A TV Reporter Turned In An Expense Report For $600 Worth Of Pot ‘For A Story’

Bosses have to sign off on strange items on expense reports from time to time — is that Swedish Massage his salesman got at his hotel really a business expense? — but KPIX reporter Mike Sugerman might have just turned in the strangest expense report of all time: $600 worth of high-quality medical marijuana. “For a story.”

To be fair, Sugerman really did do a story with the marijuana he bought. The reporter, who works for the San Francisco CBS affiliate, was concerned about the fact that the booming medical marijuana industry in California is under-regulated. Since pot is illegal at the national level, the FDA cannot and does not regulate the contents, or the labeling, of pot products. Sugerman, who has a California medical marijuana card (because who in California doesn’t?), was particularly concerned with “edibles” — that is, the hugely popular food and drink products that contain cannabis and give a high without having to ingest burning smoke.

“There’s no regulation because the Feds consider it illegal. The FDA can’t get involved.”

Edibles have given pot regulators fits in Colorado as well. According to this Inquisitr report, pot regulators briefly considered banning edibles in Colorado due to concerns about their safety, labeling, and concerns about children being drawn to them. However, they later backed off that plan.

For his story, Sugerman bought pot edibles, concentrates, and flowers — $600 worth, for which he kept meticulous receipts to include on his expense report — at various random dispensaries at 12 locations in the San Francisco-Oakland area. Then he took them home, sat in front of a camera, put on some Bob Marley tunes, and got ridiculously blazed.

Just kidding — he took them to a lab to be tested by scientists wearing labcoats. You can watch his report by clicking here.

Sugerman’s bosses at KTVI eagerly encouraged his report, even if it meant some awkward questions from the KPIX Finance Department when he turned in his expense report.

“They [the bosses] actually were cool with it. It turned out to be a great story and I think one that will really resonate in the community. We’re flying blind here. And it’s medicine.”

You may be wondering what happened to the $600 worth of marijuana paid for by KPIX — it’s highly likely KPIX was wondering what happened to it as well. According to Sugerman, “The laboratory kept everything.”

Riiiiiiiiiiight.

[Image courtesy of KQED]