Guy gets life for selling pot (4th conviction)
 

http://m.current.com/news/93210685_m...conviction.htm

What do you guys think about this?

I think he's one of the dumbest fucks in prison.

He didn't think after 3 convictions it was time to go straight?????

What a disgusting sentence. America should be ashamed. seriously

adapt or die.

i dont sell pot. i sell poo...

JUST ONE SINGLE LETTER DIFFERENT...

Makes yah think, eh?

it was his 4th time busted for drug DISTRIBUTION out of his home where his child also lives.

far from a disgusting sentence imo.

what a fool, I would have figured he would learn his lesson after a few times.... or move to a new area or something at least....

sucks to be a criminal eh

Come on, this is GFY. The average GFYer thinks that pot is awesome, the savior of humanity and is completely beneficial with no harmful side effects. :1orglaugh

I think its a waste of state and federal resources but hey. its all about getting paid.

he was SELLING marijuana ? what a scumbag.. everyone knows that shit is crazy evil. I am always hearing about dude's overdosing on marijuana , and all those crazy weed crimes. And although it is likely safer than anything in your medicine cabinet, i t must be bad because the sheepherder told me so.

This x100. It's excessive and ridiculous.

Next thing you know they'll go after the Amish for selling milk.

I had an addiction to cigarettes for a while, would smoke a pack or more a day. I was able to eventually quit cold turkey. Lot of people I know risk getting in trouble all the time and it seems a lot harder for them to just stop smoking pot. Lot of people say pot isn't addictive, if that is the case, those people must have a ton of shit they are trying to escape I suppose.

I think when I heard this story on the radio on my way to work, they mentioned he got a warning the third time that the next time, the punishment would be severe like up to 10 years or something. Life sentence is nuts but I wouldn't have risked it for a chance at 10 years. I never really enjoyed pot though so maybe I just cant relate.

The guys on the radio also stated that now Louisiana has to pay for the guy to live for the rest of his life and hes like 35. Even if you think he deserves life, everyone there is going to pay for it.

i've got an oz of weed sitting right here in front of me, don't be ridiculous.

but even stoned and jacked up on caffeine, i can see the harm in dealing drugs out of a home with children and the danger of being busted for dealing, and let off 3 times and also made aware of the 4th strike law.

critical thinking.

No. He'd get less time in jail if he had raped his own kid, and in most states less if he had killed his own kid. These sentences are excessive and skewed in comparison.

not sure the connection you are trying to make between cigs and pot.

There is a difference between physical addiction and mental addiction. You can be addicted to jogging, eating or washing your hands. Marijuana is not physically addicting

whoever owns that prison just scored big

the fact that there are other crimes committed elsewhere everyday is beside the point. the guy had 3+ opportunities to get his shit in one sock, he chose to flaunt the law a 4th time. sounds like a career criminal to me. i'm fine with him being in prison for life.

Maybe I shouldn't have made that connection but to me, it seems as if the people I know that smoke pot act the way I did when I was hooked on cigs. They say that it isn't addictive but they spend hundreds on it at a time even when they have financial problems, risk going out to get it, and pheen for it when they are out. Not bashing potheads just an observation.

theres 2 issues , if the sentence is fair and if the crime is bad.

coffee is a drug , doubt you would find much concern of a coffeeshop owner selling coffee around his kids.

Selling weed around kids is only dangerous because it is illegal, if it were legal it would pose no danger at all.

is he stupid for continuing to sell weed after being warned ? yes..

like i said , many things are mentally addicting. fishing is super addicting, porn could be considered addicting

i see what you are saying and i am a weed advocate. but i've been to enough weed dealer's homes and seen first hand the potential danger for kids. a dealer's place of operation is no place for kids imo. that + the fact he had been given big time leniency 3x before and he still kept dealing tells me he is a career criminal.

Aren't you a career criminal too? You're a recreational pot smoker right?

what does this have to do with me?
i have a valid prescription for weed due to gastropareisis but i do smoke it recreationally. so what? it's legal here, i follow the guidelines. i don't deal. 2 entirely different scenarios and i am unsure why you chose to point your finger at me over this.

You were the one repeating blah blah career criminal blah blah for the past several posts. I just pointed out that you were/are likely one too, or would be depending what state you lived in. Would you have deserved to be in jail for the rest of your life? Probably not.

this is bullshit and right in the same, dont know what to say

Here's the thing ... He was on PROBATION for the same offense, asks permission to move to a new area, permission was granted and the probation officer paid a routine visit to his new house and the dumb-ass wasn't smart enough to hide the drugs!

Clueless fucks like this are just primed to become bigger and bigger career criminals. They're to stupid/lazy to do otherwise.

