Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayumi  I do agree with the prison system issue. But once again, there are better ways around that than the full fledged legalization of weed.
And I'm sorry if I offended you Siobhan.
edited to address the drug crimes thing a bit more in depth.
A revision of the laws that land you in prison, would suffice. It doesnt have to be black and white.
But generally, being arrested for possession of marijuana doesnt land you in prison. Many of those inmates arent just there because they were arrested with a dime bag of weed while walking to 711. |
Since you apologized nicely I will answer this. Apology accepted.
I work in a correctional institution and I can tell you that it is entirely possible for someone to be arrested, charged with a felony and given a very harsh sentence for possessing a dime bag of marijuana.
New York has people serving some very draconian sentences because of the reactionary drug sentencing requirements passed in the late 60's, early 70's.
As a taxpayer, I object to housing people in prison at a cost of $35,000 a year simply for possessing an illegal substance. I know of one inmate who was serving a year and a day for having ONE tablet of Vicodin on her that she didn't have a prescription for. They weigh the pill and base the charge on the whole weight, which includes the majority ingredient of acetaminophen. Tne actual amount of hydrocodone in that pill is miniscule compared to it. I can't believe my state felt it was necessary to put her in prison at a cost of $35,000 for that year and a day. ETA: I want to clarify that it's $35,000 per inmate.
I have no issues with throwing the book at violent offenders, including violent drug addicts. The non violent ones are what I think is a waste of time, space and money. I'd rather see them spend that $35,000 on drug treatment programs and restoring funding to education and health care for all of the citizens of Florida.