We're freaking out, man. There's one more thing for marijuana smokers to be paranoid of in this world, and it's a doozy. No, we're not talking cops, conspiracy theories, parents, or any of the standard terror-inducing buzz-kills. We're talking about the pizza delivery driver.
Frederick Smith of Aurora, Colorado has a medical marijuana card for pain he suffers resulting from a bike accident. Last Friday night, after a long day at work, Smith ordered a pizza. While his nine-year-old daughter was upstairs taking a bath, Smith smoked a quick bowl. Pizza delivery guy shows up, drops off the pie, and leaves.
Shortly thereafter, Smith tells Westword, he heard loud pounding on his door. He opened it to find an Aurora Police officer; he explains he'd been called by a Papa John's driver who said there were small children around marijuana, and (per policy) came to check on the situation.
UPDATE:
Sexy Pizza of Denver has announced it will be giving Smith one of its New York pizzas each month for free. The owner of Sexy Pizza, Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari, also co-owns a medical marijuana center called Denver Relief and says that he will give one free pizza each month to Smith for the rest of his life if voters pass the Regulate Marijuana Like It's Alcohol Act of 2012, which would make adult recreational use legal.
In a press release, Khalatbari said:
We want to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with medical marijuana. This man was simply living his life, legally and in his own home, when Papa John's decided to question his rights, waste our city's resources and attempt to ruin a perfectly good relationship between pizza and marijuana.
EARLIER:
9News reports the officer searched the house and left without filing any charges. In the meantime, Smith has complained to Papa Johns and the Better Business Bureau.
The pizza delivery man says he contacted police to double-check on the welfare of the 9-year-old child, according to 7News.
In a statement, Papa John's defended their driver: "He was acting as a concerned citizen and for what he believes was the best interests of our community."
A job description from Papa John's expects drivers to deliver
high quality products to our customers in a safe, courteous and timely manner. Responsibilities also include learning delivery area, checking orders for accuracy, executing cash management duties, and covering other restaurant workstations including end of shift cleaning.
flickr photo via Max Z