35 years for pot possession

[Eli]

I don't see a problem with giving druggies 35 years in prison.

Then you are part of the problem, not the solution.

Would you support locking up alcoholics for 35 years? How about cigarette smokers? Coffee drinkers? Where do you draw this line?

Alcohol was illegal for a short time. How do you feel about that? There was also a time when marijuana was not illegal. How do you feel about that?

My point is that using drugs is a victimless crime. Speeding is more of a danger to you and I, yet it isn't even a crime(its a civil violation).

 

[olds]

I think pot should be legal but until it is, don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

 

[CKent]

Then you are part of the problem, not the solution.

Would you support locking up alcoholics for 35 years? How about cigarette smokers? Coffee drinkers? Where do you draw this line?

Alcohol was illegal for a short time. How do you feel about that? There was also a time when marijuana was not illegal. How do you feel about that?

My point is that using drugs is a victimless crime. Speeding is more of a danger to you and I, yet it isn't even a crime(its a civil violation).

Don't feed the trolls (=

 

[Raduque]

Eli, do you agree with the 3-strikes law? The man had two prior convictions (the article doesn't mention that they were for drugs, but they probably were).

He also toked up within a thousand feet of a school, and was blatantly displaying his pot in front of others.

What should the justice system have done to this man that clearly has no regard for drug laws? Should they have convicted him a third time, given him a third light sentence? How about if this happened again after he got out? A fourth time? At what point do you say "This man is going to break the law, no matter how many times he gets light sentences. It's time to put him away for a longer time."?

35 years is a bit excessive (he'll probably be on parole in 10 or so if he behaves himself), but this career criminal hasn't learned yet, so SOMETHING needed to be done to get it through his head.

At the very least maybe he'll be sitting in his cell going "Damn I wish I hadn't been so blatant."

 

[fantolay]

This guy couldn't figure out for himself that it was a very bad idea to be selling pot in Texas? (not to mention anywhere.)

What an idiot.

 

[BudAshes]

Uh, then I wouldn't post here? That's right, it doesn't affect me. He knew full well what the consequense were. Hell, he already was a convicted felon. How many times are we going to let people just slide by without taking responsibility for their actions. It was illegal and that is that. We may not like all of the laws and they may not always be right, but we're told about them and if we don't like them we can move. We're still free to come and go as we please. Move to Canada or Amsterdamn if you're that hard up that you have to smoke pot and don't want to get caught doing it.

So now tax payers get to support him the rest of his life cause he had a weed. Even if he was selling pot to the daycare I wouldn't give a shit. It's a fucking plant. Sending someone to prison for having a plant on them is batshit insane. Especially when there is probably a liquor store next door.

 

[Eli]

Eli, do you agree with the 3-strikes law? The man had two prior convictions (the article doesn't mention that they were for drugs, but they probably were).

He also toked up within a thousand feet of a school, and was blatantly displaying his pot in front of others.

What should the justice system have done to this man that clearly has no regard for drug laws? Should they have convicted him a third time, given him a third light sentence? How about if this happened again after he got out? A fourth time? At what point do you say "This man is going to break the law, no matter how many times he gets light sentences. It's time to put him away for a longer time."?

35 years is a bit excessive (he'll probably be on parole in 10 or so if he behaves himself), but this career criminal hasn't learned yet, so SOMETHING needed to be done to get it through his head.

At the very least maybe he'll be sitting in his cell going "Damn I wish I hadn't been so blatant."

I don't agree with the 3 strikes law in general, no. It borders too close to "zero tolerance" types of laws. I don't care if he was arrested for marijuana a thousand times. It's no reason to take the man's freedom away. I agree with severe punishments for things like murder, rape, robbery - there shouldn't be a need for a 3 strikes rule for those type of offenses, they should have the book thrown at them from the beginning.

I could get a thousand speeding tickets, and I would never see a day in jail. Speeding is dangerous to people other than myself.

See, the thing is that I don't agree marijuana should be illegal in the first place, so I see the whole thing as ludicrous. I am no more a criminal for smoking marijuana as the next person is for drinking a beer. It's hypocrisy at it's finest. Drug laws are not protecting anybody; they are putting people in jail for victimless crimes.

It makes me very angry that I could theoretically run someone down with my car and do 10 years for vehicular manslaughter while this guy rots in jail for 3x the time for drugs. That is just insane and doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

 

[Eli]

This guy couldn't figure out for himself that it was a very bad idea to be selling pot in Texas? (not to mention anywhere.)

What an idiot.

The range of punishment for marijuana in the US is pretty extreme. We have this case in Texas, and then we have states like Oregon and California. Oregon's laws are actually more tough than California's, but like I said.. it's a slap on the wrist(as it should be) compared to Texas.

Like I mentioned, I had a friend that did a whole 30 days in jail for having 18lbs. Pounds! The only reason to have that much is because you're going to sell it.

