cannabisnews.com: Pot Conviction in Delaware Can Mean Hard Times





Pot Conviction in Delaware Can Mean Hard Times
Posted by CN Staff on July 03, 2007 at 07:40:33 PT
By Esteban Parra, The News Journal
Source: Daily Times
Delaware -- The consequences of a marijuana conviction in Delaware are the second-harshest in the nation, according to a Washington organization working to legalize the drug.While sentences in Delaware associated with such convictions may not be as severe as those in other states, a study released Monday by the Marijuana Policy Project said the overall consequences that follow a marijuana conviction push up the state's ranking.
In fact, the study said, some people convicted of a marijuana offense are punished more harshly than they would have been for committing a violent crime. "You could be convicted of a robbery and walk away with fewer collateral sanctions than if you were convicted of growing one marijuana plant in your backyard," said Richard Glen Boire, a California attorney and author of the report.According to the Marijuana Policy Project, a person convicted of a marijuana offense in Delaware would lose state educational aid, something that doesn't occur with all violent crimes."I don't deny that the law has made use of marijuana illegal," Boire said. "But the question is whether the punishment is proportionate to the offense."The report ranked Delaware behind Florida and ahead of Alabama, Massachusetts and New Jersey.States considered most lenient with collateral sanctions are Maine, Missouri, Rhode Island, New York and New Mexico, with New Mexico having the lightest sanctions.Pennsylvania was considered a moderate state, while Maryland was a step below the severe level assigned to Delaware and New Jersey.State Attorney General's Office spokesman Jason Miller said agency officials had not yet reviewed the report and could not comment on it.But, Miller said, any review of Delaware law should take into account that "first-time possession of marijuana offenders can choose to receive treatment through diversion programs and thereby avoid prison sentences and most of the legal disabilities that occur when there is a conviction."Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, according to the federal Office of Drug Control Policy, with an estimated 97.5 million U.S. residents 12 or older -- about 40 percent of that age group overall -- having tried it at least once.The federal government says the drug has a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted use in medical treatment in the United States.Abuse of marijuana is associated with impaired memory, frequent colds, a higher heart rate and other health problems, the drug control office said.Over the past 20 years, Boire said, legislators have imposed a variety of sanctions on people convicted of marijuana-related crimes. The restrictions tend to be more severe and of longer duration than the sentences handed down by judges, he said.For example, it is not unusual for even a misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana to result in prohibitions on educational aid, becoming a foster parent and federal housing assistance. Convictions also may lead to revocation or suspension of occupational licenses and driver's licenses.A felony conviction for growing marijuana can lead to all of those sanctions as well as a prohibition on adoption, a lifetime prohibition from receiving food stamps and the loss of the right to vote, serve on a jury or have a firearm.Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, said the report's goal is to prompt people to talk about the laws and what can be done about them.Many of the laws are a "feel-good" way of getting tough on drugs, he said, but people often don't realize what kinds of obstacles the laws create and how long they last."People don't stop to think what the consequences are," Mirken said. "It's time to have that conversation." Note: Some punished more harshly than violent criminals, study says. Source: Daily Times, The (MD)Author: Esteban Parra, The News Journal Published: Tuesday, July 3, 2007  Copyright: 2007 The Daily TimesContact: http://tinyurl.com/5okv5Website: http://www.thedailytimesonline.comMarijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on July 04, 2007 at 07:15:56 PT
Josephlacerenza 
Thank you! That's so good to hear. More power to the Lakota!
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Comment #32 posted by josephlacerenza on July 04, 2007 at 07:09:24 PT:
Hope
They portrayed the Lakota as freedom fighters!!! It was beautiful! The feds came out as the suppressors they are. These people have had the heavy hand of the gov on them for over a hundred years. Yet, they have repeatedly found the strength to fight another day. Poverty is an excuse to do nothing; these peoples have had everything stripped from them. In the Lakota nation, according to the film, 85 % are unemployed. Hemp is the only way to make the most of the land left to them. Fight on Lakota Nation, for all of us!!!!! 
