Police Sieze 17 Tons of Marijuana

[Remix]

You have some odd standards.

Technically he's right. THC is a drug and it's in weed, but weed itself isn't a drug. Same way that Aspirin is a drug (well prodrug), but willow bark isn't.

Probably wouldn't work in a court of law. Unless they're black, of course.

They broke the law and deserve to be punished, sure. But life in prison? That's a little extreme, especially for weed. I'd think around 20 years would be more appropriate.

Let's not be stupid here. These guys aren't your common or garden drug dealers. They were smuggling insane amounts into the USA, probably to fund further illegal actions in Mexico. If they were caught with 17 ounces, or possibly 17 pounds, depending on the context I'd agree with you. But they weren't. They were caught with something like $126,099,200 of cannabis. That's not exactly a minor crime.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

It's a conspiracy to distribute marijuana charge, how the fuck does that carry so much weight?

I'd say about 17 tons

 

[X]

People actually defending this shit?

You guys happy your tax money goes to this shit? I'm not.

Obama may just have to kiss my vote in 2012 goodbye if he doesn't man up, stop the federal war on pot, and follow through with his original campaign promise to begin the road to total decriminalization. That's my biggest issue with his entire term so far. He completely lied to us about his intentions with cannabis reform, and in a time when our economy is in such shit shape, you'd think that would be an important issue considering the billions upon billions of dollars in revenue simple decriminalization would make for the government, and that's before even setting up guidelines and taxes for personal growth, that's just the money we'd save not imprisoning nonviolent POT DEALERS for fucking LIFE.

No nonviolent crime should get you life honestly. This shit is sad.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

Herman Cain said marijuana should be left to the states. Although I'm not keen with his 999 plan, he's my only hope to move forward with my career.

 

[X]

Herman Cain said marijuana should be left to the states. Although I'm not keen with his 999 plan, he's my only hope to move forward with my career.

At this point I think Cain would say anything if he thought it would get him a few extra votes. If he were to be elected, I'd imagine all of that shit would go right out the window in about 10 minutes once the GOP got into his ear about how awesome the War on Drugs is. Not that he'd ever stand a chance to actually even win the Republican nomination let alone the general election.

How is Cain your only hope to move forward with your career? It says on your profile you live in Mexico....color me confused.

 

[Harthan]

This is just another example of how fucked up America is. Let me lay it out for you. Our government is trying to erect a China style firewall on the Internet, blatantly uses insider trading to get rich, has been infected by religion at every level, engages in police brutality worthy of a third world dictatorship, has allowed corporate interests to take over the country, thinks pizza is a vegetable, and has a lower approval rating than communism. The inmates are running the asylum. Get out while you can.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

At this point I think Cain would say anything if he thought it would get him a few extra votes. If he were to be elected, I'd imagine all of that shit would go right out the window in about 10 minutes once the GOP got into his ear about how awesome the War on Drugs is. Not that he'd ever stand a chance to actually even win the Republican nomination let alone the general election.

How is Cain your only hope to move forward with your career? It says on your profile you live in Mexico....color me confused.

Marijuana has become a big issue lately, albeit small compared to the jobs and deficit issues, so it's not surprising that some politicians are poking the topic with a stick. I understand why people are leery of politicians regarding marijuana, especially after the way Pres. Obama screwed us over recently, but I'd rather support someone who realizes that the "one-size-fits-all" mentality the govt. has on pot prohibition isn't working. If they back down from their previous stance on marijuana the way Pres. Obama did, then tough luck for us. We'll just support another politician in hopes that they have the guts to follow through with their word. Ron Paul and Gary Johnson are two politicians who would "legalize" marijuana (especially Johnson, who used it as an alternative for painkillers after a paragliding accident), but the way the mainstream media tends to ignore them, Herman Cain might be our only hope.

I live in Houston, Texas, but chose the location "Palomar, Mexico" from one of my favorite comics. Reporting cannabis news is something I currently do as a hobby, but I really want to be a cannabis entrepreneur. Unfortunately, due to the rate marijuana laws are progressing in Texas, I have a better chance by moving to a MMJ state. I'll back any horse who supports marijuana decriminalization or the removal of cannabis from the CSA.

