4 ms·

I am reminded, from time to time, that one of my high school classmates is living out a 25-year federal sentence after being convicted on marijuana conspiracy c

I am reminded, from time to time, that one of my high school classmates is living out a 25-year federal sentence after being convicted on marijuana conspiracy charges. On the other hand, I can get marijuana delivered to my house.

gruez 5y ago
> I am reminded, from time to time, that one of my high school classmates is living out a 25-year federal sentence after being convicted on marijuana conspiracy charges. There has to be more to this right? Trafficking tons of the stuff? Repeat offender? Violent history? enhancements? see also: https://www.popehat.com/2013/02/05/crime-whale-sushi-sentence-eleventy-million-years/ https://www.popehat.com/2013/02/05/crime-whale-sushi-sentenc... edit, since people clearly are against this comment: I'm not arguing that that the "more to this" justifies the 25 years, only that "25 years for a marijuana conspiracy" isn't the whole story and we'd all benefit if we were able to judge the whole story rather than some person's stylized version of the story.
- subpixel 5y ago
  they were allegedly involved in a project that moved marijuana across the south by truck, and they were the only defendants who did not plead guilty and agree to a deal, and were subsequently the only ones sent away for real time. my partial understanding is that they were involved in the laundering and/or obfuscation of funds, they probably had strong suspicions about what was going on, but there was enough easy money that they did not demand answers. they felt insulated from the crimes about which they had no concrete knowledge. claims were made at trial that were demonstrably false, but they refused to admit to things in a plea that they did not do or have knowledge of. which was the wrong call under the circumstances.
  - dTal 5y ago
    >they refused to admit to things in a plea that they did not do or have knowledge of. which was the wrong call What a sickening system. No better than the inquisition. Confess and repent, or suffer torture. At least the inquisition let you change your mind.
ModernMech 5y ago
What's worse is realizing that the majority of people in jail for selling even the smallest amount of weed are black, while the majority of people who own legal pot dispensaries churning out industrial levels of weed are white. Add in the famous Eichmann quote, and it really seems like this is a deliberate result of the system.
- p_j_w 5y ago
  >Add in the famous Eichmann Pretty amusing mistake, but I think you mean Ehrlichman.
  - ModernMech 5y ago
    Ugh, I did, but that is pretty funny! To be perfectly clear, here's the quote I was referencing: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1522294 https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1522294
    - leereeves 5y ago
      That's a bit of partisan rewriting of history by Democrats who want to distance themselves from their role in the drug war. The fact is, the Controlled Substances Act [1] passed both houses of Congress with near unanimous approval, and the war on drugs was still supported by Democrats like Clinton and even Biden decades later. [2] And most of the arrests aren't made by the DEA, they are made by local police in jurisdictions controlled by Democrats (including many black Democrats). 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act 2: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/joe-biden-criminal-justice-war-on-drugs-mass-incarceration https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/j...
      - ModernMech 5y ago
        Where do Democrats come in here? This is a direct quote from an individual. Democrats certainly share blame in this mess, I don't think I or anyone in this thread implied otherwise.
seattle_spring 5y ago
Reminds me of some NOFX lyrics. Jerry spent some time in Michigan A twenty year vacation, after all he had a dime A dime is worth a lot more in Detroit A dime in California, a twenty dollar fine Note that "a dime" refers to a "dime-bag" of weed, or $10 worth of the stuff. 20 years in prison for personal possession in Michigan (at the time), while it was a $20 infraction in California for the same amount.
- whalesalad 5y ago
  Is this from The Decline?
  - seattle_spring 5y ago
    yes indeed
    - whalesalad 5y ago
      One of the best songs of all time :horns: they recorded it in one take, took a few tries I think.

gruez 5y ago

> I am reminded, from time to time, that one of my high school classmates is living out a 25-year federal sentence after being convicted on marijuana conspiracy charges. There has to be more to this right? Trafficking tons of the stuff? Repeat offender? Violent history? enhancements? see also: https://www.popehat.com/2013/02/05/crime-whale-sushi-sentence-eleventy-million-years/ https://www.popehat.com/2013/02/05/crime-whale-sushi-sentenc... edit, since people clearly are against this comment: I'm not arguing that that the "more to this" justifies the 25 years, only that "25 years for a marijuana conspiracy" isn't the whole story and we'd all benefit if we were able to judge the whole story rather than some person's stylized version of the story.

subpixel 5y ago
they were allegedly involved in a project that moved marijuana across the south by truck, and they were the only defendants who did not plead guilty and agree to a deal, and were subsequently the only ones sent away for real time. my partial understanding is that they were involved in the laundering and/or obfuscation of funds, they probably had strong suspicions about what was going on, but there was enough easy money that they did not demand answers. they felt insulated from the crimes about which they had no concrete knowledge. claims were made at trial that were demonstrably false, but they refused to admit to things in a plea that they did not do or have knowledge of. which was the wrong call under the circumstances.
- dTal 5y ago
  >they refused to admit to things in a plea that they did not do or have knowledge of. which was the wrong call What a sickening system. No better than the inquisition. Confess and repent, or suffer torture. At least the inquisition let you change your mind.

ModernMech 5y ago

What's worse is realizing that the majority of people in jail for selling even the smallest amount of weed are black, while the majority of people who own legal pot dispensaries churning out industrial levels of weed are white. Add in the famous Eichmann quote, and it really seems like this is a deliberate result of the system.

p_j_w 5y ago
>Add in the famous Eichmann Pretty amusing mistake, but I think you mean Ehrlichman.
- ModernMech 5y ago
  Ugh, I did, but that is pretty funny! To be perfectly clear, here's the quote I was referencing: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1522294 https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1522294
  - leereeves 5y ago
    That's a bit of partisan rewriting of history by Democrats who want to distance themselves from their role in the drug war. The fact is, the Controlled Substances Act [1] passed both houses of Congress with near unanimous approval, and the war on drugs was still supported by Democrats like Clinton and even Biden decades later. [2] And most of the arrests aren't made by the DEA, they are made by local police in jurisdictions controlled by Democrats (including many black Democrats). 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act 2: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/joe-biden-criminal-justice-war-on-drugs-mass-incarceration https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/j...
    - ModernMech 5y ago
      Where do Democrats come in here? This is a direct quote from an individual. Democrats certainly share blame in this mess, I don't think I or anyone in this thread implied otherwise.

seattle_spring 5y ago

Reminds me of some NOFX lyrics. Jerry spent some time in Michigan A twenty year vacation, after all he had a dime A dime is worth a lot more in Detroit A dime in California, a twenty dollar fine Note that "a dime" refers to a "dime-bag" of weed, or $10 worth of the stuff. 20 years in prison for personal possession in Michigan (at the time), while it was a $20 infraction in California for the same amount.

whalesalad 5y ago
Is this from The Decline?
- seattle_spring 5y ago
  yes indeed
  - whalesalad 5y ago
    One of the best songs of all time :horns: they recorded it in one take, took a few tries I think.