E. Wash. pot grower has trouble giving away $14,000 
 
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 PROSSER, Wash. - An Eastern Washington marijuana grower who made $600,000 in the first recreational pot auction in Washington planned to donate some of the proceeds, but he's having trouble giving money away. 
 
 
 
 Fireweed Farms owner Randy Williams of Prosser said after last month's auction of 300 pounds of marijuana to state-licensed processors and retailers that he would donate $14,000 to local schools. The money is from the sale of non-intoxicating pot that is sometimes given to kids with a seizure disorder. 
 
 
 
 But the Prosser School District said no thanks, explaining it would not be in the interest of students. 
 
 
 
 Now, the Prosser branch of the Boys and Girls Club also is just saying no to drug money. 
 
 
 
 "After careful review, we decided to decline the donation in order to not distract the community from our mission and the opportunities we promote to our youth," said local Boys and Girl's Club Executive Director Brian Ace. 
 
 
 
 Many Prosser residents said they thought the school district and the club were unwise to turn down the money. 
 
 
 
 "It's good for the children education-wise. Boys and Girls Club, by all means, do what you gotta do," said Prosser resident Shelly Best. 
 
 
 
 Vietnam veteran Walt Catilleja said, "I thought it was kind of foolish. They need the money. They need the money in a lot of ways." 
 
 
 
 "They take money from the lottery, they take money from the wineries, they take money from breweries, distilleries, and some of the marijuana tax that's going to the state is coming back to them. They should have taken the money," said another man, who identified himself only as Rick. 
 
 
 
 Williams said he gave $1,000 to the local VFW Post and the rest to local families in need. He says it's ultimately the school district's loss. 
 
 
 
 The Boys and Girls Club says it won't rule out gifts like this in the future, but need to take a look at their standards. 
 
 
 
 "We are currently evaluating, as an organization, our gift acceptance policy. And we hope to be able to move forward with more clarity in the future," Ace said. ||||| PROSSER, Wash. (AP) — A marijuana grower who had trouble giving away $14,000 has finally found someone to accept the donations. 
 
 Fireweed Farms owner Randy Williams made $600,000 last month in the first recreational pot auction in Washington and wanted to share some of the proceeds. 
 
 The Prosser School District said no thanks; it would send the wrong message. The Prosser branch of the Boys and Girls Club also just said no to drug money, saying it would distract from its mission. 
 
 Williams told the Yakima Herald-Republic (http://bit.ly/1x24Yit ) that he finally gave $1,000 to the Prosser VFW post and $13,000 to a local needy family, which asked not to be identified. 
 
 Williams said Monday that his phone had been ringing off the hook with people who wanted the money. 
 
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 Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakimaherald.com
– Randy Williams raised a boatload of money last month in Washington state's first recreational pot auction—$600,000, to be exact. But when he tried to spread the wealth locally, offering $14,000 to the Prosser School District and the Boys and Girls Club, his donation was refused, the AP reports. The school district—whose superintendent has been a vocal opponent of marijuana legalization in Washington—said no because it "would send an inconsistent message to … students," as the Yakima Herald-Republic puts it. The district also says there's more pot now in its schools since legalization. And the executive director of the regional Boys and Girls Club said in a press release Monday that "due to the controversial nature of the origin of these particular funds … we believe that accepting this donation will distract our community from [our] mission." Prosser residents interviewed by KBOI2 aren't sure these groups made a smart decision in turning the money down. "I thought it was kind of foolish. … They need the money in a lot of ways," a Vietnam veteran says. Another adds, "They take money from the lottery, they take money from the wineries, they take money from breweries, distilleries, and some of the marijuana tax that's going to the state is coming back to them. They should have taken [this] money." In the meantime, Williams, who owns Fireweed Farms, told the Herald-Republic on Monday that his phone was "ringing off the hook with people who want that money." He ended up donating $1,000 to the Prosser VW post and $13,000 to a local family in need that wanted to remain anonymous. (Postal workers on Long Island decided to donate pot deliveries—to themselves.)