The "A Visit From Mary Jane" Story

It was an ordinary day.  An officer with the Manheim Township Police Department in Lancaster County, PA just left Greginger Gallery where I work part-time matting and framing artwork.  I had called the station about 20 minutes ago asking for someone to stop at the gallery and tell me what I had in the plastic bag I found.  All started about an hour ago when I pulled out of my driveway and headed up the hill on my way to work.  About 100 yards after I entered the street, I saw a bag in the center of the road that looked like it may be a wallet.  Realizing that it may be important to someone, I turned around at the next intersection and went back, stopping at the bag to open my car door and reach to the road to retreive the bag.  It was a lunch-size baggie that as soon as I had it in my hand, getting all my fingerprints all over it, realized that it was full of tobacco.  Naturally opened the bag to look in and smell it and after further examination realized it may be marijuana.  Since it is not legal yet in our state I thought I should close the bag and head to work to call the police.  Then, as I drove another block or two I thought … what if I get stopped for some offense and the officer sees the bag on my car seat.  Since I have no idea what it is, I could be in trouble.  Boy, for the next couple of miles I drove the speed limit and paid close attention to everything around me; not that I don't always do that!  I could tell by the time I pulled off of Rt. 501N into the parking lot of Grebinger Gallery that I had started to sweat even though the outside temp was hovering around freezing.  Keith was waiting inside the shop for me and after showing him the bag and asking if it is OK to put it in his trash can, he said, "No way!  I don't want anyone to find it in my trash."  So I called the police department.  Shortly the patrolman arrived at the door and came into the work area where I was busy with the day's framing jobs.  Asked where the bag was that I found.  After pointing to it for him, he opened it and took a big whiff.  "Tobacco," he said.  "But, this was the remnants of a 'Blunt' that someone tossed out of their car."  He could see I had no idea what he was talking about, at least I tried to look that way, and explained that the cigar wrapper was from a real cigar that someone had hallowed out and replace with marijuana that was in the other plastic bag that was part of the find.  I smelled the smaller bag and knew right away what he was talking about.  As a teacher, we were shown every few years the current trends in recreational drugs and I had smelled marijuana quite a few times before.  "I better take this with me," he said.  Then I told him about my worry of driving to work with the bag in my car.  "Yeah, you probably would have been in hot water had they pulled you over.  Had quite a bit of explaining to do, so you would have."  I responded, "But I know Wayne, Al and Doug (former policemen on the MT force) and they would have vouched for me."  He laughed as he waved and closed the door.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - I asked if I could take a photo of him holding the bag, but by now you know his response.