| By Jesse Singal - Sep 6th, 2007 at 9:33 am EDT |
| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
From a Boston Globe blog, via reddit:
A pair of freshmen at Northeastern University learned a tough lesson before classes even started this semester, when one of them allegedly leaned out the window of his dormitory and yelled something regrettable in earshot of plainclothes police officers.
"If you're looking for weed, my roommate Ferrante has some for sale," Michael R. Emery yelled, according to a release issued today by the Suffolk district attorney's office.
The sales pitch, made Sunday to a fellow student out a second-floor window at the Hemenway Street residence hall, got Emery, 18, and his roommate, Matthew J. Ferrante, 18, in a lot of trouble. After their room was searched and officers found a bevy of marijuana, smoking accessories and liquor, the pair was arrested, arraigned, and apparently thrown out of school.
"I can tell you that they are no longer students here at Northeastern," said Laura Shea, a school spokeswoman, who declined to comment further.
At first I felt really bad for these kids -- countless lives are ruined every year due to hysterical reactions to marijuana infractions (from both police and high school/college administrators). But then I read the details:
According to the release from prosecutors, police went to the second floor of the dormitory after hearing Emery yell and found the door open. In plain view was a bottle of Grey Goose vodka, a shot glass, and a plastic baggie of marijuana. The officers knocked and identified themselves to Emery, of Haverhill, and Ferrante, of North Andover.
As they spoke to the teens, police spotted another bag of marijuana and a glass pipe. The officers read the students their rights and received permission to search the room, according to the release. The search yielded eight small bags of marijuana, a larger bag containing three to four ounces of marijuana, hundreds of clear plastic baggies, and a Triton T2 digital scale. The officers also found a grinder, a bong, $1,045 in cash, bottles of Malibu rum, Smirnoff Twist raspberry vodka, and Southern Comfort, and a vaporizer, a device that uses heat to release marijuana's intoxicating chemicals but does not burn the plant.
During their first week of school? Damn. If they had all that stuff in their room and were soliciting potential customers from their window, then it really was only a matter of time.
Oh, and if you're considering running a large-scale marijuana distribution network from your dorm room this fall, here's a helpful list of weed laws by state.
All kidding aside, I do hope these two jokers escape actual legal trouble. It looks like Massachusetts's laws are lenient enough so that they will be able to get off with probation of some sort.
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On the other hand, as a graduate of Northeastern, I have to say these guys got what was coming to them. Drug and alcohol rules are notorisly stringent at Northeastern and are laid out well in advance to all students. Maybe the rules are too harsh, but that's not a reason to blatantly violate them. Here's a good rule of thumb while attending any college... Don't announce potential drug deals out your dorm-room window! A lot of people can hear you! A little common sense can go a long way.
It's a shame they got thrown out in this manner. Knowing Northeastern, these kids are probably finished attending that school. But also knowing Massachusetts, there are plenty of other opportunities for education. Hopefully they take this as a learning experience and will be more discreet next time.