Because it’s against the law.
Posted on 02/28/2013 10:18:49 AM PST by Lexington Green
One of the suspects in this case is dying.
She is in her 60s, and confined to a wheelchair.
One of the other suspects is her caretaker.
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He is also in his 60s, and a disabled Vietnam veteran.
This husband-and-wife crime wave were at their home in Parrish, just across the Sunshine Skyway bridge in Manatee County, when deputies arrived Monday afternoon.
It seems a real estate agent had been checking out a house next door when she spotted marijuana plants growing in the back yard of Bob and Cathy Jordan.
Several deputies, detectives and undercover narcotics cops in ski masks later, two mature plants and various seedlings were confiscated, and the case was turned over to the State Attorney's Office to determine if charges are to be brought against Ma and Pa Jordan.
This would almost be comical if Bob was not worried it might lead to his wife's death.
Cathy Jordan has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) and has depended on marijuana to combat the progressive nature and many of the symptoms of her disease.
"I know it's against the law, and I know the cops have a job to do. But I have a responsibility, too, and my responsibility is taking care of my wife,'' said Bob Jordan, a retired steel worker. "They don't have to tell me this is serious. To us, this is life-and-death serious.
"I'm not backing down. If I have to go to jail, I'll go to jail. Just because something is illegal, doesn't make it morally wrong. My wife is dying! She's dying, man.''
Unbeknownst to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, the people they were investigating have been leaders in a push to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes in Florida.
On Wednesday afternoon, two days after the incident, Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, filed the previously planned Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act (SB 1250) in the Senate.
Clemens has filed similar bills the previous two years in the House and has essentially been ignored by his fellow legislators.
Even though 18 states have passed medical marijuana laws, and recent polls indicate Florida residents are overwhelmingly in favor of it, Clemens has little faith that his legislation will pass this year. His hope is that it will at least be discussed in a workshop and pick up momentum for sometime down the road.
"What is the public purpose of this policy? Is this the best way to use law enforcement resources?'' Clemens asked. "We are spending billions of dollars investigating, arresting, prosecuting and then housing people for small-time drug offenses. It's mind-boggling.
"The hope is that by regulating medicinal cannabis we can at least eliminate the senseless cases like this one in Manatee County.''
In the meantime, the Jordans are talking to an attorney and hoping the State Attorney's Office decides this is not a case worth pursuing.
They're also worrying about Cathy's health because they say cannabis is the only drug that has alleviated her depression and muscle issues while also helping with her appetite.
"This is her medicine. It's that simple,'' said Bob Jordan. "The problem is people are prejudiced against cannabis because of the tie-dye, hippie, bulls--- image.
"They don't have a cure for this. And none of their legal drugs ever did a thing for her.''
Most people pay little attention to loudmouthed, self-appointed financial geniuses. How many companies have been put out of business or bankrupted by consumer reports? They report tainted foods and drugs, dog food, lead poisoning, unsafe furniture, car seats, building materials, etc. Most people pay little attention as witnessed by the products lining store shelves in the US even after reports and recalls..
Coconut oil is working for some people for this also.
You're not very bright, are you?
You’re the one who made the comparison in the first place, Genius.
You're not very bright either, ankle-biter.
That’s where people will need to be grown ups and put forth a little effort to look out for their own best interests instead of depending on some government monopoly. The government and it’s monopoly granted cartels sure didn’t do much to protect people from viox, fen-phen and drugs like that. But they did give people a false sense of security thinking big brother was looking out for them.
I think you should re-read the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution.
It might change your perspective on the flow of authority in the USA. Hint, it is different than almost all other countries.
95% is unbelievable. Got a link?
Isn’t it funny. Neither one mentions legalizing drugs.
Marajuana was legal when they were written.
And neither of those document delegates the authority to govern what people ingest to stay alive to the federal government.
In fact the powers not expressly delegated are retained by the people or the States.
I am not familiar with the specific State constitutions, but I doubt that authority was delegated in the state constitution to the state.
Kinds funny how drugs are illegal, huh? You can’t do drugs and you can’t drive drunk and you can’t throw a kitten into dog fighting ring just to watch it get killed. There’s just no freedom anymore.
Just brighter than you.
Well just a cursory knowledge of the side effects the number of deaths related to alcohol and drugs etc. But if you would like a scientific study there was one done in the UK not long ago: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/abstract
It basically has two scores, harmful to self and harmful to others. Alcohol overall scored the highest as well as the highest in harmful to others. The conclusion is in the abstract, im sure if u dig on the internet you can find the entire publication.
Personally, I have only ever smoked a joint and drank alcohol. When I would smoke a joint a had full control of my brain, abilities, reasoning and perception. This is not the case with alcohol where people have no control over themselves when they are drunk up to a point where people dont even recall what happened while they were drunk.
My point is that the people who are so against the legalisation of drugs are being extremely hypocritical. It bothers me that they can’t rationalise that alcohol is just as harmful if not more harmful than drugs, so by their own logic it should be banned. They will not even admit that point which renders their whole logic as flawed. For every bad thing you would like to say about drugs, I can say an equally worse thing or state a statistic on deaths in this country from alcohol.
So for the people against the legalisation of drugs, please include alcohol in your fight alongside big government or just stop being hypocrites.
“Drugs” are not illegal.
Do you take aspirin? How ‘out a beer every now and then?
Oxycontin is not illegal either. You just need a prescription to take it legally.
If you want to throw kittens anywhere or conduct dog fights, I think you have psychological problems far worse than the legal trouble associated with those acts. Do you have thoughts like this often?
Do you favor a constitutionally limited government, or a nanny-state that controls the people from cradle to grave, for their own good?
Because it’s against the law.
The illegality of dog fighting, and animal cruelty in general, is an implicit grant of limited rights to animals based on their sentience. Are you proposing that consuming marijuana should remain illegal in recognition of the rights of the marijuana plant?
0bamacare makes being uninsured illegal - are you just rolling over?
And neither of those document delegates the authority to govern what people ingest to stay alive to the federal government.
In fact the powers not expressly delegated are retained by the people or the States.
I am not familiar with the specific State constitutions, but I doubt that authority was delegated in the state constitution to the state.
Kinds funny how drugs are illegal, huh? You can’t do drugs and you can’t drive drunk and you can’t throw a kitten into dog fighting ring just to watch it get killed. There’s just no freedom anymore.
What a feeble dodge.
http://www.eldia.com.ar/edis/20130202/Colombia-propone-legalizar-algunas-drogas-elmundo4.htm
This one says says 81%. I heard the 95% over the radio. Still this number reflects very high opposition because the FARC/Soros agenda that has fooled Americans is solidly rejected in Colombia.
“Pero apenas se conocieron los detalles del Estatuto Nacional de Drogas en Colombia estalló la polémica ya que según una encuesta, el 81% de los colombianos se opone al proyecto presentado por el Gobierno de ese país y la oposición salió a advertir que se opondrá cuando la...”
Shall we re-institute slavery also?
What's your point - are you saying ending Prohibition was as wrong as slavery?
The Libertarian crowd has gotten a lot weaker wince OWK left.
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