It’s probably safe to say that this person had no idea what was left in those coolers. If he did, then he was probably trying to get rid of an unhealthy cannabis addiction in one drastic move. Whatever the reason, this is a story to remember.
In March 2017, Goodwill employees in Monroe, Washington were rendered speechless when they discovered 3.75lbs of pot sitting undisturbed in a black cooler [1]. Donating to Goodwill is a generous way of using items that you don’t exactly need so much (but are still in good conditions) to serve a greater good. Local Goodwill organizations will sell the items and use the proceeds to fund employment training courses and job services in your community. It’s much better than letting these items occupy useful space in your home and progressively depreciate over time.
You can donate anything from gently and fairly-used electronics and laptops to marketable clothes and shoes. However, this particular donor certainly didn’t read Goodwill’s list of things NOT TO DONATE Five large bags of weed worth $24,000. The Monroe Police Department was immediately invited to commence an investigation into the donor. That amount of marijuana was too much and highly illegal.
60 times more weed than is legally allowed
At present, in Washington, it’s legal for persons over the age of 21 to possess one ounce of weed (at most) at a time [2]. Washington is one of the 11 states so far that have legalized marijuana for other purposes aside from medical uses.
3.75Ibs is approximately equal to 60oz, so this donor kind of broke the law 60 times over. The police valued the marijuana at $24,000. Wow!
“We went over there and they opened the lid and in there was five large bags of marijuana,” said Debbie Willis, spokeswoman of the Monroe PD to CNN [3]. “Normally when we go there, it is for a shoplifter, but not anything like this.”
This cooler was donated over the weekend to the Goodwill. Employees surprised when they opened the lid. Police were called… pic.twitter.com/50z1OinsER
— Monroe PD (@MonroePolice) March 14, 2017
According to Willis, the Police Department tried to track down the donor from CCTV footage at the center, but he was nowhere to be found. They weren’t certain if he’d donated at that center or to one of the in-bound trucks from other cities and communities.
“There are many people on social media claiming it’s theirs,” Willis said, “But we are yet to have one walk through the door.” There are too many ganja-heads nowadays.
When asked what would become of the stash, Willis said, “It’s sitting in our evidence, awaiting yearly burn of that type of evidence.” I hope they burned it in a contained environment. 60 ounces of weed could get an entire vicinity high.
Check your items before donation
It’s not a new thing for Goodwill employees to stumble across crazy items that have been donated. People forget varying amounts of money, credit cards, and important documents in the pockets of donated clothing.
“This is a reminder to check your purse, pockets, or cooler to make sure you’re donating the items you mean to,” said Katherine Boury, a spokesperson for Goodwill.
One of the creepiest discoveries was made in Bellevue, Washington in 2014, when Goodwill employees found 3 human skulls that were donated. Two of the skulls had already been used extensively for medical research and the other one was a 100-year-old Native American skull.
Donating to Goodwill is an amazing service to humanity, but it’s important to double-check your items so you don’t lose unintended materials. It’s probably best not to get high when you decide to figure out what you’re donating.