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 21:30:34 PT
3 AM
I don't why they would show it at that time. I signed up to be reminded about the program on the 9th. I think it will be on at 10PM that day.
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Comment #30 posted by RevRayGreen on July 03, 2007 at 21:10:50 PT
3:00 AM here also :(
we wouldn't want a bunch of Iowa farmers to watch this now would we......I'm gonna bang the local monkey in charge of programming the broadcast.
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 21:07:31 PT
3 AM
That's weird that they would show a new show the first time there at that time of morning. 
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 20:22:47 PT
josephlacerenza 
I am looking forward to seeing it. It will air on the 9th at a reasonable time on my PBS Channel. It will be on at 3 AM but I will be fast asleep. I remember when I could stay up all night! Ha! those days are gone. LOL!
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Comment #27 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 20:15:00 PT
Josephlacerenza
I missed it!Did they portray the Lakota and what they are trying to do in a good light?
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 20:13:39 PT
Network consciousness effect.
That's cool, too.
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Comment #25 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 20:12:48 PT
:0)  Whig
Or serendipity. I enjoy serendipity. It's cool.
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Comment #24 posted by josephlacerenza on July 03, 2007 at 20:10:36 PT:
The Lakota lead the way
I just saw a program on PBS called, "Standing Silent Nation". They, as a sovereign nation, has made more head way in the cultivation of hemp than any american farmer to date. We must give them the credit that is due. They have stood alone against the tyranny of our american gor. 
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Comment #23 posted by whig on July 03, 2007 at 19:59:41 PT
Hope
Network consciousness effect. You get used to it. :)
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 19:37:41 PT
Whig
Thanks so much.I've been having trouble getting the updated Firefox 2 to load and work. Something always happens, it seems, to stop it... but it did download immediately, and I mean immediately, for some reason, right after I read your message and now the spell check is working. When I misspell something a little red line appears under it. Totally cool! Thanks so much.It is kind of strange though that it showed up as downloaded and ready to go within seconds of my reading your post. How did you do that? :0) Crazy computers.I tried yesterday and this morning...only partially, because I had to leave... and I didn't try since I've been on the computer this evening...it was shut down since this morning...but there it was, suddenly, and it said it had been downloaded and needed to restart. It's working. Weird. (Spelled that right! I have trouble with ie or ei. (Little red dotted lines under ie or ei, too. ) So cool. Thank you so much.
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Comment #21 posted by whig on July 03, 2007 at 19:14:11 PT
goneposthole
Don't count on cash having any value beyond the paper it's printed on. You can wipe with it, I guess, but I wouldn't recommend it. Cash is dirty, you might catch something bad.
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Comment #20 posted by whig on July 03, 2007 at 19:07:31 PT
spell check
I think if you use Mozilla Firefox there is a built-in spell checker that works even within the Comment box here.
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Comment #19 posted by goneposthole on July 03, 2007 at 19:06:08 PT
off topic: Don't know where to put this
financial cents:Switch to cashStop using a checking account except for major bills, the digitized system has been put in place to fleece your funds and tack on fees galoreBetter yet, make major payments and purchases with cashiers checks or money orders; the old way of spending your funds on bills and such will help you gain control of how your money is spentStop using credit cards, periodCash will be king, the computer systems will be compromised, you will regain control of your financesYou can cripple the financial system, it won't cripple yousmoke some cannabis, it's the only herb that helps you thinkYou are in control, nobody else
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 18:19:29 PT
Hope
I agree. 
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 18:12:42 PT
"...the way that I thought it would be."
That's the truth.I wrote a bunch more stuff about that comment but decided to leave it off. "Pray for those who persecute you."That's because God's vengence can be rough indeed. 
