GPS-equipped turtle runs into reefer farm, gets high-fives from police

Though not quite as bad as toting the GPS module around with you, one particular marijuana farmer had to be mighty embarrassed / wondering what he ever did to deserve such bad luck when a GPS-equipped turtle meandered into his crop. As the story goes, a close friend of the police -- a box turtle with no fear of Big Brother -- just happened upon a pot stash on US park property. Clearly, Mr. Isiah Johnson (the culprit) was heavily stoned when choosing US land to farm his ganja, and now he's in custody until he's "extradited back DC to face drug charges." And you thought all you had to do was dodge those CCTV cameras...

[Via TechDigest]

[Muhammed @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:22AM]

you've been brought down by a turtle, what a shame.

[lukas88 @ Aug 23rd 2008 4:25PM]

I'm conflicted by the unfairness of marijuana laws and the complete awesomeness of a turtle fighting crime.

[monkfishbandana @ Aug 23rd 2008 9:15PM]

How is this not 'breaking' news? Am I missing something? I must be, because here's how I see it...


A frickin' GPS-COMPLIANT TURTLE just assisted a DRUGS BUST and (if the headline was to be [stupidly] taken seriously) proceeded to HIGH FIVE nearby police officers.

[retread @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:45PM]

Just look up 'Dupont nylon hemp' on the Google for the origin of the current meme you nice yanks are stuck with.

[Kizul Emeraldfire @ Aug 24th 2008 4:16PM]

Heroes in a half shell.

Turtle power!

[weed @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:23AM]

Puff Puff Pass

[apple fanboy @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:27AM]

that's why u have to grow your ganja inside the house away from big brother turtle

[Skyride @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:29AM]

lol, just lol.

He must have been like wtf! Still, i dont think turtles are the future of drugs prevention so please look gordon brown.

[John @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:32AM]

that's just bad luck. It's not like the police sent out a drug-sniffing turtle or anything, the little bastard just stumbled into it.

[OnlyShawn @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:38AM]

...very slowly.

[jroc @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:36AM]

It is pretty sad that the citizens of the world have found it appropriate to let the government tell them what they can and cannot put into their own bodies... especially something as natural as hemp. I find it especially funny in the United States "the home of the free" it should now read "home of the slaves"

[Kizorblade @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:39AM]

Home of the slaves?

What have you been smoking?

[rutsy5 @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:48AM]

"especially something as natural as hemp"

...wow... so if I told you to eat some poison mushrooms or rub a brightly colored south american tree frog on your face or ignore the warning signs around an active volcano, you'd do that too?

"because its natural" is about the worst argument for pot legalization I've ever heard...

[Luigi193 @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:52AM]

Home of the slaves?
Because its illegal to do drugs?

I'd much rather live here, then home of the stoners... which in some parts of the country...

[Jon @ Aug 25th 2008 7:35PM]

Home of the slaves? You are a pompish little turd. People in the other parts of the world are dying because their government seizes relief food and water, or will shoot anyone that takes help from the UN... and you are b1tch1ng about an illegal drug? Seriously, no one feels sorry for you. As a matter of fact, I laugh at you and I hope things stay they way they are just so spoiled little turds like yourself all move out of this country.

[Justyn @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:26PM]

I see the point to this comment, and I think some of you may have taken it out of context. This comes down to personal choice. If you chose to do something that is known to be dangerous to you, and only you (which is key), the government shouldn't stop or try to prevent you from doing that other than to put out the FACTS, not the misinformation they spew about many drugs. In a free nation, people should be allowed to do as they please, provided those actions don't molest another person's freedom. When your actions affect another person's freedoms, then, and only then, should the government intervene.

So if you chose to rub tree frogs on your face, or attempt to ski down molten lava, go right ahead, but don't cry to me, or look for help when things don't go well.

Policy such as this, is not only simple to maintain and enforce, it would be great for humanity. It might even slow down the reproduction of replication of stupid people, which seem to be breeding at alarming rates.

Didn't mean to rant, but I'm for the legalization of all drugs, and much stricter penalties on activities dangerous to others while under the influence.

