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An older Tennessee woman gave cops a double middle-finger salute in a mugshot that is not only destined for viral notoriety, but one that will also likely induct her into the kingdom (er, queendom) of fearless cannabis legends.
Jackson County resident Peggy Brewington was arrested on August 30th after cops raided her home and discovered a small weed grow and a massive stash of dried bud. The raid was the conclusion of a month-long investigation by two separate state law enforcement agencies, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the 15th Drug Task Force (DTF) Tennessee. Cops initially arrested Brewington on August 27th for trespassing and then raided her home three days later.
When cops arrived to conduct the search, they asked Brewington exactly how much weed she had in her residence. “Maybe about an ounce,” she replied, according to a social media post by the 15th DTF. A thorough investigation of the property soon showed that this was quite an underestimate. Cops said that they found over 20 pounds of weed in Brewington’s home and dozens of cannabis plants growing on her farm.
“Officers recovered over 20 pounds of marijuana from the residence and approximately 40 marijuana plants from the property,” the 15th DTF wrote in a Facebook post accompanied by several pictures of healthy weed plants that they ripped out of the ground. “A second search was conducted at a nearby residence and more growing marijuana and processed marijuana was recovered.”
For the second time in a week, Brewington was hauled into the local jail, where she flipped off the camera in her soon-to-be-classic mugshot. Police will present her case to the Jackson County Grand Jury, who will determine what charges will be filed against her. Authorities have not yet disclosed whether the additional weed discovered nearby is related to Brewington’s case.
Tennessee residents definitely seem to have a unique way of protesting the state’s excessive weed laws. Last year, a local man who was in court for a minor pot possession charge lit up a joint and smoked it right in front of the judge. Of course, the young man lost his case, and was sentenced to additional charges, but he unfortunately died in an unrelated car accident this January. (Legends never die. RIP!)
It’s no surprise that Tennessee natives are so pissed off about getting busted for minor pot crimes. The Volunteer State is one of the minority of states in the USA that still prohibits weed in every form, including medical pot. State cops have even raided stores that sold CBD products, which are technically legal under state and federal laws. Individual cities like Memphis and Nashville have tried to decriminalize pot, but state lawmakers passed a law in 2017 that overturned these local ordinances, reinstating prison time and fines for pot offenses.
Earlier this summer, state Rep. Bruce Griffey (R) proposed a bill that would place three non-binding cannabis questions on the state 2022 election ballot. If passed, the bill would allow voters to share their opinions on whether the state should decriminalize minor pot possession, legalize medical marijuana, or legalize full adult-use sales. Lawmakers have shut down literally every other cannabis reform bill that has hit the books, though, so it remains to be seen whether they will even allow this simple request for public opinion to succeed.
