Vermont Couple Arrested After Giving a Teen Weed To Shovel Their Driveway
The Pair Were Charged For Paying A 14-Year-Old in Cannabis
Picture this: you’re 14 years old, and your neighbours ask you to shovel the snow in their driveway. You groan at the thought of having to do chores in the cold – until you learn what’s in it for you. Your neighbours offer to pay you in weed.
That’s what happened in a recent incident in Vermont, and police didn’t exactly approve of the bud bartering system.
A Pair of Vermont Locals Paid a Teen in Weed
Vermont can withstand pretty heavy winters. During a recent storm, the towns of Ludlow and Springfield – both in Vermont – were hit with 41 inches of snow, and nearby communities faced just under 40 inches. That’s a lot of snow to shovel.
Cory Saddlemire, 40, and Annette Mayer, 61, had made a deal with a teen in the neighbourhood: the 14-year old would shovel snow in their driveway for a reward. This is common in snowy areas like Vermont, where this incident took place – but usually, the payment comes in the form of allowance money. Saddlemire and Mayer had a different form of payment in mind, however: they gave their teen helper weed.
Here’s How They Got Caught
In 2018, Vermont legalized recreational cannabis use. Specifically, adults would be allowed to possess and cultivate a set amount of weed. However, giving weed to minors would still be strictly prohibited – meaning weed would not be an appropriate form of payment for teens who shovel driveways.
The teen who shoveled the driveways reportedly had an adverse reaction to the weed they were given, according to police. Upon further investigation, police learned of the shady deal.
The pair were then charged with dispensing marijuana to someone under the age of 21, and will appear in court in February.
Could Weed Hypothetically Be Used as a Payment For Labour?
Weed for physical labour might not sound too unappealing at first glance – but is it legal at all? Ultimately, it’s complicated. The Vermont case is legally problematic because of the age of the person receiving the weed.
Most areas that have legalized weed have regulations in place that determine how much weed you are allowed to share or distribute. According to Vermont laws, “knowingly and unlawfully selling marijuana remains a criminal offense.”
In other words, you need a license to distribute weed in Vermont, whether for a financial profit or for labour. Realistically, it still happens all the time – the black market obviously didn’t disappear after the state legalized cannabis in 2018.
Next time you count on a teen to shovel your driveway, mow your lawn, or babysit your younger sibling, think twice before paying them in weed. Cold hard cash will probably do just fine.
