Father, Daughter Face Charges For Selling Pot Brownies At School

Plans to celebrate a high school graduation at Universal Studios went south—when a father and daughter were caught selling pot brownies at a local high school in Palm Bay, Florida.

Police were able to trace the source of the THC-infused sweets after two teens were hospitalized last week after eating more than they could handle. 

According to Palm Bay police, Robert Johnson’s 17-year-old daughter had asked him to make a batch of pot brownies for a graduation celebration at Universal Studios. But instead of saving them for the big day, his daughter sold some of the brownies at $10 apiece to the two teens at a baseball game at Bayside High School. 

Johnson now faces felony charges, including selling a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school. His daughter and four other teens also face various drug charges, according to the Brevard Times.

Upon further investigation, police found a grow operation, including 12 plants and several hundred grams of dried bud, in Johnson’s home. He was released from jail on a $62,500 bond.

Under Florida law, possession or sale of more than 20 grams of marijuana is a felony that can result in a prison sentence of up to five years. Possession or sale of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school is also considered a felony, which can land Johnson with up to 15 years in prison.

Last November, Florida voters passed a measure to expand the state’s medical marijuana law, which has been around since 2014. The law was very restrictive, and only allowed the use of low-THC and high-CBD (cannabidiol) marijuana to treat debilitating seizures.

Seventy-one percent of Florida voters passed Amendment 2 in November to expand the program, but it’s not hard to find critics who say the proposed changes to Florida’s MMJ policy are still too restrictive. 

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, several cities and counties throughout the Sunshine State—including Miami-Dade County, Tampa, Key West and Orlando—have adopted decriminalization measures that give police the discretion to ticket people for possession of small amounts of marijuana—usually up to 20 grams—instead of arrest them. 

Unfortunately for Robert Johnson, Brevard County isn't one of them. Though even if the county did decriminalize up to 20 grams of marijuana, he still dealt more than that—a felony in the state of Florida. That's including his entire brownie mix—not just the weed. Palm Bay Lt. Mike Bandish explains: "If you dissolve cocaine in a liquid to pass it through Customs, the entire weight of the liquid is the amount that they charge you with."