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Comment #16 posted by mayan on July 03, 2007 at 18:07:15 PT
Counterdrug Program/Jails
The fascists are beefing up law enforcement all across the country. They want to be ready when the citizenry gets pissed after the next inside job. They will also need more jail space to hold all of the "terrorists". We must expose these crooks before they totally destroy this country! THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...US Social Forum Supports Call for Independent, International Investigation into 9/11:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20070702180355632NIST exploring 9/11 conspiracy theory for WTC-7: New witness confirms Scholars previous findings:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_james_fe_070701_nist_exploring_9_2f11_.htmJuly 4th Launch of Los Angeles Impeachment Center, 911TruthLA:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20070702160042673"Pilots For 911 Truth Presents.. Volume 1" -- New DVD!
http://freedomisforeverybody.blogspot.com/2007/06/pilots-for-911-truth-presents-volume-1.html9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB - OUR NATION IS IN PERIL:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 18:05:47 PT
Hope
I agree with your comment about my comment. I don't spend time worrying about justice anymore. I believe justice always wins but it sometimes is so darn different then the way that I thought it would be. That Scripture does make me feel like somethings aren't mine to fret over. 
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 17:56:33 PT
spell checks
Alas... and you can probably tell from my spelling, that the last time I installed Word...the spelling part didn't take...and it doesn't work in my e-mail program either.Drat! (I think that's spelled right.) I haven't figured out what to do. I guess uninstall and reinstall. My Republican usually takes care of installing and uninstalling and he hasn't been able to get it to work right this time.
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 17:47:52 PT
Comment 3
When a scripture comes to me like that...I tend to think Someone is trying to tell me something.
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Comment #12 posted by RevRayGreen on July 03, 2007 at 15:51:59 PT
What will King George think of this ?
I'm sure we can thank the likes of Kinky Friedman, Barry Cooper for this decrim. vvvvvvvvv"Marijuana: No More Automatic Arrest for Possession in Texasthis Articlefrom Drug War Chronicle, Issue #492, 6/29/07As of September 1, people caught with up to a quarter-pound of marijuana in Texas will no longer automatically be arrested. Under HB 2391, a bill passed by the legislature and signed into law June 15 by Gov. Rick Perry (R), police will have the option of issuing a summons to appear for misdemeanor pot possession, as well as a number of other small-time offenses.The measure was pushed by conservative legislators as a cost-cutting measure. "We want to get tough on crime, but we also want to get smart on crime," said state Rep. Jerry Madden (R), the bill's author. "Let's not spend a lot of taxpayers' money putting people in jail who don't need to be there," Madden told Fort Worth Star-Telegraph columnist Bud Kennedy last Saturday. "Let's give local police more discretion."Possession of marijuana remains a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. But now, instead of using up valuable police time and jail space with marijuana and other misdemeanor offenders, police will have the discretion of just ordering them to show up before a magistrate within 48 hours. If they don't show, the magistrate can issue an arrest warrant.Other offenses for which police can now issue summonses include petty theft, graffiti, and driving without a license."The idea was to free up more county jail space and law officers' time for violent offenders and sex offenders," said Marc Levin of the Austin-based Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative organization that lobbied for House Bill 2391. "We looked at how to save counties money. We always came back to the same answer: Take the low-level offenders out of the county jail," he told Kennedy.Leave it to Texas to wise up about criminal justices priorities, even if just a bit. And it wasn't bleeding hearts, but bleating wallets that did it."
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Comment #11 posted by MikeEEEEE on July 03, 2007 at 15:20:07 PT
FoM and ekim
FoM: In a former life I was a software developer: I can setup another hushmail acct. and contact him that way. When in Rome it's always better to error on the side of safety. By the way, I don't use a proxy server, therefore, my IP address may already be known. However, in Amerika, I can still express our 1st amendment right.ekim: Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
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Comment #10 posted by ekim on July 03, 2007 at 14:03:19 PT
mikeeeeee
i pull down a blank email then write what i want then i hit the abc to spell ck then i copy then paste in heregood luck this story is about Delaware -- i think that is where Sen Bidien is from -- over at http://www.drugwarrant.com 
pete has story on how Bidien is sayen that he wants to change the laws on coke ( no idea if that is good or worse) -- how anyone that wants to be President and can not see what the prohibition of Cannabis is doing to this Country needs to be talked about far and wide, and brought up at every public event.
http://blog.leap.cc/
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 13:29:18 PT
MikeEEEEE
I don't talk to Matt unless something is broken but if you sent him an e-mail maybe he would listen. 
