I POT THE SHERIFF

Former Officer Turned Patient Wants You to Be a Safe and Smart Stoner

Nate Bradley was a deputy sheriff in Yuba City-until he was downsized
in 2008. At the time, he weighed 460 pounds, was on six prescription
drugs and abused alcohol. Today, Bradley, married with kids, is "The
215 Cop": He's lost nearly 100 pounds, quit the booze and
pharmaceuticals, and is a medical-cannabis patient who consults other
patients and dispensary owners on how to be safe and smart stoners.

You were a cop?

I saw The Andy Griffith Show a lot. That was my idea of law
enforcement. My dad was a pastor for 20 years. I sat in the front row
of the church. ... I went into [law enforcement] with the idea that I
was going to help people. I always thought it was this noble job.

Did you bust people for pot?

The first time I really came across it was the first time we arrested
somebody for having it. ... This guy, I'll never forget. He was on
probation for something ... and he says right off the bat, "I've got
weed in my back pocket; I'm so sorry." ... His eyes start to water
up, and he goes, "Could you at least let my wife bring my son inside
the house before he sees me get handcuffs put on." ... And it kind of
rocked my world a little bit.

Why did you start using medical cannabis?

By the time I was laid off, I was taking six prescriptions a day. It
wasn't healthy for me, I didn't like it. ... I had a battle of
conscience for, like, six months when I began using [pot], it was
that culturally ingrained against me.

So now you're a patient, and also consult clubs and other patients on
how to stay safe? What can patients do to be safer?

Store it away from children. Pretend that it's not there. That's the
biggest flaw I see, that people get so comfortable around cannabis.
. The raid that just happened in San Luis Obispo County, two of the
kids [who were 9 and 11] had cannabis in their system. And it
happened because they had [snuck] some edibles Mom had made.

And the clubs?

Dispensaries can save the patients a lot of headaches if you seal the
bag before they leave. It's hard to prove a transportation-for-sales
case when you see all the stuff that's in a bag that you just bought
on a receipt that's stapled to it sealed. No sergeant's going to sign
off on that arrest.

[sidebar]

Each week, SN&R's The 420 will highlight Sacramento's
medical-cannabis community-in exactly 420 words!

Want SN&R to review your club's medical cannabis? Send suggestions to
bestbuds@newsreview.com. Reviewers write under pseudonyms to protect
anonymity as patients.