SPRINGFIELD — A 14-year-old’s call to police about a home invasion went vastly awry for her father when he was arrested for various drug offenses on Tuesday.

The young girl called police to report a break in at 139 Maybrook Road in Springfield. She reported that two armed men came into her house while her father was at the bank and demanded her to show them her father’s room.

After she showed them his room, the suspects forced her into the closet, where she used her cell phone to text her grandfather for help and call the police.

Police arrived after the men had fled, but proceeded to check the house for safety. Inside, the officers were “overwhelmed by the sent of unburned marijuana.”

They didn’t find the men, but they did find a “marijuana grow house” throughout three rooms equipped with hydroponics, including high intensity lights and watering equipment.

The father, Nicholas J. Korniotes, 40, returned to the house in the middle of the search and agreed to go to the station to answer questions.

Officers seized Korniotes’ home, his boat, car, bank accounts, motorcycle, and are looking to seize five other homes he owns. The suspect admitted to owning the grow house.

Korniotes was arrested for cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and violation of a drug free school zone.

Legalizing pot (left-hand image), some say, would eliminate many negative environmental impacts associated with clandestine growing and illegal smuggling. It would also likely open the door for the legalization of hemp (right-hand image), a relative of the cannabis plant that can't get you high but could help us sustainably meet a good amount of our fiber and fuel needs. (Wikipedia)

It is well known that legalizing pot could have great economic benefits in California and elsewhere by allowing the government to tax it (like it now does on liquor and cigarettes), by ending expensive and ongoing operations to eradicate it, and by keeping millions of otherwise innocent and non-violent marijuana offenders out of already overburdened federal and state prisons. But what you might not know is that legalizing pot could also pay environmental dividends.

Nikki Gloudeman, a senior fellow at Mother Jones magazine, reports on the change.org website that the current system of growing pot—surreptitious growers illegally colonizing remote forest lands and moving pesticides, waste and irrigation tubes into otherwise pristine ecosystems—is nothing short of a toxic scourge. Legalizing pot, she says, would clean things up substantially, as the growing would both eliminate the strain on public lands and meet higher standards for the use and disposal of toxic substances.

Legalization would also reduce the environmental impacts of smuggling across the U.S./Mexico border, says Gloudeman: “Cartels routinely use generators, diesel storage tanks and animal poison to preserve their cache, when the border area is surrounded by more than 4 million acres of sensitive federal wilderness.”

Also, legalizing pot would move its production out into the open, literally, meaning that growers would no longer need to rack up huge energy costs to keep their illegal indoor growing operations lit up by artificial light. This means that the energy consumption and carbon footprint of marijuana growers would go way down, as the light the plants need for photosynthesis could be provided more naturally by the sun.

Yet another green benefit of legalizing marijuana would be an end to the destructive eradication efforts employed by law enforcement at bust sites, where the crop and the land they are rooted in are sometimes subjected to harsh chemical herbicides for expedited removal.

The legalization of pot in the U.S. would also likely open the door to the legal production of hemp, a variety of the same Cannabis plant that contains much lower amounts of the psychoactive drug, THC. Proponents say hemp could meet an increasingly larger percentage of our domestic fiber and fuel needs. Cannabis, the plant from which marijuana and hemp is derived, grows quickly without the need for excessive amounts of fertilizer or pesticide (it’s a “weed” after all) and absorbs carbon dioxide like any plant engaged in photosynthesis. The fiber and fuel derived from hemp would be carbon neutral and as such wouldn’t contribute to global warming—and in fact could help mitigate rising temperatures by replacing chemical-intensive crops like cotton and imported fossil fuels like oil and gas.

Of course, one might argue that the best thing for the environment would be to stop growing cannabis altogether. “But let’s be real: That’s never going to happen,” says Gloudeman. “In light of that, the next best bet is to make it legal.”

CONTACTS: Change.org, www.change.org; Drug Policy Alliance, www.drugpolicy.org.

SAN DIEGO — An Oceanside truck driver pleaded guilty Thursday to transporting more than 19,400 pounds of marijuana to various distribution points in California.