[jroc @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:28PM]

My argument is that your body is your own and you should be able to do anything you want to you. It is called liberty. This is what America was founded on. Oh you haven't heard about the CIA shipping in drugs and then arresting the idiots that use them? How come this 'war on drugs' leads to more drugs? I don't even do drugs. I just believe in liberty and freedom - something this country used to stand for.

[Wicker24 @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:28PM]

" I wish they would legalize marijuana......so stoners have nothing to talk about ever again!
grow up and do coke like an adult"

-Daniel tosh

[CrazyasIndian @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:45PM]

@rusty 5 and the others.

"if I told you to eat some poison mushrooms or rub a brightly colored south american tree frog on your face or ignore the warning signs around an active volcano, you'd do that too" -rusty 5

.... Sooo people are now telling you to smoke pot? I think not, also, it is not illegal to do ANY of thoes things mentioned above, while it is illegal for people to make the choice to smoke.

i support jroc, hes arguing the fact that we cannot use something natural like hemp, and it should be a legal choice for people.

[theguy @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:51PM]

I totally agree with jroc, it is your own body and you should be allowed to do what you want to it. I think Marijuanna should be legalized but with conditions. And did you seriously call him "a pompish little turd??" Wow your cool man.

[Will @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:59PM]

Marijuana isn't addictive and won't kill you though, unlike those other things mentioned. It's been proven to be less harmful than caffeine.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:00PM]

Hah. Dude, if you wanna go grab some cannabis hemp and smoke it, eat it, whatever, be my guest. It won't do anything for you, and no one is going to bust you for it, they'll just laugh at you. I think cannabis sativa is the one you're looking for.

Geesh. You'd think weed advocates would know which frickin' plant is which.

[Andrew @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:08PM]

can any of you idiots give a good reason why weed SHOULD be illegal?

and if you think weed should be illegal, but you drink alcohol, you are a hypocrite

[theguy @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:07PM]

I totally agreee with jroc, it is your own body and you should be allowed to do what you want to it. I think marijuanna should be legalized but with conditions. And did you seriously call him "a pompish little turd??" Wow you're cool man.

[NoAndThen @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:33PM]

FIRST AND FOREMOST: you guys have no idea what you're talking about.

Rutsy5, hemp and marijuana are two completely different plants. It's like saying Koi are goldfish. Hemp is an industrial/household product godsend if we weren't so brainwashed with false drug propaganda and actually used the damn thing in the USA.

Furthermore, cannabis (the OTHER plant, not hemp) has NEVER been linked to cancer or any increased death rates, ever. There has also never been an OD on pot, and there have been studies proving it to be impossible. Can you die from smoke inhalation? Yeah, if you can't breathe you'll die. Can you OD on THC? No.


Here in the US, we have spent almost 33 BILLION DOLLARS on the drug war thus far in 2008. (http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm)

And over 44% of ALL drug arrests have been for marijuana.

Even worse, we're spending ridiculous amounts of tax money to stop wild pot operations (which apparently we should hire turtles for) and yet 99% of the plants destroyed were Hemp plants; this is stupid, because the whole plant does not even contain enough THC (active ingredient in marijuana) to get an ant stoned.
(http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7033)

Marijuana prohibition is doing FAR more harm than it is good in this country, never mind the violence and cartels it creates. (Al Capone, anyone?)

That's not even touching on the positives of revenue generated from civil possession fines (with decriminalization) or the tax and economic revenue of legalization, regulation and taxing it.

So, how's that for an argument to legalize pot?

VOTE YES ON #2 IN MASSACHUSETTS- DECRIMINALIZE 1oz. or less!

[deyanimay @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:27PM]

Some Americans are too stupid to make the right decision on their own so the government has to step in to help them because nothing would get done if everyone smoked pot all day.

[Luigi193 @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:57PM]

Really... whats the point?

It seems like people are doing it JUST so they can fight about why it should be legal...

I won't touch any Alcohol, Tobacco or illegal drug... and I think I will survive.
I will also have more cash to blow on crappy gadgets.

I know its not "addictive", but you should try going other places to get your needs met...

Low rank me if you must... just stating my uninformed opinion...

