores Asset Protection officials.

When the juveniles were taken into custody, Omak Police discovered in one of the girls purses, several “nuggets” of suspected Marijuana, two glass marijuana smoking pipes with burnt residue, and a small cylinder glass container labeled: Blackberry Bubba Kush from Methow Growers located in Twisp.

Both the Omak Sage Shop and Fresh Greens in Twisp advertise that they carry Methow Growers marijuana.

Omak Police Chief Larry Schreckengast said the tag showing the brand and producer was still legible but the traceability numbers had been removed. The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board requires traceability on all packages of marijuana.

One of the conditions put on the State of Washington by the U.S. Department of Justice in implementing recreational marijuana rules is that marijuana grown, processed and sold in Washington be traced and not diverted to persons under 21. The traceability system was supposed to help law enforcement minimize and prevent diversion of marijuana to minors as well as preventing leakage of marijuana out of the state.

Okanogan County Community Coalition Executive Director Andi Ervin said, “This case is not surprising, but very disappointing.” She said, “This is exactly what voters were told would NOT happen once marijuana was legalized and regulated under Initiative 502.”

Instead, Ervin said, “what we hear from youth is that marijuana is still very easy to acquire.” She said, “As a community, we need to take this seriously and protect our youth from the harmful effects of marijuana.” Ervin said, “We have solid research that marijuana is harmful to the teen brain.” She said, “It impacts youth’s ability to learn; and the developing teen brain is much more susceptible to addiction.”

Ervin said this arrest forces us to ask the question of how this teen acquired the marijuana. Was it purchased by and adult and then taken by the girl, or was she able to walk into a retail store and purchase it for herself?

In June LCB conducted compliance checks on the local retail marijuana shops in Okanogan County, and while both the Sage Shop and Fresh Greens passed their compliance checks, Caribou Cannabis in Okanogan did not pass. The store’s owner, , Teresa Tindoll, who sold the marijuana to the 18-year-old operative, is now charged with one felony count of delivery of marijuana. She is scheduled to appear in Okanogan County Superior Court on Thursday.

It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to possess marijuana, and it is a felony to give or sell marijuana anyone under 21. Ervin said it’s a felony, even if you give it to “your own child.”