This week, William Breathes told the story of medical marijuana patient Rick Smith, who was narced on by a Papa John's driver. Smith was pissed about the delivery guy calling the cops -- but things worked out pretty well for him in the end. Denver's Sexy Pizza is now offering him a free pizza every month for a year -- and maybe for life.
Smith says he logged back on to his computer and picked a pizza to be delivered from a nearby Papa John's on South Chambers, paying for both the pie and pre-tipping the driver online. He then sent his nine-year-old daughter upstairs to take a bath while they waited for the pizza to arrive.
Back downstairs, Smith -- a Colorado medical marijuana cardholder -- smoked a quick bowl and then sat down to play some video games. A few minutes later, the pizza guy showed up at his door with his 'za and a two-liter bottle of Sprite.
Not a half-hour later, Smith says he heard pounding at the door. "I immediately knew that it was the police knocking by the sound of it," Smith says. "I opened they door, and there was an Aurora Police officer."
Smith says the policeman explained that dispatch had received a call from a Papa John's pizza delivery driver saying there were small children around people smoking pot. The cop told Smith that the department policy is to check up on situations where children may be in danger.
Floored, Smith pulled out his medical card and explained to the police officer what had happened. He also pointed out that the driver had likely seen the children's playhouse in the driveway. Smith said the police officer went out to his cruiser to verify his red card, returning a few minutes later with a sorry.
Afterward, Smith called the local Papa John's branch to complain, but the manager there defended the driver's actions. Likewise, the national office didn't reach out to Smith, who wanted some kind of disciplinary action taken against the driver.
Into the breach step the Sexy Pizza folks. They're offering Smith a free pizza every month until November 2012, at which point voters will likely have a chance to weigh in on the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, which would decriminalize pot in small quantities for adult recreational use and set up a regulatory system within state government. And if the measure is enacted, Sexy Pizza owner Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari promises to give Smith a free pizza every month for the rest of his life.
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Is Smith accepting the deal? Damn straight. He told the Sexy Pizza crew he's eagerly awaiting his free 'zas.
As for Khalatbari, co-owner of the Denver Relief dispensary, who sets aside $1 from the sale of three different pizzas for cannabis advocacy groups like SAFER, Sensible Colorado and the Medical Marijuana Assistance Program of America, he released a statement saying, "We want to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with medical marijuana. This man was simply living his life, legally and in his own home, when Papa John's decided to question his rights, waste our city's resources and attempt to ruin a perfectly good relationship between pizza and marijuana."
