A 'Large Amount' of Weed Just Washed Up on a Florida Beach
This has nothing to do with that giant seaweed blob, either.
While South and Central Florida beaches are battling literal tons of a historic sargassum bloom that contains flesh-eating bacteria, folks up in North Florida are welcoming a different kind of lettuce. News4Jax reports that beachgoers informed authorities that a large amount of cannabis had washed up on shoes in Neptune Beach on Saturday, July 22.
Zach West was walking on Neptune Beach when he thought he saw a rather large pile of seaweed from the sargassum bloom. But upon closer inspection, including some sniffing, West quickly determined that while it was reefer, it had not come from the ocean.
"I did pick it up and smelled it to see what it smelled like," West told News4Jax. "It was weed. It’s kind of crazy."
West and his mother reported the cannabis to the authorities, fearing that it might be a public health concern, especially for children playing at the beach. And it turns out, waterlogged sea weed (not to be confused with seaweed) is not really worth the trouble of harvesting it.
"Before anyone starts thinking about coming out and turning this discovery into your own treasure hunt, we would advise against it. After floating in the ocean for some time, the marijuana has quickly begun to degrade and rot," the Neptune Beach Police Department said in a statement.
Other people on the beach reportedly speculated that it could have been between five and 10 pounds of weed. In photos, hundreds of nugs can be seen—and it really does look just like seaweed. The police department asked area beachgoers to avoid the stretch of beach where the weed floated ashore until it was cleaned up.
"It's crazy," Neptune Beach resident Suzanna Joseph told local news, amid hysterical fits of laughter. "I'm surprised there wasn't a bunch of hippies on the beach."