Carlos Cunningham Jr., 29, admitted in San Diego federal court that he drove multiple trailer loads of marijuana from San Diego to the Central District of California, and that he was aware the marijuana was smuggled into the United States from Mexico through a cross-border tunnel. He faces 21 to more than 27 years in federal prison when he is sentenced April 18, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Walker Hobson.

Cunningham was followed from the tunnel’s exit point — a warehouse in San Diego — to the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Temecula.

The 600-yard underground tunnel was discovered November 2. Agents seized an additional 28,782 pounds of marijuana from the warehouse, authorities said. Mexican authorities seized 9,878 pounds of marijuana from the tunnels entrance in a Tijuana home.

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, more than 77 cross-boarder smuggling tunnels have been detected in the last four years by federal authorities, mostly in California and Arizona.

Actress Cameron Diaz revealed that she was Snoop Dogg’s high school classmate and she was buying pot from the rapper on “Lopez Tonight” Wednesday.

She said, “He was very tall and skinny, wore lots of ponytails in his hair. And I’m pretty sure I bought weed from him. I had to have.”

Also, she said her high school time “was pretty rough” and there were frequent fights between students.

She commented, “I used to get into fights with boys more than girls. For some reason, guys liked to fight me. I don’t know why.”

Braintree police arrested a 15-year-old local alleged drug dealer, after he allegedly got high and stole his mother’s mini-van.

“Officer Kenneth Murphy was traveling on Union Street near the rotary late Wednesday evening … when he observed the mini- van in front of him without displaying headlights,” said Deputy Police Chief Russ Jenkins. “Officer Murphy effected an enforcement stop and approached the operator and immediately smelled an odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.”

Police said that the boy, whose name was not released because of his age, told police he had been smoking marijuana. Police then found some in an overhead sunglasses storage area.

Police did not say much much marijuana was found, but possession of less than ounce has been decriminalized in Massachusetts, and the boy was charged with possession.

The boy was cited for operating under the influence of drugs, driving without a license, using a motor vehicle without permission, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, operating to endanger, and failure to display headlights.

He was brought home to his parents.

TUCSON, Ariz. — In the November election, Proposition 203 passed in Arizona by about 4,000 votes, legalizing medical marijuana here. Now people who are ill and meet the qualifications are allowed to purchase it from dispensaries in the state who obtain licenses to grow it.

With recent election results producing a controversial republican governor in Jan Brewer, some Tucsonans weighed in on why they think such a liberal proposition passed.

Lucas Baer, 26, who said he was “completely for” the proposition passing, believes that the people of Arizona still have the Wild West mentality. Baer, who is starting up his own business and is originally from Minnesota, has noticed that in Arizona, with its “open, adventurous landscape,” people are not quick to give up their individual liberties. Baer believes that Arizonans vote conservatively for officials, but when it comes to someone telling them what they can and cannot do they won’t stand for it.

“My old boss used to carry a gun on his hip,” Baer said, “and it was totally legal.” In this case, though, he tends to agree that marijuana’s bad image is “not necessarily justified,” and that it could potentially have some healing benefits.

Justin Freitag, 43, a school guidance counselor, also supported the proposition. In his opinion, the government “needs to legalize marijuana to gain control over the drug market.” If marijuana is legal, then it can be taxed, which would make the government money. Freitag believes that Pima County, of which Tucson is a part, is the only liberal county in Arizona. The rest of the counties, including Maricopa County where Phoenix rests, are conservative. He believes the other counties stack up this way because there are a lot of religious Christians and Mormons living there, and they tend to vote conservatively. He also believes that because the University of Arizona, with its hugely diverse population of students, is in Tucson, it also accounts for the more liberal voting in Pima County. Freitag, although he is in favor of Proposition 203, doesn’t think it will ever actually be implemented. He thinks it will be blocked with too much red tape. “Arizona is a very strange place,” he says.

“It’s just weird. Arizona is a contradiction. Technologically, it’s progressive. A lot of people have moved out here, yet education is horrible and we are a conservative red state.”

While some, like Baer and Freitag have formed pretty strong opinions about the subject, other Arizonans remain more neutral. Mr. Warren, a middle school science teacher, is undecided whether or not he is in favor of medical marijuana. Although he is not really sure why it passed, he believes that “everything boils down to money.” He is not entirely convinced that marijuana is a bad substance, because he believes that any plant could have medicinal purposes because of it. The makeup and photosynthesis of plants ensure that they have a lot of nutritional value. He is also not yet entirely convinced that marijuana, in any form but the plant form, has any medical benefits. He also thinks that there is no way to regulate between personal and medicinal use of marijuana. Even with the passing of Proposition 203, Warren is still not concerned either way. He says he has bigger things to worry about than medical marijuana.

Others, like Jessica Clines, 30, of Phoenix are very against it. Clines, a Mormon stay-at-home mother of two, believes the proposition passed because people were “voting based on what’s accepted and what feels good rather than what is actually the most beneficial for society as a whole.”

In her opinion, legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes puts the state that much closer to legalizing it completely.

“Young people engage in risky behavior enough without being encouraged to do so,” Clines said. She believes Arizona youths would abuse marijuana if it were legal, as they do now with alcohol. Clines thinks complete legalization of marijuana would be “detrimental” to the state.

But enough Arizonans came out in favor of medical marijuana to get it legalized. Medical marijuana will be legal to grow and purchase within the borders of the state by 2011. Only time will tell how Arizona is able to regulate this new process, and if it will help or hurt the state’s dwindling economy.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seized more than 2,100 pounds of marijuana and identified a cross-border smuggling tunnel Monday in Nogales, Ariz.

According to ICE, agents doing surveillance in Nogales identified a white Ford panel van that appeared to be riding low tot he ground. They later saw a round bundle fall out of the van as it pulled out of a parking lot. Agents stopped the van and found more than a ton of marijuana inside, which was packaged in ways that resembled marijuana seized from tunnel operations used to smuggle drugs from Mexico into the US>

“Whenever we identify bundles that appear to have come through a tunnel, it’s all hands on deck until we can identify the source,” said Kevin Kelly, assistant special agent in charge for Nogales. “In this case, we called in the Border Patrol and the Nogales Police Department and we were able to find the illicit tunnel east of the Morley Pedestrian Port of Entry.”

Agents later found a 13-foot tunnel in Nogales that extended from the Mexican International Border Fence right through a street surface. The tunnel was 10-inches in diameter and used only to move the drugs, not people.

Mexican authorities secured the tunnel on their end. Local officials in Nogales put a steel plate over the tunnel as federal agents collapsed it.

The van’s driver fled and was not arrested. A passenger was arrested and faces federal charges of possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

The passenger was in this country illegally and has been deported in the past.

Legendary country singer Willie Nelson, 77, was charged with marijuana possession above 6 ounces, which was allegedly found aboard his tour bus.

Police spokesman Bill Brooks explains that the tour bus pulled into the checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas around 9 a.m. Friday. An officer smelled pot when a door was opened and happened to actually find marijuana.

In the end, three people were arrested, including the country singer.

Sheriff Arvin West told the El Paso Times that Nelson, a Texas native, claimed the marijuana was his. The singer was held briefly and paid $2,500 before being released.

A North Smithfield, R.I. teacher and coach faces charges relating to “sexting” his students, according to a report by WPRO Radio.

Steve DeMeo pleaded not guilty in Kent County Courthouse Monday to charges of indecent solicitation of children, possession of child pornography and possession of marijuana, the radio station reported.

DeMeo, 31, is accused of sending inappropriate sexual cell phone images to minors.

WPRO reported that DeMeo teaches Social Studies at North Smithfield High School and coaches girls varsity soccer there and boys varsity basketball at nearby Coventry High School.

Bail for DeMeo was set at $10,000, and he was ordered not to have contact with minors.

SAN DIEGO — Proposition 19 has failed. It’s a done deal, and marijuana will not be legal in California.

But the poll numbers are looking a lot closer than many in the War on Drugs may have expected.

With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Prop. 19 received 54 percent opposition and 46 percent support.

Not bad for a measure that was universally opposed by law enforcement, elected officials in the Republican and Democratic parties, not to mention the entire federal government, which threatened to enforce anti-drug laws on Californians anyway, even if voters approved the measure.

Prop. 19′s place on the ballot did not bring people to the polls. Some people felt there would be a surge in young voters looking to legalize marijuana. Exit polls showed that only 1 in 10 voters came out to vote because of Proposition 19. The governor’s race was by far the top issue, followed by the senate race.

The measure would have allowed people possess an ounce of marijuana and grow up to 25 square feet of marijuana in their backyards.

SAN DIEGO — Proposition 19, which would have legalized marijuana in California and subjected it to a state tax, has failed.

Prop. 19 made national headlines, but the idea had almost no backing from organizations with the funding to mount a statewide campaign.

Law enforcement groups, politicians from both major parties, and the federal government had come down hard on the idea of legalizing marijuana.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the Obama administration would overtly enforce federal drug laws in California, even if the measure passed.

Actor Zach Galifianakis famously smoked a joint on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday night to show support for the bill.

Proposition 19 would have made it legal for adults age 21 and over to possess an ounce of marijuana and to grow a small amount of it. Local governments would also be allowed to tax it and permit commercial cultivation.

California’s Prop 19, which would legalize marijuana in the state, brought an interesting conversation on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday night when guest Zach Galifianakis lit up a joint to support it.  On the show, he said, “It’s a tricky thing politically to jump on that bandwagon ’cause I think that maybe people see it as taboo still,” and he pulled out his lighter.

He even passed the joint to O’Reilly Factor regular Margaret Hoover, who smelled it and said, “It’s the real thing.” she later tweeted a link to the video. Galifianakis said later, “Oh my god, look at those dragons! That’s my point. I think that’s what people think of it.”

How do you see that he is very supportive?

SAN DIEGO — In the biggest drug bust in Mexican history, officials seized more than 105 tons of Marijuana on Monday.

The marijuana was headed for the United States and is street valued at an amazing $340 million.

Initially, Tijuana police noticed a suspicious line of vehicles during a routine patrol. The officers came under fire and later discovered the drugs.

Eleven people were arrested during the bust for drug trafficking. One police officer and one suspect sustained injuries.

The packages were wrapped and displayed logos of specific distributors in the United States. The packages were found in trailers, houses, as well as a storage facility disguised as a recycling plant. The drugs had been accumulating for some time, arriving by land, air, and sea.

It is deemed likely the drugs belong to the Sinaloa cartel, headed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Alejandro Poire, security spokesman for President Felipe Calderon.

A genre in pop culture that has not been heard from in some time: The Stoner Comedy.

Though a few attempts have been made to rival the classic for our generation, one movie stands up to be called “The modern day Cheech and Chong.” I’m speaking of course about the movie “Half-Baked.” It has been over a decade since the movie’s release, but still it remains a staple in the recreational smoker’s movie repertoire. A major contributing reason for the movie’s cult-like success is due, in large part, to Mr. Jim Breuer.

His upcoming book “I’m Not High (But I Do Have a Lot of Crazy Stories About Life As A Goat Boy, A Dad, And A Spiritual Warrior)” will hit shelves on Tuesday. Blast had the pleasure of talking with this resin-soaked legend about this new endeavor and life as an author, comedian, Goat Boy, dad, and spiritual warrior.

BLAST: What are you feeling as you wait for the official release of your first book? Excitement?

JIM BREUER: You know what, I’m excited, but I don’t really know what to expect. I try not to get my hopes up. It’s like when I was doing Half-Baked. I thought that was going to be the greatest stoner character ever. Thought it would open up the doors for big blockbuster movies. But I haven’t been in a movie since!

BLAST: You’ve got to be a little anxious.

JB: Well, the thing is, I can live with the fact if it doesn’t do well because I wrote it. So I’m alright with it. I love the content. I’ll know I did a good job if I see someone with a copy of it at the airport, reading it in the terminal, like “This is really good!€

BLAST: How did you find the whole writing process? Since they were your stories, did you just find yourself flying through the pages?

JB: It was Emotionally draining. The whole. Freakin. Book. I hand wrote it. No computer or typewriter. Every single story in the book I have an emotional tie to. Whether it be sad, happy, funny, whatever. So by the time I was done, I was exhausted.

BLAST: You say there are sad stories too. Where these personal stories about family, or yourself?