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Comment #8 posted by MikeEEEEE on July 03, 2007 at 13:14:26 PT
FoM: Possible solution and suggestion
I sometimes type in MS-Word, then copy the text to cannabisnews. It helps, but not all software can catch every spelling or grammar mistake.Suggestion: a small edit feature, the user would type in their name and password again; might be easy to implement. If not, I'll just be more careful.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 13:03:41 PT
MikeEEEEE
I'm sorry about not having an edit feature but that would be up to Matt Elrod to make. I don't how to do that kind of stuff. I can edit but it's all in html and very hard to use. 
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Comment #6 posted by MikeEEEEE on July 03, 2007 at 12:58:19 PT
Oops!
Sorry about some of the typos. I go too fast sometimes.FoM, an edit feature would be nice, perhaaps one day. ;-)
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Comment #5 posted by MikeEEEEE on July 03, 2007 at 12:49:07 PT
Criminals -- and my point
Criminal acts here against our own people, and in foriegn lands, are signs of a society in decline.Some laws are born arrogance.
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Comment #4 posted by MikeEEEEE on July 03, 2007 at 12:44:47 PT
arrogance and poor leadership
Arrogance is one of the first signs of a society in decline. I believe GW bush once said you’re either with us or our enemy. I knew the track record of this guy before the first election. The difference between me and most other people was that I spent at least 10 minutes studying his record. Sometimes the American people are lazy, or say they're too busy, but understand, these 10 minutes could have saved a lot of suffering.By the way, I spell his name lower-case on purpose, call it mutual respect.I believe, like a child who has already broken things already, GW bush should not touch anything else. It will take at least a decade or more to repair much of the damage, and some is permanent.This article is an interesting read:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/03/2275/
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 10:27:30 PT
Hope
You asked: When will the day come that they have to walk what they paved?We might never know when they will have to walk what they have paved. Sometimes only the person finds out but it will happen. I just thought of this Scripture.Vengeance is mine said the LordI will repay
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on July 03, 2007 at 09:04:23 PT
Comment 1 and this article...
And the War within our nation against peaceful fellow citizens, keeps rolling on and on, grinding people to bloody dust...in the name of the War on Drugs. Prohibitionists are probably tickled pink. They get to destroy people more and hurt people, more and, with really top dollar equipment.They should be deeply ashamed. I pray the day for that realization and shame for them, comes sooner, rather than later.But they "mean well"... don't they? Well, you know how so called "good intentions" can, sometimes, pave the path to you know where. Their "intentions" have certainly done that for so many people. When will the day come that they have to walk what they paved?
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 03, 2007 at 08:12:33 PT
Counterdrug Program With New Equipment 
 By Tech. Sgt. Cheryl HackleyCourtesy of the National Guard Bureau7/3/2007, Arlington, VA—Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen in the ground reconnaissance, civil operations, and criminal analysis fields will see new and/or upgraded equipment between now and next fiscal year.That's because the National Guard Bureau Domestic Operations Counterdrug Program has purchased millions of dollars worth of equipment to improve state programs.The purchases were made possible with the combination of Counterdrug end-of-year funds and Army Program Executive Office Soldier funds."National Guard Bureau is definitely looking forward in regards to how ground reconnaissance supports law enforcement," said Army Guard MAJ Jeff Newman, logistics officer, California National Guard. "The fielding and receipting of this specialized equipment validates NGB Counterdrug's response from the field."MAJ Newman was one of the first to get issued the equipment.Each of the 54 programs will receive a set number of hand-held thermal imagers, with 559 dispensed at the cost of $12.4 million, provided by PEO Soldier funds from the U.S. Army. However, the nation's top seven states for illegally-produced marijuana--California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oregon, Virginia, and West Virginia--as well as the other southwest Border states--Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas--will receive plus-ups of the imagers. Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Nebraska round out the plus-up recipients as they also operate the Light Armored Vehicles used to bring law enforcement agents into high-risk areas.Complete Article: http://www.gxonline.com/gxintelnews?id=49823
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