Man Jailed for Attempting to Trade Weed for a Car

By Lisa M. Schaffer, Esq. on November 14, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Can you imagine going to a used car lot and saying, "How much for that car over there? I've got 3 kilos of weed to trade for it." As much as westerners sometimes miss the easy-living days of the Native American life, where trade and barter were the norms, those days are over, at least when it comes to bartering with weed.

Marijuana may be legalized in Oregon, but the state law does have some limits. Evidently, Matthew Franks of Independence, Oregon was unaware of them, or at least unaware that all marijuana sales are regulated, and sellers must be licensed. Perhaps Franks didn't think of this as "selling" so much as "trading," when he offered an online car marketplace dealer marijuana in exchange for one of their Mazda SUVs.

When Franks showed up at the meeting place to trade for the car, the police were there instead, arrested him, and brought him to jail. Incidentally, the police seized 5.4 pounds of marijuana, which was less than the agreed-upon amount. Now THAT is a crime.

When Franks Brings the Green, He Really Brings the Green

Franks was booked on a charge of unlawful delivery of marijuana for consideration. He might be able to get off on a technicality when it comes to the difference between trading and commerce. Or maybe Franks could claim that he thought it was a mutual exchange of gifts instead of a sale. He probably has time to figure out his legal strategy. This should be fun to hear. 

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard