THOSE IN GRASS HOUSES ...

Marijuana: Plant Is Found Growing In Front Of Dubuque Law Enforcement Center

What had taken root on the lawn of the law-enforcement center was not your
typical weed - but then again, it was weed.

For possibly weeks, a marijuana plant had been sprouting along a sidewalk
outside the Dubuque Law Enforcement Center.

Monday, Dubuque County Sheriff Leo Kennedy was alerted to the plant by a
Telegraph Herald photographer. Kennedy walked to the front of the northwest
corner of the center, took one look at the almost 10-inch tall vegetation,
and said confidently, "That's hemp."

Kennedy bent down and pulled the leafy green plant from its roots and
examined it more closely.

He pointed out the long, narrow serrated leaves that are characteristic of
marijuana.

It is also commonly called hemp or ditch weed, Kennedy said.

How long had the plant been under the noses of law-enforcement officials?

According to Kennedy, it may have been growing for a few weeks. With the
dry weather, the lawn probably hadn't been mowed for three or four weeks,
Kennedy said. That's just enough time for a marijuana plant to start growing.

Kennedy said it's not unusual to have such vegetation crop up almost anywhere.

"This stuff grows all over the place," Kennedy said.

He said the 10-inch-tall wild marijuana plant found Monday would "not have
much kick to it." Most ditch weed is usually up to eight feet tall, Kennedy
said.

So while the weed may have cropped up on its own, Kennedy said all that
would be needed to start the growth was one fallen seed.

He said when officers confiscate plants and bring them into the center a
seed could have fallen and taken root.