Whizzinator Inventors Plea Guilty to Federal Charges
December 1st, 2008 by Perry
Robert Catalano and George Wills, inventors of the Whizzinator, a prosthetic urinary device used to pass drug tests, recently plead guilty to federal charges over their invention.
The founders of Puck Technology came under congressional scrutiny after Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith and actor Tom Sizemore were found with one going through airport checks back in 2005.
Shortly thereafter, charges were filed against the two on grounds they were “conspiring to defraud the federal agency that administers federal workplace drug testing programs,” according to reports in the Minnesota Star-Tribune.
The men are scheduled to be sentenced in February and face up to eight years in prison, a $500,000 fine, and/or both.
The Urinator and Whizzinator are flesh-colored prosthetics, available in white, latino or black skin tones for about $150, with heating pads and up to three feet of tubing, so the device could be stored anywhere on the body.
Here’s basically an equivalent device, sold as “a Whizzinator alternative,” presumably by a foreign rival.
Mexico, Paraguay World’s Top Marijuana Producers
December 1st, 2008 by Perry
A report by the United Nations listed Mexico as the world’s #1 marijuana producer.
The statistics also suggest that Mexico and the United States combine to account for more than a quarter of the world’s marijuana production, despite accounting for less than one-tenth the population. Few were surprised the United States’ neighbor to the south was at the top of the list, but Paraguay, trailing on slightly behind, came in at #2 with 5,900 metric tons, considering the country’s size and competition.
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime also found that Paraguay was the main source of marijuana for Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.
The financial opportunity was listed as the main reason, with marijuana farmers being able to make as much as 500 times as much as traditional crops. The office estimated marijuana production worldwide was around 41,400 metric tons, according to the same report. Mexico produced 7,400 metric tons, compared to 4,700 metric tons for the United States. In comparison, on the African continent, South Africa is the leading producer with 2,500 metric tons.
NOTE: 1 metric ton = 2,205 pounds
Anti-War on Drugs
December 1st, 2008 by PerryCaptioned “The Truth about the War on Drugs,” this video, brought to you by LiveLeak, has great footage of news stories sliced and edited in with stand-up routines that display just how comical propaganda has become. Definitely worth a look.
Feds Close Psychedelic Lab in Upstate New York
December 1st, 2008 by Perry
Federal Narcotics officers arrested four in Buffalo in connection with a DMT lab. It’s rare that such a lab is found, and a regional narcotics enforcement officer said it was only the third such lab ever found in New York.
Dale Kasprzyk, a Buffalo supervisor of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, described the drug as a growing problem, part of an emerging trend, but the naturally produced, synthetically reproduced hallucinogenic drug has been around on the streets for decades.
NOTE: For those unfamiliar with DMT, an explanation of its effects and uses can be found here. If the effects of DMT persist to peak your interest, Joe Rogan appeared on a SIRIUS radio show (hosted by Jim Breuer) a few years back describing his own personal experiences with DMT, in a way only Joe could.
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27th, 2008 by Tim
Hey guys, we’re taking off early for the week to prepare ourselves for some mighty feastings but don’t fret. theFreshScent will be back on Monday Dec. 1, ready to roll with fresh new posts and to spice things up, maybe we’ll chuck in an announcement or two, absolutely free of charge.
Until then, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Border Patrol Seizes 7,300 Pounds of Grass
November 26th, 2008 by AlexAt the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, Customs & Border Patrol agents stopped two passenger vans loaded with more than $3.3 million worth of marijuana.
According to the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune:
Each van was “just filled” with wrapped packages of marijuana, Bond said. “… Whereas in a cargo port you may get 10,000 or 15,000 pounds of marijuana in a truck, you never see that in a passenger car for obvious reasons.”
Why do you never see that? Because it’s an extremely stupid thing to do. I guess the old ‘this is such a stupid thing to do that I’m going to do it anyway because no one would believe people can be that moronic so they won’t pay attention‘ logic didn’t quite pass the test.
A third arrest rounded out a big day of seizures for the CBP, when an American citizen living in Tijuana crossed the border using the swift-passage SENTRI system and was found with 255 pounds of pot hidden all over a gold 2005 Nissan truck.
That’s not exactly a low-key vehicle, but it’s not the bling that tipped off the drug-sniffing dog to the payload. The K9 did its job and led to the seizure of $115,000 worth of marijuana.
Sounds like more than few muchachos are going to struggle to find something to be grateful about this Thanksgiving.
Pushing for Pardon: Mark Tynes
November 26th, 2008 by AlexESPN has reported on New York Giants’ place-kicker Lawrence Tynes efforts to receive a presidential pardon for his brother - Mark Tynes.
The video above is a (melodramatic) look into the divergence of both Mark and Lawrence, how one went to become a professional football player and the other started a pot dealing operation spanning from Texas to Florida.
Despite all this, the brothers are still extremely close. Lawrence doesn’t have an issue with Mark being in jail, he believes his brother is guilty and deserves to be punished for his crimes. What he does have an issue with is the jail sentence - 27 years.
Lawrence said:
My brother is not asking for a pardon, he is asking for a commutation, which would reduce his sentence. By no means is he asking to be freed tomorrow. He deserves to be spending time — the 27 years is something that we think is a little steep.
What’s most interesting is the dynamic between brothers, between childhood friends and between the government’s approach to sentencing the entire drug distribution ring. No matter your position, it’s an interesting story with some hard truths, let’s see if Lawrence Tynes efforts are successful.
Lisa Ling Gives Perspective on Pot
November 26th, 2008 by PerryAs a part of her job as drug war correspondent for several news organizations like National Geographic, Lisa Ling has traveled the world and scrutinized both sides of the issue of marijuana legalization.
In this clip, the former Channel One reporter talks about her prior experiences on the topic.
UPDATE: National Geographic’s premiere of Explorer: Marijuana Nation will nationally air Tuesday, December 2 @ 7pm PST.
