Community | May 16, 2011 | 22 comments

The 5 Worst States To Get Busted With Pot

source: http://www.cannabisnews.org/united-states-cannabis-news/the-5-worst-states-to-get-busted-wit...

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simplecj
Source: AlterNet (US Web)
Copyright: 2011 Independent Media Institute
Website: http://www.alternet.org/
Author: Paul Armentano

Even a minor pot bust can be life-altering for people unlucky enough to be arrested in one of these five states.

Police prosecute over 800,000 Americans annually for violating state marijuana laws. The penalties for those busted and convicted vary greatly, ranging from the imposition of small fines to license revocation to potential incarceration. But for the citizens arrested in these five states, the ramifications of even a minor pot bust are likely to be exceptionally severe.

1. Oklahoma. Lawmakers in the Sooner State made headlines this spring when legislators voted 119 to 20 in favor of House Bill 1798, which enhances the state sentencing guidelines for hash manufacturing to a minimum of two years in jail and a maximum penalty of life in prison. ( Mary Fallin, the state’s first-ever female governor, signed the measure into law in April; it takes effect on November 1, 2011. ) But longtime Oklahoma observers were hardly surprised at lawmakers’ latest “life for pot” plan. After all, state law already allows judges to hand out life sentences for those convicted of cannabis cultivation or for the sale of a single dime-bag.

Patricia Marilyn Spottedcow, 25, learned the truth about Oklahoma’s excessive pot penalties the hard way in February when a judge sentenced the mother of four to 30 years in prison for her role in the sale of $39 worth of herb to an undercover informant. Spottedcow’s sentence sparked national media attention – and public outrage – but neither result has led the judge in the case to reconsider the terms of her confinement.

Similarly harsh sentences for pot are par for the course in the Sooner State. Paraplegic Jimmy Montgomery was sentenced to life in prison – later reduced to 10 years – after being caught with two ounces of medical pot in his wheelchair. After considerable public outcry, Montgomery was eventually granted early release on medical parole – though he later lost a leg from an ulcerated bed sore he developed while in prison. Rheumatoid arthritis patient Will Foster – convicted of marijuana cultivation in 1997 – received a similarly draconian 93-year sentence, later reduced to 20 years on appeal. Foster was eventually paroled and moved to California, where he quickly registered as a legal medi-pot patient. However, in 2009 he was extradited back to Oklahoma to serve additional time behind bars.

Overall, some 13,000 Oklahomans are busted for pot annually. Only 12 other states arrest a greater percentage of their population for weed, and arguably no state sentences those convicted more harshly.

********** TO READ ABOUT THE OTHER FOUR STATES VISIT LINK ***************

My Commentary:
Reading about these horrible laws really makes me think about how damn lucky I was to get busted for pot in Utah (something I never thought I'd say). I was just a happy go lucky guy back then, had started smoking weed early in high school and was lucky enough to graduate without ever getting busted (unlike many of my friends). However, not even two years out of high school my luck ran out and the law came crashing down on my easy going world. I had sold a dime sack to a kid wearing a wire while three detectives listened in just outside my house. Four months later they served the warrant. Needless to say I was put thru the system, counseling, over a thousand dollars in fines, 60 days jail time, probation, the whole bit....

It has actually dawned on me now that had I lived in another state, I might still be locked up now, never went to college, never got my engineering degree, never married my sweetheart... I could literally still be rotting away behind bars for that simple careless act. The fact is... many people are... this makes me sick to think laws like this not only still exist, but are aggressively enforced without any apparent sense of humanity. Throwing people's lives away for a non-toxic medicinal herb is beyond comprehension...

