Neighbor Sues Over Marijuana Odor, Walmart Shoplifter Found With 37 Lbs Of Ganja & More In Weed Chronicles

As marijuana legalization spreads across the country, more and more people are freely enjoying smoking the plant in the comfort of their homes. Some are using it recreationally, others for medical purposes. Either way, secondhand smoke is affecting others.

Josefa Ippolito-Shepherd is one of them. She is bothered by the smell of cannabis coming from her neighbor's house into her own. She claims cleaning doesn’t help, and anyone who’s been around weed knows the smoke can be powerful. So much so that the offending aroma affects her sleep and everyday life.

She tried asking her neighbor to stop lighting up indoors. Then she asked the landlord to evict the smoker but that didn't happen.

Ippolito-Shepherd has lived in Cleveland Park, a residential neighborhood in DC, for 30 years but now claims the attack on it is ruthless, writes The Washington Post.

Until cannabis became legal, she had the option of calling the police and getting her neighbor busted. So what now? According to D.C. Council chair Phil Mendelson, the only thing she can do to resolve the issue is to undo the legalization of marijuana. That’s why Ippolito-Shepherd took the matter to court where she argued that the smell is a public nuisance.

The trial is considered the first of its kind to make it this far in District court.

“I have the right to breathe fresh air in my home,” Ippolito-Shepherd told The Washington Post before the trial. “I’m not talking about if I go to someone else’s house or a place people go to smoke pot. They have the freedom to do whatever. I just do not want to be invaded in my own home.”

While anti-smoking groups are fighting to outlaw smoking in apartments and residential buildings, the question remains – is this fair for medical marijuana patients? Where will they be allowed to use their medicine?

To complicate matters, Brooke Hoots, an epidemiologist with the CDC says that secondhand marijuana smoke contains the same cancer-causing toxins as secondhand tobacco smoke.

How can this be resolved to everyone’s benefit? No one knows, but one thing is certain, as more states embrace cannabis, similar lawsuits can be expected.

Nigerian Authorities Seize 600 Pounds Of Illegal Pot

This week, Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) seized almost 600 pounds of marijuana along a highway in the central part of the West African nation, reported High Times. According to Niger/Kogi Comptroller Busayo Kadejo, authorities confiscated 317 packages totaling more than 581 pounds of weed.

In Nigeria, marijuana is still illegal, its possession carries a penalty from 12 years to life in prison for large-scale operations. Despite these harsh penalties, marijuana remains one of the most popular illegal substances in the country.

“This occasion has come with a dual feeling and sadness and joy in my heart. First and foremost is the fact that some people are working tirelessly to build this nation while others are engaged in acts that are inimical to the development of the same country,” Kadejo said. “I am glad that due to the diligent application of self to duty, our officials were able to intercept these illicit packages. If the packages had escaped our eyes, they would have helped in the execution and sustenance of crimes such as banditry, kidnapping, thuggery, and other social services.”

Walmart Shoplifter Arrested With 37 lbs Of Cannabis In Trunk

Markus Rashad Tull was recently arrested for shoplifting at Walmart WMT in Madison, Georgia. Then he made an even bigger mistake: he asked the cops to allow him to keep the stuff he already had before the arrest.

What happened: The police were kind enough to say yes, which then led to a more serious bust: inside the man's car trunk the police officers found more than 37 pounds of cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms, and THC pens, writes Morgan County Citizen. They also found what was thought to be Ecstasy, three phones an iPad.

Now, Tull has been charged with possession of cannabis with the intent to traffic, possession of drug paraphernalia, trafficking marijuana, two counts of illegal possession of a controlled substance, and of course shoplifting.

Photo: Benzinga Edit with image from Kindel Media by Pexels