JB: Yeah about family members that died. My brother, A really close friend of mine who passed away as well. There are a couple stories in there about some deep moments with Chappelle. Kind of shows some other sides of him.

BLAST: How did you go about editing the book?

JB: I actually just kind of gave out some copies I had my sister make to some close friends, and asked them to tell me what they thought. Once they read it, they all were pretty positive and told me “I loved this part€ or “This was my favorite section€. Then I knew I was really on to something.

BLAST: Getting away from the book for a second, are you still on tour right now?

JB: I am. This tour goes until December, then I start a little book signing tour. Then next year I really want to push the book with a decent length storytelling tour. Then I’d like to go back to radio full-time.

BLAST: How have you noticed your stand-up act change over the years as you mature.

JB: It’s changed a lot. I am constantly trying to keep the happy medium, though. That being changing the content and subject matter, but not changing the style of the delivery. I probably crush, now, more than I ever have before in my sets.

Jim Breuer is currently touring Midwest comedy clubs and will be making his way up the east coast, and appearing in some New York and New Jersey late November. “I’m Not High (But I Do Have a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, A Dad, And a Spiritual Warrior)” will be available on Tuesday.

MIAMI — "Regards from Tuna Ville, where it’s always 420" was how Robert Platshorn, one of the largest marijuana smuggler from the 1970s, signed off on an e-mail to me.

Along with his other numerous entrepreneurial accomplishments, Robert Platshorn should be known best for being an accomplished fisherman.  Instead, it’s his affiliation with being the leader of the infamous ‘Black Tuna Gang,’ that gives him the most recognition. Back in the 1970s, he and a number of other individuals, were responsible for flooding the states with an abundance of high quality marijuana from Colombia. The ‘Black Tuna Gang’ were the most notorious and sophisticated smugglers of their time.

It was May of 1979 when an indictment was issued by a Miami Federal Grand Jury charging Platshorn and his Black Tuna Gang with operating a marijuana smuggling ring that had allegedly brought into the States 500  tons of Colombian marijuana during a 16-month period. It was this indictment and subsequent conviction that led to Platshorn being placed in federal prison for 29 years. A bounty had been put on his head by President Jimmy Carter’s attorney general, Griffin Bell.

Platshorn’s recently released  first novel, “The Black Tuna Diaries,” is a fascinating depiction of personal stories, along with accounts of the inner working of the well-oiled machine of smuggling, life in prison, what the government did and did not know, and more.

Platshorn and his exploits were also prominently featured in the 2006 documentary “Cocaine Cowboys.” The same film company, Rakontur, is now in the process of editing a documentary called “Square Grouper, a film based on Platshorn’s novel that also features DEA agents, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and the other surviving members of The Black Tuna gang. The film is scheduled to be released this fall.

I had the pleasure of meeting Platshorn recently when I attended a special exhibition at the Miami Historical Museum of Southern Florida that highlighted the city’s intimate and unique relationship with crime.

That night, as I walked around the exhibition, I spotted Platshorn, standing by his display, intently reading the captions under the photographs. After he identified himself, we chatted a bit, and he briefly told me about his life as a marijuana smuggler. We planned to meet on a later date for an interview.  Intrigued, I bought his book before leaving the museum and immediately began reading it.

On the afternoon of our interview, a Friday, I arrived a little early and was informed that Mr. Platshorn was already inside. He stood right by his display in the exhibit, the only person separate from the small group of about 10 people around the corner listening intently to their museum guide. I approached  Platshorn, who was dressed in slacks and a navy blue colored Hawaiian button down shirt, and quickly apologized for having kept him waiting. He waved off my apology, announcing, "I’m always at least an hour early wherever I go."

The Platshorn display was set up directly across a mock demonstration of a police line up. His portion of the wall was a small shrine to his involvement with crime: a couple of framed newspaper articles, a small gold necklace that the government accused Platshorn and his gang of using to identify themselves as members of the smuggling gang, and a beautifully-crafted  hand-made wooden boat that Platshorn informed me that was done by his partner Randy, in jail.

The mention of Randy triggered Platshorn’s memory, and he quickly jumped into the story of how he had recently heard from his old partner after many years of silence. They reconnected for the first time a couple weeks ago and went fishing.