[Jack Chance @ Aug 23rd 2008 3:56PM]

I'm for legalization of all drugs. In the netherlands fewer teens get high than in the US.

BUT, there are a small set of people who have panic attacks from THC. And it may be a trigger for psychosis in latent schizophrenics. No it won't kill them, but it can have a long lasting negative impact on their lives.

[jP @ Aug 23rd 2008 8:29PM]

It's your liberty to move out of America. Please, go ahead.

Do drugs somewhere else.

[RedBull Runner @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:40PM]

Just to help clarify, In most areas of the U.S. it is perfectly legal to injest/smoke/inject/snort/etc any drug you want, since it is, in fact, your own body. What IS illegal however, is possession of illegal narcotics. It does not matter if you have them in your pocket, bloodstream, stomach, etc... It still counts as possession.

[Chris @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:03PM]

jroc, it's illegal because it's a) bad for you and b) because the use of it can endanger others. It's not just your health and safety you endanger when smoking marijuana, but that of everyone around you. When it affects others it most certainly within the government's power to regulate or even ban.

[Fozzy Bear @ Aug 24th 2008 12:43AM]

yeah, it's a freaking tragedy the gov't says not to smoke pot...

c'mon... clearly the ganja affects judgment if the idiot got busted by a turtle...

and about the poster regarding the drug war.... i'd rather put taxpayers money on that to protect my kids to some degree than to give my money to welfare and social security... i don't need welfare but the government has no problem taking my money and giving it to someone else... that's a freakin' waste...

vote no and say yes to exercising intelligence!

[kyle allen @ Aug 24th 2008 10:57PM]

poop is natural

[kyle allen @ Aug 24th 2008 11:00PM]

nobody said pot was bad for you, its just that its bad for all the people you run over in your car.

[blizz419 @ Aug 25th 2008 8:11AM]

fozzy there is absolutely no reason for marijuana to be illegal while alcohol is legal alcohol is much worse for you, people tend to violent when drunk and there is way more people who die in car accidents due to someone being drunk than stoned, though you shouldn't drive when intoxicated on anything, Marijuana is less harmful than caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, so yes it is ridiculous for marijuana to be illegal while these others remain legal. i do not believe all drugs should be legal some others suggest, Crack, LSD, PCP, Heroine should never be legal, ive done my share of Acid (LSD) yes it is a extremely fun drug if your mentally stable enough to handle it but it should never ever be legal.

[chris joseph @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:42AM]

Imagine how much slower a stoned turtle would go.

[ohng @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:49AM]

Turtles with GPS devices?

What's next? Sharks with frikkin' lasers?

[OnlyShawn @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:14PM]

don't give them ideas.

[pulsar690 @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:39PM]

Monkey with machine guns?

[tha-don @ Aug 23rd 2008 8:33PM]

women with rights?

[Macro @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:56AM]

Yeah and all the cops have to do once they find the field is wait for you to come back and get it then BAM! You're in jail faster than your favorite rocker.

[Jason Woods @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:10PM]

sucks for that guy, why not behind your house or in the woods some where but in a state park, what a dumb a$$!!!

[Rob @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:15PM]

That was a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" attack.
Homeboy got caught, and now he'll have to face the "piper." lol ....

[Mustaine @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:51PM]

I wonder if the turtle felt like a pizza afterwards....

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Aug 24th 2008 2:33AM]

I am sure all that "turtle green" marijuana gave him munchies, he must have had several pies.

[Nik @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:21PM]

Haha, the title was frikin' hilarious.

[zephead @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:20PM]

Hah, you should've seen what the truncated title on http://i.engadget.com made it look like:

"GPS-equipped turtle runs into reefer farm, gets high..."

P.S. Engadget: Fix the i.engadget commenting system! I tried posting this twice already from there.

[zzz @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:24PM]

That might be the case with the state owned land but, if I'm not mistaken, if you do it on the Government land that makes it a federal case and as far as I remember the consequences are more severe.

[HalfJoey @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:55PM]

The guy shouldn't have grown it on US property.

[bassdog65 @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:03PM]

Is it just me or is this story missing one key piece of information. What the heck is a turtle doing with GPS strapped on its back?