LEGALIZE IT!! FOR GOD'S SAKE STOP THIS MADNESS!!!
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22 comments // The 5 Worst States To Get Busted With Pot

  • rgrisham
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • dudefromtherock
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • PeteLeS33
    • 0
      PeteLeS33  

    • I agree. This problem is getting worse. But I think that there are at least two main factors that make legalizing it an uphill battle. First, the phrmasecuital industry is spending millions of dollars to keep it illeagle because of the medicinal affects of marijuana. Science has proven that not only has pot STOPED the spread of disease, but in some cases REVERSED the progression. Second, most prision systems are now PRIVIATETIZED. Corporate Corrections facilities spend millions on local and state levels to influence governments to create harsh laws to ensure that their prisions stay full so they can collect huge profeits at taxpayer expence. Therefore, social crimes like pot, drunking driving, public intoxication, immigration have some of the most severe penilities.

    • 1 year ago
  • ghostofamerica
  • simplecj
    • +1
      simplecj  
    • ghostofamerica:

      paranoid a little? Surprised you even have the internet... trust me, no attacks at the link, others here have read it.

      Perhaps you should look into an Ad Blocker like Adblock Plus for Firefox? I never have problems with any links... even when surfing questionable territory. As long as you don't download and run anything you shouldn't and back out when Firefox warns you you're about to enter a dangerous site...

    • 1 year ago
  • Leen61
    • +3
      Leen61  

    • simplecj,
      I loved your commentary. Legalize it is right! There are so many worse crimes..and in my book, pot isn't a crime. Rapists and murderers get less time. The 5 states on the list didn't suprise me.

    • 1 year ago
  • simplecj
    • +2
      simplecj  
    • Leen61:

      Thanks Leen. My experience with the law did not have the intended effect that the lawmakers had hoped. It has only served to galvanize me for the cause.

      I was no criminal, I wasn't a big time dealer in it for the money, I was just a young man working a shitty part time minimum wage job ($5.15/hr at the time) and going thru a full time machinist program at the local tech center. I only sold so that I could smoke for free or on the cheap. I hurt no one, yet for a $10 bag of crappy brick weed I had my entire life uprooted and turned upside down. I was forced to spend thousands of dollars in fines, jail fees, counseling fees, and probation fees. I was locked up for two months with meth/heroine addicts, gang members, murders and rapists (a few were all of the above). I was denied any sense of respect or dignity, and basically treated like any other criminal... I even had to move south to live with my parents when I got out because I had no where else to live while I was on probation.

      I of course started smoking again once I was off paper and, like I already knew, it did not destroy my life or really even have any detrimental effects. I started college and did very well, never failed any classes, and graduated 6 years later with honors and a 3.6GPA despite the fact I was smoking nearly everyday, often while studying and doing homework for some very difficult math, physics, and engineering classes. I was a full time student for those 6 years and earned a good rapport with all my professors. I was even the VP of the engineering club my Junior year and graduated near the top of my class. Most of my classmates never knew I smoked at all.

      I have accomplished much and have had a very good and rich life with and without cannabis. This is why I do not understand many of the excuses of why these barbaric laws continue to be upheld. A small percentage of people may have a problem controlling themselves, but that to me says more about the person than it does the substance. In my world, I've known many very motivated and intelligent people who smoke weed. The stereotype only exists because those are the people who are easily singled out for their stupidity and often simply due to the fact they let "marijuana" define who they are and are simply complying with their expected stereotype. The bigger picture is that those people are only a small fraction of reality. Cannabis doesn't make you stupid and unmotivated, some people are just like that anyways... Besides all that, it is an extremely safe and effective medicine for many illnesses. I happen to believe that even as a recreational user, I likely recieve some medicinal benefits from it's use that are related to it's known medicinal properties. I think it can be used to prevent as well as treat many things... Aside from the legal/employment aspects, I have a harder time reasoning why I shouldn't use it than why I should.

    • 1 year ago
  • Leen61
    • +2
      Leen61  
    • simplecj:

      That's quite a life story, simplecj, and a good one. I agree with your points....all of them are true. Thanks for sharing. I don't understand why these stupid laws are upheld either. This country just doesn't want to legalize pot. A few reasons for that are the strong pharma industry, the health insurance industry and the DEA who is pocketing money hand over fist.