During our conversation, Platshorn seemed like the type of person who belonged on a fishing boat rather than behind bars. His outdoorsy, casual appeal evokes a Jimmy Buffet song. His demeanor isn’t one of a hardened criminal that spent 29 years in jail; but rather, the type of individual that you want to drink beers with and listen to, an eccentric individual you can picture taking a hit off a joint with. He’s charismatic with an inviting nature to the point where I almost wanted to relocate this interview to an outside bar, and ask him questions over a cold beer or two.

Platshorn is a talker. His stories are long, elaborate and specific, complete with first and last names, dates and locations. He is a natural storyteller, and a damn good one at that. I had initially planned to film Platshorn standing by his display, but it soon became evident we had to change locations. The museum tour guide’s voice not only dominated the calm quiet of a room that only museums and libraries possess, but the echo of her voice made it impossible for us to conduct our interview there.

Before we settle on a new location, two young men of college age stand in front of Platshorn’s display and ask for me to take a picture with their iPhone. They don’t realize they’re standing next to the captain of the Black Tuna Gang, himself. Platshorn points to a couple of the framed newspaper articles behind them and chuckles. "You would never believe that I use to be that skinny, would you?" The young men quickly look at Platshorn, and then back at the photo. "Yeah that’s me, part of The Black Tuna Gang." They do one more double take, and immediately ask Platshorn if he would mind being in the photo. He is more than happy to oblige.

Before we head out, the former smuggler takes one last look at his wall. He stands proud, in front of his well-documented contribution to Miami’s checkered past, and is quiet for a couple seconds. He looks at his life, all laid out on display for people to see and judge.

Outside the museum, we settle on an empty table in the vast courtyard area across from the main Miami Public Library, and resume our conversation.

Platshorn’s necklace, a simple gold chain with a dime sized replica of a fish, is nestled in a little chest hair, shines in the sunlight. It’s the same medallion that initially caught my attention when we first met. Apparently, the government also took particular notice of his necklace: it helped served as evidence in his case to put him and his gang behind bars. It was suspected to be a symbol of involvement and alliance with his pot smuggling gang. Platshorn vehemently denies this, and claims the only symbol this necklace represents is that it was solely made for his "fishing fools, to celebrate our ‘Grand Slam.’" I believe him.

The student body president at the University of Massachusetts Boston was arrested and charged as a repeat drug dealer last week after the Boston Police Drug Control Unit raided his Dorchester apartment.

Terral Ainooson, 25, was arrested along with roommate, Ryan Oshima, 23, on November 11, when police found more than a dozen plastic bags of marijuana, and seized cash, a grinder and a scale after searching their Sudan Street apartment.

Each was charged with drug possession with intent to distribute.

Ainooson, elected student body president in fall 2008, is a senior International Management major, according to the school’s student senate Web site. He has a criminal record. Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, said records show Ainooson had faced similar charges at least once before. The records did not indicate other details about the charges except to say they were not brought in Suffolk County, Wark said.

Oshima is a former UMass Boston student, a school spokesman said. The school’s official athletics Web site says he’s from La Jolla, Calif. and played baseball at Umass for three years.

In the raid, police knocked on the apartment door, but when no one responded officers forced their way in. They found the suspects in a bedroom, detained them and read them their Miranda rights, according to a police report. After officers showed them a search warrant, the pair volunteered the locations of the drugs, some of which were hidden in a Cheerios cereal box, and paraphernalia. The report also indicates that Ainooson and Oshima had been under investigation by the drug unit prior to the raid.

Oshima faces up to two years in jail or a fine or both. Ainooson, as a repeat offender, faces at least one year in prison or a fine or up to $10,000, or both.

Ever heard of Jamie Waylett? Probably not, but you’ve most likely seen him many times before as Vincent Crabbe — one of Draco Malfoy’s half-witted minions in the Harry Potter movies.

Well, you may not be seeing him again. TMZ reported that Waylett will face up to 14 years in prison in a sentencing on Tuesday. Police found eight bags of marijuana in a car in which the movie bully was riding in April. After searching his mother’s home, police found 10 pot plants.

At least he won’t be sent to Azkaban.