 

[Remix]

People actually defending this shit?

Yes. Funily enough, major smuggling operations are almost universally bad.

You guys happy your tax money goes to this shit? I'm not.

Not my tax money, but considering that over a hundred million dollars worth of cannabis that would no doubt have been used to fund crime in South America was captured, and furthermore preventing more serious drugs from being brought in through that tunnel. I would be, yes. At least it's being spent on something that gets results.

the money we'd save not imprisoning nonviolent POT DEALERS for fucking LIFE.

Don't give a fuck about most of what you said in this paragraph, but people smuggling in 17 tons of pot hardly count as your friendly neighbourhood pot dealer.

No nonviolent crime should get you life honestly. This shit is sad.

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and guess that neither of the guys caught were pacifists and that the tunnels were dug by people who just want weed decriminalised.

I don't agree with a lot of America's laws about drugs, X but forgive me if I think that people caught with over $100 million in illegal material deserve the book thrown at them.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

The world is a considerably safter place.

 

[JGlass]

The world is a considerably safter place.

With many more Twinkies.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Technically he's right. THC is a drug and it's in weed, but weed itself isn't a drug. Same way that Aspirin is a drug (well prodrug), but willow bark isn't.

If you come at me with science again, I'll take it off you and beat you with it.

 

[therockiswwf]

Drug users are pure idiots. I hope they get life in prison as people like them really don't need to be on the street. I bet the Hardys are very sad about this.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

Drug users are pure idiots. I hope they get life in prison as people like them really don't need to be on the street. I bet the Hardys are very sad about this.

What's your address? I wanna know so I can call the cops on you when you wake up in the morning for a cup of joe.

Also, troll harder.

 

[X]

Yes. Funily enough, major smuggling operations are almost universally bad.

And they wouldn't exist if pot were legal, now would they? You're trying to fix a gaping hole in your ceiling by using an umbrella. You're putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. You're "helping", but not addressing the root cause of the actual problem.

Notice how organized crime and the mafia in this country did nothing but decline once prohibition ended? Prohibition does not work, it never has, it never will. Especially for a harmless drug like pot.

Not my tax money, but considering that over a hundred million dollars worth of cannabis that would no doubt have been used to fund crime in South America was captured, and furthermore preventing more serious drugs from being brought in through that tunnel. I would be, yes. At least it's being spent on something that gets results.

Again...these pot smuggling organizations would not exist in the United States if it were legal, would they? Again, you're not actually addressing the root of the problem. At all.

Don't give a fuck about most of what you said in this paragraph, but people smuggling in 17 tons of pot hardly count as your friendly neighbourhood pot dealer.

Didn't say they did now did I? I was using a larger national story to relate to the smaller story of local neighborhood middle-class nickel and dime dealers being busted non-stop across this country, wasting billions of our tax dollars. Something I've spoken about quite a bit recently on here because of the amount of small-time dealers being busted in my city.

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and guess that neither of the guys caught were pacifists and that the tunnels were dug by people who just want weed decriminalised.

Assume whatever you want, assumptions are one of ignorance's favorite tools.

I don't agree with a lot of America's laws about drugs, X but forgive me if I think that people caught with over $100 million in illegal material deserve the book thrown at them.

You've turned my comment on the foolishness of marijuana prohibition into a discussion about international drug cartels in South America. Not very relevant to a theoretical discussion on the merits of marijuana legalization in the United States. In fact, I could argue that what I'm arguing for (marijuana legalization) would do a whole FUCK of a lot more to stop these South American drug cartels you're so concerned with then the current drug-war DEA policy philosophy ever could.

So really, everything you've just said, supports my initial comment. You should be entirely for marijuana legalization if you have such a problem with multi-million dollar illegal drug smuggling organizations.

 

[Moon Knight]

Bet you guys $20 bucks they smoked some of it.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

Weed is a drug. Not by our standards but by the laws of the United States of America. Whether we feel the punishment is harsh or not is irrelevant. These guys knew the law, broke it, and got caught. They're fucking morons for it all and are now paying the price.

