THREE young Greytown people learnt the hard way at the weekend that smoking marijuana does little to sharpen thought processes.
Constable Steve Goggin, of Featherston, said that on Sunday afternoon a Greytown resident was taking a stroll at the Kuratawhiti Street Park.
The man spotted three young men sitting in a car,
apparently smoking marijuana shortly after 4pm.
The distinctive smell floating about the car was also a giveaway as to what was going on.
Displeased by the marijuana being so blatantly smoked in a public place and near a children's playground, the man decided to approach the pot-smokers.
He went up to the car and knocked on the window, which was duly rolled down.
Mr Goggin said the man then noticed a little bag of the dope sitting on the central console of the dashboard, reached in and confiscated the stash.
They said to him "you can't do that", to which he replied: "Report me".
"He caught them on the hop and they were too stupefied to do anything about it," Mr Goggin said.
The man then continued on his way, leaving the stoners sitting there.
When he got home he rang the police to tell them what had happened, and they dispatched a car from Featherston, the nearest manned station at the time.
After driving the 12km from Featherston to Greytown, police arrived at the park.
"And lo and behold the fellas were still there, sitting in the car," Mr Goggin said.
Two men, 17 and 20 were subsequently arrested and charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The third occupant, 16, the brother of the 20-year-old, was returned home to his parents.
Mr Goggin said police would be dealing with him further as he had been involved in some other "nefarious activity" on Saturday night, when he was caught on camera lurking around the back of the White Swan.
Mr Goggin said police don't advocate members of the public take direct action in such situations.
