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Pot goes up in smoke

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 14, 2009

After grow houses are raided in the Tampa Bay area, marijuana is typically bagged in brown paper and stored as evidence at law enforcement warehouses.

When the court cases are adjudicated and detectives get notification from the court that there are no appeals, the pot is prepared for destruction. That usually means burning it.

In Pinellas County, between 4,000 to 6,000 items - including pot plants, packages of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and child pornography - are burned every six months at the county incinerator, said Sgt. Michael Dailey, commander of the sheriff's office property and evidence division.

About 500 pounds of pot is awaiting incineration, Dailey said.

Dailey said he is lobbying state lawmakers to increase the frequency of burns to once a month because a toxic mold forms on the marijuana during storage. The Pinellas sheriff's warehouse is not climate-controlled: A single fan regulates air flow, Dailey said.

"It doesn't matter what you put it in, it gets moldy," he said. "It really is horribly nasty."

The fungus, known as aspergillus, can cause symptoms of asthma and lung damage.

Ray Reyes

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