You do realize that they are criminals right? I understand that many people believe that marijuana should be legalized, in fact I am one of them. But these people are knowingly breaking the law and complaining about them being punished for that is ridiculous.

I think people are more complaining that this law exists at all, not that they're getting punished for it. While they knew the risks of doing what they were doing, morally, they don't deserve to go to prison for life.

 

[Slyfox696]

I think people are more complaining that this law exists at all, not that they're getting punished for it. While they knew the risks of doing what they were doing, morally, they don't deserve to go to prison for life.

Sure they do. If I think it's wrong to have a speed limit, does that mean I don't DESERVE to pay the fine?

People can complain the law exists all they want, though generally I find it's those who are the law breakers which complain the most about it. Whatever your feelings on whether it SHOULD be illegal, it doesn't change the fact it IS illegal. And if you get caught, you deserve to be punished as the law deems appropriate.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

Sure they do. If I think it's wrong to have a speed limit, does that mean I don't DESERVE to pay the fine?

People can complain the law exists all they want, though generally I find it's those who are the law breakers which complain the most about it. Whatever your feelings on whether it SHOULD be illegal, it doesn't change the fact it IS illegal. And if you get caught, you deserve to be punished as the law deems appropriate.

If you actually have a valid, logical reason as to why speed limits shouldn't exist, proving that it's not actually dangerous to yourself or anyone around you, and that the fine is, in fact, bullshit, then no, you don't really deserve to. You would have proven it to be an abuse of power.

The next step would be doing something about it.

 

[Slyfox696]

If you actually have a valid, logical reason as to why speed limits shouldn't exist, proving that it's not actually dangerous to yourself or anyone around you, and that the fine is, in fact, bullshit, then no, you don't really deserve to. You would have proven it to be an abuse of power.

It's not an abuse of power to enforce the law. And as the law currently stands, breaking the speed limit is against the law, and if I knowingly break the law, as these people did, as your local street weed dealer does, then they deserve to be prosecuted.

Until the law is changed, they DESERVE to go to jail for life, if that is what the law currently states should be the punishment.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Hard to imagine anyone is questioning this one. It is a well known fact that marijuana use is against the law, as well as trafficking it. You may not like the law, but that's too bad. You do the crime, you do the time.

Jesus, 17 tons! Clearly not a question of one dude and his personal usage. If someone gets caught with this much weed in their possession, with the clear intent to traffic it, they deserve a stiff penalty.

 

[Harthan]

It's not an abuse of power to enforce the law. And as the law currently stands, breaking the speed limit is against the law, and if I knowingly break the law, as these people did, as your local street weed dealer does, then they deserve to be prosecuted.

Until the law is changed, they DESERVE to go to jail for life, if that is what the law currently states should be the punishment.

Does one deserve prosecution for breaking an unjust law?

In other words - is one obligated to obey the law, even if it is wrong?

 

[Slyfox696]

1. Does one deserve prosecution for breaking an unjust law?

2. In other words - is one obligated to obey the law, even if it is wrong?

Two different questions. Two VERY different questions.

1. Yes

2. No, but if you do break the law and are caught, you should be prepared for the consequences.

 

[Harthan]

Two different questions. Two VERY different questions.

1. Yes

2. No, but if you do break the law and are caught, you should be prepared for the consequences.

With regards to question one, is the prosecution following the breaking of an unjust law just?

 

[klunderbunker]

With regards to question one, is the prosecution following the breaking of an unjust law just?

If I can chime in here, yes it is. Whether it's just or not isn't the point. At the time you broke the law, it was what was on the books. Simply believing it's unjust doesn't mean you don't have to follow it. It may be a totally pointless law but until it's off the books, if you break that law you should be punished accordingly.

 

[Slyfox696]

With regards to question one, is the prosecution following the breaking of an unjust law just?

Yes.

In America, we have a very ideal system of justice. It's not the job of the prosecution to question whether a law is just, it's his/her job to prosecute a criminal action if they feel they have the evidence to do so.

It would then be up to the jury to decide whether the law was just, and if the one accused of breaking the law is judged by his peers to have broken an unjust law, then the jury has the right to find him not guilty.