JimJohn wrote:
ToughDiamond wrote:
JimJohn wrote:
People have never gone to prison for simple possession of marijuana or lost their right to vote.
Not many, but a minority of people have been jailed purely on possession charges.
I would be very surprised if you could find a person in the USA that went to prison for a simple possession of marijuana charge. Prison is different than jail. Simple possession is different than having a large quantity, or having a previous offense.
The only way it is a felony is if you are distributing it. The only way you lose your right to vote is if it is felony.
Granted some people have violated suspended sentences for all kinds of minor things. Some people are wanted for more serious matters and get picked up for something simple.
Some people may be molesting little children, etc… and be held on a lesser charge because the more serious charge hasn’t been proven yet. But … I can’t imagine that happening with simple possession. I don’t even think simple possession (1st offense) is punishable with jail time.
Some people might be disorderly and be a threat to themselves or others and not be able to be identified. That is possible but being disorderly is a separate charge.
Looking around the Web, I didn't find proof either way. There was this:
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-libra ... -marijuanawhich seems to say that very few people are/were imprisoned for simple possession, and given the author's declared purpose it seems reasonable to assume he'd have categorically stated that nobody ever was imprisoned for it if it were truly the case.
As you suggest, some cases of conviction for what looks like simple possession are very likely done to nail people who are actually harmful in other ways. But even if it's acceptable for the law to do that kind of thing, I think there are cases where the other violations weren't actually harmful. For example, it's been common for the law to assume anybody cultivating the stuff or possessing over an ounce is by definition a drug dealer, regardless of whether or not any was ever sold for a profit. Another worrying issue is the law's tendency to punish people for fighting their cases - if you plead guilty, pretend to show remorse, and never get caught doing it again, they'll probably let you off light. Otherwise, they'll likely do you a lot more harm than your use of marijuana ever did to anybody.
19 Feb 2023, 10:52 am
