Posted on 07/08/2006 11:27:44 AM PDT by JTN
Video news story about a young woman who faces a 25 year mandatory minimum sentence for drug trafficking. The drugs were prescription drugs (the prescription was for her mother, who had recently passed away) and none were sold.
Note: I couldn't get the video to play in a Firefox tab, but it played fine using the IE Tab extension.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbs4.com ...
Apparently they're oblivious to what the law is as this poor woman could have been charged with a misdemeanor, so says Kendel Coffey.
The Drive By Media shoots from both sides of the car. Here are a few DBM myths in the WOD:
1. Singapore is winning their WOD, while the Dutch experiment has been a disaster.
Fact is, Singapore had a much higher rate of heroin addiction than the Netherlands, according to the last update I could find from the US State Dept:
--http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1651454/posts?page=64#64
2. We may not like Islamic law, but at least they know how to deal with drug addiction.
Iran is faring even worse than Singapore's failed experiment:
--http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1651454/posts?page=76#76
3. Drug addiction was rampant in the US before we embarked on our experiment with prohibition in the early 1900s.
According to the US government, it's gotten worse (my comments bracketed):
"By 1900, about one American in 200 was either a cocaine or opium addict." [That's 0.5%, for those in Rio Linda]
--http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/demand/speakout/06so.htm
100 years later--
"There were an estimated 980,000 hardcore heroin addicts in the United States in 1999, 50 percent more than the estimated 630,000 hardcore addicts in 1992." [980,000 is about 0.34% of the population]
--www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs07/794/heroin.htm
"The demand for both powdered and crack cocaine in the United States is high. Among those using cocaine in the United States during 2000, 3.6 million were hardcore users who spent more than $36 billion on the drug in that year."
--http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs07/794/cocaine.htm
Let's help the WOD's case here and say that every one of the heroin addicts is also a cocaine addict; so the number addicted to either cocaine or heroin is 3.6 million. IOW, were throwing out nearly a million from our total. That still works out to about a 1.2% addiction in 2000 rate vs the 0.5% in 1900.
last sentence should read-- "That still works out to about a 1.2% addiction rate in 2000 vs the 0.5% rate in 1900."
ping...
actually, since "too many" people were able to get not guilty verdicts because of the intent part of crime.
The politicians removed intent from the crime by making the QUANTITY the crime. Thus if you have too many pills on your person the jury is instructed to PRESUME intent to deliver.
Also, FYI TO ALL, a jury nulification instruction is forbidden. Thus unless there is an educuated jurror nobody ever learns about jury nulification being legal.
We've got to stop these terrible drug-pushing doctors...(sarc)...scare 'em good with a few "examples" so that they fear for their freedom if a patient wants pain meds...
As for what is wrong with the system. Its not about putting criminals away. Its about winning as many cases as a prosecutor can, so one can to climb the ladder. It is only about power, because the only power the government has is to make its citizens criminals. More criminals means more cops, prosecutors, judges, jails, guards, and taxes; which are increased by the same politicians that claim their getting the drug dealers off the streets. The war on drugs is a failure just like the social security system; the problem is there is too much power and money in both to have an honest debate about changing them.
Right on every point.
How did I deal with the pain in the mean-time? Well, I had my own special cocktail that helped just enough that I could get through the day. One shot of Nyquil, 800mg of Motrin, two or three sleeping pills and a shot of vodka along with ice packs. It's a wonder that I didn't kill myself.
My mother appears to have the same problem that I do. What sucks is that *her* cocktail was heavy in Tylenol and she new has a fried liver.
I wonder how many people die from over the counter OD's. How many people die because they can't get safe, effective pain relief?
Tylenol will burn up a liver very quickly it has a max dose of 4 grams a day or 8 extra strength pills. The Motrin damages the kidneys in high doses. Alcohol well stomach, liver, kidneys, pancreas etc.
As for me today was a 7.5/200mg Vicodin/Motrin, then later one 50mg Tramadol, and later in the day another 7.5 Vic/Mot. Maybe in another two years Ill get a settlement from the transit authority for my injuries and what ever it is it wont be worth it.
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