As far as sentencing, the American public holds judges and the court system responsible when the inevitable more serious crime happens and the criminal has been repeatedly slapped on the wrist instead of being locked up. After a number of felonies, what should the courts do?

Dealing IS much different than possession.


.

Sure he's an idiot and drugs are generally not good, but the issue is the life sentence. The previous sentences basically show how serious the crime is, suspended sentences and probation. To go from that to the rest of your life in prison is ludicrous. I could go rape a child this afternoon while high on pot and not get anywhere near that sentence.

the only reason the drug house may be dangerous is because of insane drugs laws where cops can be kicking down the door in full commando mode.

vicious circle... the guy likely can't get a job because he has a weed dealing felony, he has kids to support. One mistake snowballs.

Is he stupid for ignoring his warnings ? yes . What were his alternative options. Is it fair the kids now have no father ?

As per usual i think there should be alot more individual case by case punishments/solutions, as someone mentioned above , the cost to taxpayer is in the millions to keep this guy locked up for life. That doesnt help me at all , doesn't protect me.. Who did this guy hurt ? What was the impact of his crime ?

Long term damage to kids from seeing a pot transaction = 0
Long term damage to kids from not having a dad = lots

The only people impacted by his crime is his kids , so the punishment is to make them suffer even more ?

What is the worst consequence from him selling pot at home.. maybe kid gets shot during some botched weed robbery attempt. not a good thing but likely 1:100000 chance as i have never heard of it happening.

What is the worst consequence of dad being locked up for life ? well theres probably a good chance the kids will become future criminals because they have no dad around.. cept the stats are prob more like 1:2 of being a criminal if your dad is serving a felony drug conviction

Plus what is it going to cost tax payers to keep this guy in prison for 35 years? At least he was out trying to earn a buck before, not stealing, not hurting anyone, just doing some gardening in his basement.:winkwink:

if you equate recreational use with dealing & distributing drugs then we rly won't be able to find a middle ground to discuss this.

so in your opinion, just based on what we know, what would be a fair sentence for this individual?

Considering there's around 10% unemployment in the US right now, you'd think the judges would have a little more sympathy for someone selling a naturally grown plant.

i think people forget , jail , laws and punishment are parts of making our society better. If the only goal is punishment we should not be surprised if our society gets shittier.

Our goal is to make us a more decent law abiding people. ( i hope ).

So what his punishment is , and/or what other people get for other crimes is really a moot point. What we should be asking ourselves is " does this punishment help us as a whole " or more to the point " what do we do to punish this person that will help us as a whole"

With most crimes there is a victim. There really is no victim here.. if anyone the kids are the victims , and the punishment should focus on them and how to make it better not worse..

And if he commits a more serious crime, and he's a 4 time felon, how pissed would most people be that he was on the streets?

have an old friend in that situation. crazy how many doors close after the initial charge.

he tried his hardest to work legit. but i think he just got busted again. :Oh crap

lots of spoiled keyboard princesses have no idea how the real world is sometimes.

actually that's not true, as i understand the modern penal system, it is not set up or designed to rehabilitate and in fact, been proven to not do so.

A smile and wave would probably be a fair sentence. As the old adage goes, you don't want something unless it's forbidden to you. Just legalize the shit already. When it comes to factors that are harming society, I would rank weed pretty low.

that's the thing, right? he's already proven he will repeat again and again. how much does it cost to try each of those court cases? who knows but i'd wager it's cheaper over time to just keep him in prison.

no doubt. our prisons are over-crowded with non-violent minor drug possession type of offenders. don't get me wrong, it's a massive massive problem but i believe that is different from this. wouldn't you agree?

glad i am not a judge heh but i will give it a shot..

very hard to give an opinion when you think the original law is unjust but here goes..

always focus on the victim and what helps us as a community. having drug dealers kids running around with no dads doesn't help me.

To be honest i just don't see any reason to do anything.. maybe strict probation. there is no victim here..

What happens if you left a loaded weapon on kitchen table in front of your kids..? Thats pretty damn dangerous , but i'm sure you wouldnt want to see a father jailed for life because of it.. even after 3 warnings.. parenting classes, probation ..

I dont have all the answers , just an opinion heh

People should never forget the legal system does not disperse justice, it enforces the law.

Even in states where pot is legally dispensed and every other person is carrying a baggie of bud it's still illegal for individuals to sell it.

hey no, under the current system i wouldn't know the right answer for sure either. but here's the next question- how many shots do you give this guy? 5? 10? unlimited?

well then for starters we should probably decide if we want a better society or one where we get to inflict good retribution.

pushing herb can get people killed just like any other illegal drug.

Good point.

always go back to the victims for that.. the victims here are the children , so the question is at what point is it better for these kids to not have a father at all than to have one that makes very poor decisions.

Each case needs to be looked at on its own.