I'm all for drug law reform, but I cannot agree with the view that all should be fully legalized.
What I *do* think is that it's the peak of insanity to put addicts in prison for being addicts. Addiction should be treated as a medical problem, not criminal justice. I believe society (not to mention the addict) is better off rehabilitating rather than incarcerating addicts.
I agree in principle that people should not be prohibited from willingly putting foreign substances into their bodies as well as maintaining liability for any harm that comes from it. If you plow your car through a crosswalk full of pedestrians because you're high on coke, I have no problem sending you to prison. On the other hand, if a cop sees you smoking a rock in your living room, that alone should not result in a prison sentence, much less the double-digit mandatory minimum sentences we see for rock cocaine possession.
Likewise, that cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States is ludicrous beyond belief. Not even methamphetamine is Schedule I. Contrary to DEA opinion, cannabis does in fact have medical uses, and methamphetamine is orders of magnitude more addictive.
From a social standpoint, US drug policy is incoherent. From the perspective of the private prison industry, it's brilliant.
Even before my state fully legalized cannabis, I found the idea that some jurisdictions will imprison you for simple possession of reasonable amounts of cannabis to be absurd. Absurd isn't even the right word, there exists no word in the English language to properly describe the absurdity of imprisoning potheads.
Texas looks downright reasonable - 180 days for possession of up to 2 ounces - compared to it's neighbor Oklahoma where a first time offender gets one year for simple possession of any amount of cannabis, and two to ten years for subsequent offenses. Selling a *gram* of cannabis is worth 2 years to life in prison in Oklahoma, contrast that to the 4 years to life that you'll get for selling a *thousand pounds or more*.
Absurd.
California - simple possession of up to 28.5 grams is an infraction - not even a crime - with a maximum penalty of $100. Oregon - up to an ounce possessed in public by an adult is completely legal, at home you can possess up to eight ounces as long as it's homegrown - one wonders though, how one gets a plant to produce only eight ounces or less especially considering you can legally grow four plants. I submit that Oregon legislators need a bit of education on the realities of horticulture. Likewise in Washington state, possession of up to an ounce is completely legal, and if you get caught using it in public, they'll write you a ticket for $100.
However, Washington goes off the rails in other aspects. You can't grow it yourself. That will get you five years. Possess over an ounce but less than 40 grams, it's a misdemeanor worth up to 90 days. Over 40 grams and it's a felony good for 5 years and a fine of $10K.
Absurd.
Interestingly, I was considered to be committing a felony yesterday, because I possessed approximately 58 grams of cannabis, but once I extracted the THC into a concentrate, I became completely legal - all it required was a little heat and some filtering. Technically, I didn't even need the heat. Now, I could have been completely legal, had I possessed only an ounce, made my infusion, then purchased another ounce, and make a second infusion. That's legal. Possessing two ounces at once is a felony.
More absurdity. It's almost as if the people writing these laws live in an entirely different universe than the rest of us.
Washington State: I dare you to come bust me. I double dog dare you. I fully intend to break the law again later this week and possess a quarter pound of cannabis. Why do I need so much pot? It's none of the state's goddamned business.
Come at me bro.
The fucked up part of it is this - the law being absurd is not a valid defense.
What I *do* think is that it's the peak of insanity to put addicts in prison for being addicts. Addiction should be treated as a medical problem, not criminal justice. I believe society (not to mention the addict) is better off rehabilitating rather than incarcerating addicts.
I agree in principle that people should not be prohibited from willingly putting foreign substances into their bodies as well as maintaining liability for any harm that comes from it. If you plow your car through a crosswalk full of pedestrians because you're high on coke, I have no problem sending you to prison. On the other hand, if a cop sees you smoking a rock in your living room, that alone should not result in a prison sentence, much less the double-digit mandatory minimum sentences we see for rock cocaine possession.
Likewise, that cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States is ludicrous beyond belief. Not even methamphetamine is Schedule I. Contrary to DEA opinion, cannabis does in fact have medical uses, and methamphetamine is orders of magnitude more addictive.
From a social standpoint, US drug policy is incoherent. From the perspective of the private prison industry, it's brilliant.
Even before my state fully legalized cannabis, I found the idea that some jurisdictions will imprison you for simple possession of reasonable amounts of cannabis to be absurd. Absurd isn't even the right word, there exists no word in the English language to properly describe the absurdity of imprisoning potheads.
Texas looks downright reasonable - 180 days for possession of up to 2 ounces - compared to it's neighbor Oklahoma where a first time offender gets one year for simple possession of any amount of cannabis, and two to ten years for subsequent offenses. Selling a *gram* of cannabis is worth 2 years to life in prison in Oklahoma, contrast that to the 4 years to life that you'll get for selling a *thousand pounds or more*.
Absurd.
California - simple possession of up to 28.5 grams is an infraction - not even a crime - with a maximum penalty of $100. Oregon - up to an ounce possessed in public by an adult is completely legal, at home you can possess up to eight ounces as long as it's homegrown - one wonders though, how one gets a plant to produce only eight ounces or less especially considering you can legally grow four plants. I submit that Oregon legislators need a bit of education on the realities of horticulture. Likewise in Washington state, possession of up to an ounce is completely legal, and if you get caught using it in public, they'll write you a ticket for $100.
However, Washington goes off the rails in other aspects. You can't grow it yourself. That will get you five years. Possess over an ounce but less than 40 grams, it's a misdemeanor worth up to 90 days. Over 40 grams and it's a felony good for 5 years and a fine of $10K.
Absurd.
Interestingly, I was considered to be committing a felony yesterday, because I possessed approximately 58 grams of cannabis, but once I extracted the THC into a concentrate, I became completely legal - all it required was a little heat and some filtering. Technically, I didn't even need the heat. Now, I could have been completely legal, had I possessed only an ounce, made my infusion, then purchased another ounce, and make a second infusion. That's legal. Possessing two ounces at once is a felony.
More absurdity. It's almost as if the people writing these laws live in an entirely different universe than the rest of us.
Washington State: I dare you to come bust me. I double dog dare you. I fully intend to break the law again later this week and possess a quarter pound of cannabis. Why do I need so much pot? It's none of the state's goddamned business.
Come at me bro.
The fucked up part of it is this - the law being absurd is not a valid defense.