This guy gets 35 years for having 1/4 of 1lb? That's quite the difference, regardless of past convictions, and is quite frankly insane.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Possession in Texas:


Possession

2 oz or less*class B misdemeanor180 days$2,000
2 to 4 oz*class A misdemeanor1 year$4,000
4 oz to 1 lb*state jail felony
180 days - 2 years$10,000
1 to 5 lbsstate jail felony180 days - 2 years$10,000
5 to 50 lbsfelony of the third degree 2 - 10 years$10,000
50 to 2,000 lbsfelony of the second degree 2 - 20 years$10,000
More than 2,000 lbsfelony5 - 99 years$50,000


Sale

Gift of 1/4 oz or lessclass B misdemeanor180 days$2,000
Sale of 1/4 oz or lessclass A misdemeanor 1 year
$4,000
1/4 oz to 5 lbsstate jail felony 180 days - 2 years $10,000

5 to 50 lbsfelony of the second degree2 - 20 years$10,000
50 to 2,000 lbsfelony of the first degree5 - 99 years$10,000
2,000 lbs or morefelony MMS 10 - 99 years$100,000

To a minorfelony2 - 20 years$10,000

Within 1,000 feet of a school or within 300 feet of specified areas misdemeanor or felony increased penalty increased penalty

Miscellaneous (paraphernalia, license suspensions, drug tax stamps, etc...)
Paraphernalia possession class C misdemeanor none $500

Paraphernalia saleclass A misdemeanor1 year$4,000**

 

[Eli]

Hmm. Thanks for the info Felix. That's actually not that bad, I'm surprised. Well, a felony for any amount is pretty bad, but yeah.

So they threw the book at this guy only because he was a repeat offender? I still see it as excessive. It doesn't solve anything.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Hmm. Thanks for the info Felix. That's actually not that bad, I'm surprised. Well, a felony for any amount is pretty bad, but yeah.

So they threw the book at this guy only because he was a repeat offender? I still see it as excessive. It doesn't solve anything.

That info came up on the NORML website of all places:

http://norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4566

His penalty was definately enhanced because of the circumstances and priors. If you go to that website you'll see he could have got as little as one year or as much as life in prison depending on his background and what he was caught doing.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

The fact that this doesn't anger every one of you posting in this thread is absolutely mind blowing.

They asked for 99 years. Really? REALLY? Do they execute speeders in Texas?

What a fucking ass-backwards, wretched, horrible state. Nuke it off the face of the planet.

I agree with all the folks saying he got what he deserved make me wanna puke. I agree he was a serial dumbass but 35yrs is incredibly harsh.

And being a lifelong Texan you just come to understand that the assbackwards rural areas are like another fucking country, you just don't go there. The hillybilly justice doled out in some of these counties is truly frightning especially in east texas.

The sentences for this type of crime in the major cities Houston,DFW,Austin,San Antonio is on par with other major US cities, a repeat offender like this guy caught with over a QP would probably get 90days and 3yrs probation if that.

 

[LikeLinus]

So now tax payers get to support him the rest of his life cause he had a weed. Even if he was selling pot to the daycare I wouldn't give a shit. It's a fucking plant. Sending someone to prison for having a plant on them is batshit insane. Especially when there is probably a liquor store next door.

You wouldn't care if he was selling pot to kids?

How old are? Seriously.

 

[Via]

never mind.

 

[zinfamous]

If he's a career drug dealer then he deserves death.

so this is what an idiot sounds like....

 

[zinfamous]

What?

You would expect someone who does something illegal not to get punished for it?

If we had strict punishments for breaking the law then perhaps there would be less crime.

and as we do have such strict punishments, particularly in Texas, and this has obviously done nothing to deter crime in some 200 years of experiment...well, how would you interpret that data?

It seems there is some disconnect in your logic.

 

[LikeLinus]

and as we do have such strict punishments, particularly in Texas, and this has obviously done nothing to deter crime in some 200 years of experiment...well, how would you interpret that data?

It seems there is some disconnect in your logic.

You're also not considering population grown, the number of immigrants who come to this country poor. Also, society as a whole has changed. Violence has gone up significantly. I don't think saying "crime is still bad" is the proper way to look at the data.

Years ago you didn't have kids running up into schools opening fire. You didn't have people opening fire in office buildings. It's becoming such a regular occurance it's sad.

The crime rate in Nashville has actually gone down over the past 4-6 steady.

 

[olds]

Anyone wanna buy some pot?

You in Texas?

 

[ebaycj]

GOOD! That damn hooligan got what he deserved!

You realize he will be in prison for TWICE AS LONG AS YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE, for being in possession of some dried plant clippings, right ?

 

[ebaycj]

Holy crap that's crazy. It's not like it was a gun or something.

He probably would have gotten a sentence reduction for having a gun. Texans like their guns.

 

[Andres3605]

He got 2 slaps in his hand and kept doing it, repeated offenders deserve harsh punishment, 35 years maybe to harsh... but he had it coming thinking he was above the law.

 

[Numenorean]

Then you are part of the problem, not the solution.

Would you support locking up alcoholics for 35 years? How about cigarette smokers? Coffee drinkers? Where do you draw this line?

Alcohol was illegal for a short time. How do you feel about that? There was also a time when marijuana was not illegal. How do you feel about that?

My point is that using drugs is a victimless crime. Speeding is more of a danger to you and I, yet it isn't even a crime(its a civil violation).

Alcohol isn't illegal.

Coffee isn't illegall, and it's a dumb comparison.

Cigs aren't illegal.

Marijuana is illegal. So that's why the line is drawn there.

You may not think it should be illegal, but it is.

So if someone got high and then went and drove their car and wrecked and killed someone, would you still say it's a victimless crime?

Why is someone advocating obeying the law a part of the problem? Seems to me the lawbreakers are the problem.

 

[Numenorean]

and as we do have such strict punishments, particularly in Texas, and this has obviously done nothing to deter crime in some 200 years of experiment...well, how would you interpret that data?

It seems there is some disconnect in your logic.

Apparently the punishments are not strict enough.

 

[zoiks]

Should have given him 70 years.

 

[manowar821]

If he's a career drug dealer then he deserves death. As for violent offenders, I believe that the most violent or demented deserve death also (a much higher percentage than at present).

The only criminal I see here is you.