No, Boston is not in the grips of a mad scientist with anthrax. Nor is it under siege from a series of terrorist briefcase bombs.

It was pot, marijuana, Mary Jane, grass, weed and a whole lot of it that tied up half the emergency services in the city Thursday afternoon.

Mailroom workers at One Financial Center found a “white powdery substance” on a package around noontime and called 911. Fire fighters quarantined the four exposed workers and ran through decontamination protocols to clear them, said Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.

Fire officials eventually called out a Level 3 Hazardous Materials Incident, requiring anyone entering the building to don specialized Hazmat suits for safety.

Tests determined that the white powder was in fact laundry detergent.

But when they took a closer look at the package, fire fighters found a briefcase beneath the detergent. So they called in the Boston Police Bomb Squad to investigate. They x-rayed the briefcase and determined it was not bomb.

Then U.S. Postal Police were called in to take custody of the package and another suspicious package with the same address and handwriting.

Postal Police found 45 pounds of marijuana in the two packages. The detergent may have been an attempt to mask the marijuana, but it drew far more attention to it than anyone could have imagined.

No one was injured, sickened, or given the munchies as a result of the powder, briefcase or pot.

• The Fed injects an addition trillion dollars into the economy.

WASHINGTON “" With the country sinking deeper into recession, the Federal Reserve launched a bold $1.2 trillion effort Wednesday to lower rates on mortgages and other consumer debt, spur spending and revive the economy. To do so, the Fed will spend up to $300 billion to buy long-term government bonds and an additional $750 billion in mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues wrapped a two-day meeting by leaving a key short-term bank lending rate at a record low of between zero and 0.25 percent. Economists predict the Fed will hold the rate in that zone for the rest of this year and for most _ if not all _ of next year.

• Marijuana policy undergoes a long overdue shift.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Attorney General Eric Holder signaled a change on medical marijuana policy Wednesday, saying federal agents will target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state law.

That would be a departure from the Bush administration, which targeted medical marijuana dispensaries in California even if they complied with that state’s law.

• Are newspapers next on the bailout list?

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday preserving a healthy newspaper industry was important and he was open to adjusting antitrust policy if it could help.

“I’d like to think 20, 30, 40 years from now people will still be reading the newspaper,” Holder told reporters.

He was responding to a call by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urging the Justice Department to give newspapers more leeway to merge or combine operations.

“The policy is to go after those people who violate both federal and state law,” Holder said in a question-and-answer session with reporters at the Justice Department.

• And in another first, Barack Obama will become the first sitting US President to appear on a late night talk show.

• Obama unveils his new budget. It includes billions for health care, an additional $750 billion for banks, as well as a tax increase for the wealthy.

WASHINGTON “" President Obama will propose further tax increases on the affluent to help pay for his promise to make health care more accessible and affordable, calling for stricter limits on the benefits of itemized deductions taken by the wealthiest households, administration officials said Wednesday.

The tax proposal, coming after recent years in which wealth has become more concentrated at the top of the income scale, introduces a politically volatile edge to the Congressional debate over Mr. Obama’s domestic priorities.

The president will also propose, in the 10-year budget he is to release Thursday, to use revenues from the centerpiece of his environmental policy “" a plan under which companies must buy permits to exceed pollution emission caps “" to pay for an extension of a two-year tax credit that benefits low-wage and middle-income people.

• Obama plans to reinstitute the assault weapons ban. Recently, Mexico has complained that our assault weapons are contributing to their drug war.

The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today.

“As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons,” Holder told reporters.

Holder said that putting the ban back in place would not only be a positive move by the United States, it would help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border.

• The Attorney General also said they would stop raiding medical marijuana clubs.

Attorney General Eric Holder said at a press conference Wednesday that the Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana clubs that are established legally under state law. His declaration is a fulfillment of a campaign promise by President Barack Obama, and marks a major shift from the previous administration.

After the inauguration, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) continued to carry out such raids, despite Obama’s promise. Holder was asked if those raids represented American policy going forward.

“No,” he said. “What the president said during the campaign, you’ll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we’ll be doing in law enforcement. He was my boss during the campaign. He is formally and technically and by law my boss now. What he said during the campaign is now American policy.”