Name that pardon

[abcdefz]

....or Commute that Sentence.


...so if you could pardon one person or commute one sentence for someone who has already been convicted of a crime (no fair having someone go out and rob every bank NOW so you can pardon them Thursday), who would it be and why?

I'd have to think about it.

[yeahwho]

One person is too tough, I would like to commute and pardon the victims of the U.S.'s prohibitive marijuana laws, the war against marijuana has reached an insane level beyond anything in the '30's, the percentages over the past decade are frightening.

The statistics show the arrests from 1994 were 61% with intent to sell, now today the arrests are only 11% intent to sell and distribute.

That means today, 89% of all marijuana arrests are for simple possession.

The cost is staggering, the overall war on drugs is at $19 billion dollars with a ratio of 2:1 enforcement over treatment.






I know I'm way off, just not following any particular conviction right now, I guess my Mom should get pardoned for that ugly tank joyride she took a few years back.

[Marlene]

yeahwho is right.....it's waaaay past time to legalize marijuana.

[DroppinScience]

Since this IS the Beastie Boys board, I'm sure we'd all be pardoning Mumia, right? Or is that too 1990s of us?

[QueenAdrock]

Mumia is a hard choice for me. I believe he should receive a fair trial, but I'm also not convinced that he's not guilty. I'd allow him a re-trial, rather than just let him free.

Hmm, anyone to go free? I don't have anyone in my mind that I can think of right off the bat.

[abcdefz]

It's interesting to see a bunch of incarcerated people around here being released after X amount of time in jail after the newspaper did this big old series "Tainted Trials, Stolen Justice."

Some poor guy just got exonerated after spending twenty years (I think) in prison and... well, dying there a couple months ago. :(


I guess I can think of more people I'd want to un-pardon than pardon.

[befsquire]

The statistics show the arrests from 1994 were 61% with intent to sell, now today the arrests are only 11% intent to sell and distribute.

That means today, 89% of all marijuana arrests are for simple possession.
that is technically true. however, everyone who sells weed (in florida, anyway) knows the felony amount is over 20 grams, and they know intent to sell is hard to prove if you don't have a lot of bags on you, so they keep a misdemeanor amount on them, along with a used pipe or some rolling papers, and they constantly go back to their stash when they've sold the 4 bags they have on them. if they get caught, they say they just bought it and it's for personal use, and since the police know intent is hard to prove when you've got something to smoke it with and not a lot of money on you, they arrest for misdemeanor possession and let the state attorney decide whether to file it as the felony or the misdemeanor.

the police aren't happy to waste their time on this either, but their job is to enforce the laws, so they do so reluctantly. obviously, we don't hear about the times when the officer destroys the roach and sends the person on their way.



anyway, i'd pardon martha stewart. only i'd have done it before she had to serve her sentence.

[yeahwho]

that is technically true. however, everyone who sells weed (in florida, anyway) knows the felony amount is over 20 grams, and they know intent to sell is hard to prove if you don't have a lot of bags on you, so they keep a misdemeanor amount on them, along with a used pipe or some rolling papers, and they constantly go back to their stash when they've sold the 4 bags they have on them. if they get caught, they say they just bought it and it's for personal use, and since the police know intent is hard to prove when you've got something to smoke it with and not a lot of money on you, they arrest for misdemeanor possession and let the state attorney decide whether to file it as the felony or the misdemeanor.

the police aren't happy to waste their time on this either, but their job is to enforce the laws, so they do so reluctantly. obviously, we don't hear about the times when the officer destroys the roach and sends the person on their way.

I still have a creepy feeling about the way the USA promotes alcohol yet has this big stigma with marijuana. To me it goes way beyond double standard, alcohol is without a doubt one of the most dangerous drugs on earth.

Thanks for the proper way of looking at the numbers though, that makes sense. I hope they can control themselves in this next administration and not try to pass anymore of these regressive laws that make people who just want to generally be left alone, alone. So they can smoke weed, have sex, eat ice cream and pass out.

[befsquire]

^ i almost think that's too much to hope for.

the government knows that weed isn't bad, and in fact, you can make a lot of well reasoned arguments as to why it should be legal, beyond the whole medicinal purposes argument. but i guess that the government feels if they legalize one, then everyone will start sceaming to legalize everything else, and thus the all or nothing approach.

personally, i don't get it. misdemeanor pot cases clog the court dockets, and a lot of times, juries refuse to convict the people who possess it. so you'd think that lawmakers would catch on, and devote their attention elsewhere.

*sigh*