    • 1 year ago
  • UrbanGypsy
  • mybologna
    • +3
      mybologna  

    • I hate living here in this backwards mickey mouse state of Florida. If I could only sell my 75% under water condo I'd move to a more tolerant state.

    • 1 year ago
  • bailey78
    • +1
      bailey78  

    • Here where I live in Texas they give you a small fine and a couple of days in jail for a bag of weed. But thats not the Norm for the state.

    • 1 year ago
  • Incredulous
  • damush
  • Stoneyroad
  • bailey78
  • August_K
    • +6
      August_K  
    • Image

    • Cops Hold Vigil In D.C.: Legalize Drugs To Stop Police Deaths

      Peace Officers Memorial Day is this week, and some cops are saying we need to legalize drugs to stop police from dying in the failed "Drug War."

      Too many law enforcers are killed in the line of duty enforcing a senseless and unwinnable War On Drugs, according to Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), which is calling for the legalization and regulation of all drugs.

      They're telling stories about their fallen friends and colleagues to back up their case.

      Neill realized that our drug policies are not only ineffective, but also cause great harm to police and to civilians in our communities alike. Aggressive policing strategies actually generate violence. Police sweeps create voids within the underground market that are eagerly filled by those waiting in the wings. Violent tactics of those competing for a piece of the vacant market share make communities -- and law enforcement jobs -- extremely dangerous, more dangerous than necessary.

      Neill has decided that enough is enough, and he has vowed toward ending the prohibition of all drugs. Too many police officers and children are dying in our streets and the streets of other countries like Mexico, according to Franklin.

      The candlelight vigil which official begins at 8 p.m., is sponsored by National Law Enforcers Memorial Fund and is part of National Police Week. From 25,0000 to 40,000 police officers and family members are expected to attend official events over the course of the week.

      Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) represents police, prosecutors, judges, prison warders, federal agents and others who want to legalize and regulate drugs after fighting on the front lines of the "war on drugs" and learning firsthand that prohibition only serves to worsen addiction and violence. More info at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com.

      http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/05/cops_hold_vigil_in_dc_legalize_drugs_to_sto...

    • 1 year ago
  • floydyboy
  • August_K
    • +5
      August_K  
    • Image

    • "An Ontario court has struck down laws against possessing and growing cannabis. It's part of a ruling which found Canada's (albeit extremely lax) laws were impeding patients from seeking marijuana for physical or psychological ailments.

      The news about the ruling doesn't mean it's now legal to get high in all of Ontario. Reports the Globe and Mail:

      Smoking up, however, is not legal just yet: the federal government has three months to launch an appeal or change its regulations to fix the problems identified by the court.

      Mr. Justice Donald Taliano of the Ontario Superior Court struck down the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, arguing they aren’t doing enough to ensure patients can obtain the necessary approvals to use the drug. Simultaneously, he ruled two sections of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act – those that prohibit simple possession and cultivating marijuana – are unconstitutional, since they can be used to criminally charge medicinal users who haven’t been able to obtain such approval.

      The ruling means the government must either improve its system for licensing medicinal marijuana patients within 90 days, or it will become legal to use or grow the drug for any purpose. The government can, however, buy itself more time by appealing the ruling."

      http://hailmaryjane.com/ontario-courts-strike-down-marijuana-laws/?utm_source=sc...

    • 1 year ago
  • Leen61
  • givemeliberty3
    • +2
      givemeliberty3  

    • I agree with the writer of this article. During the 110 congress there was a bill to authorize state law to determine the legal or illegal uses of Marijuana over and above the federal authority. I do not think it was ever brought up for a vote. I have seen nothing of a fallow up by the 111 congress. What should be done instead, is that the federal law of drug restriction of marijuana use should change the drug law to allow medical marijuana use: as equal to the most non restrictive state law of the nation.. This then would make all state law under authority of the federal law. I do hope congress will have a hereing on a national need to reduce the restriction of this law that was created due to false pretenses, and is a crime against the 9th and 10th amendment of our Constitution.

    • 1 year ago
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