Joint smokers let off with referral

A University of Arizona Police Department officer was on bike patrol on Thursday at 10:52 p.m. on the east side of the Modern Languages building, when he smelled marijuana.

The officer could see two men on the south side of the Education building and could tell the smell was coming from them.

As the officer walked toward the men, they turned and started quickly walking eastward.

When the officer caught up with them and asked them to stop, they stopped and were identified as UA students by Arizona driver’s licenses.

The men said that they knew nothing about the smell of marijuana, that they did not have anything on them and that they were just walking around.

When the officer searched the place they had been, he found a marijuana cigarette still burning.

He asked the men separately about the marijuana cigarette.

The first man he spoke with said, “I’m not going to lie. (We) walked from Graham-Greenlee Residence Hall and were smoking a marijuana cigarette when you saw us.”

The officer asked the man if he had anything else on him, and he said he did not and that the officer could search him if he wanted.

When the officer searched his pockets, he found a package of zigzag rolling papers and told the man the papers were considered paraphernalia.

The other man told the officer a similar story and added that they dropped the marijuana cigarette so they would not get caught.

Both men said they did not know where they got the marijuana.

The officer told the men they would not be arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia but that a Code of Conduct referral would be sent to the Dean of Students. The men were then allowed to leave.

The marijuana cigarette was submitted for testing and then placed into property as evidence.