Now I know first hand what it's like to have one's life destroyed by these insidious laws. Standing in court listening to the prosecutor and judge discuss my case as if it were a serious crime was dumbfounding and unreal.
In the end I took a plea bargain and the judge gave me the maximum that he could according to the deal: 5 years, all but 2 suspended, 2 years of probation (incarceration by any other name) with 3 years "hanging". My farming/business partner, who had a drug trafficking prior, ended up with 6 years, all but 3 suspended, 3 years probation and 3 years hanging. Our lawyers, nice fellows that they are, tried to get us to rat on the other guy, but that didn't work.
Any time I have described the circumstances surrounding my case to just about anyone, the almost universal reaction is "man, you got screwed". So I guess my "lawyer" fucked me as well. He certainly was overpriced. In addition to that, he was either incompetent or sold me out. My lawyer, the prosecutor and the judge: lawyers all. What was it William Shakespeare famously said about lawyers?
As for the police who conducted the raid, they were generally well behaved and polite. However, I have very little respect for them either. They were "just doing their job", but that doesn't cut it with me. Well let's say obesity is the direct or indirect cause of many health problems, some of which result in death, all of which drive up the cost of healthcare. (If) being healthy and at your ideal weight would now be mandatory, would the police "do their jobs" and arrest fat people? Say, due to the funding crisis for Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid, the government decides that the elderly people who cannot care for themselves must be euthanized. Would the police "do their job" and round up old people? Slavery was once legal in this country and generally accepted by the people. If that was in effect, and slaves were caught trying to escape to Canada or Mexico, would the police "do their job" and turn in the runaways? Granted, these are extreme hypothetical situations, especially the last one, but are they impossible? Where does the regulation and control of personal choice end? Take a look around the world to get an idea of how to answer that question. No, I do not excuse the police for "just doing their jobs" any more than I would excuse the old Soviet KGB for "just doing their jobs".
I will concede that not all people in the marijuana business are harmless, but I think a significant percentage of them are, particularly the people involved in domestic farming and marketing. However, if you ban a product that is wanted and demanded by a significant number of people, organized crime and other unsavory characters will step in to fulfill that want. That rule applies to all of the illegal drugs as well.
It can be lonely in this prison, particularly for me, because I don't make friends easily. I really don't want to be friends with most of the people in here. Although it is a minimum security facility, without fences and razor wire, there are some here who committed some serious crimes. They have behaved themselves and are at the end of their sentences, but some of the crimes were sex offenses, home invasions, assaults and even the occasional murder. "Reformed" or not, they aren't the type of people I want to pal around with. Fortunatly, alot of the inmates in here are non-violent offenders.
For a minimum security prison, this place has a lot of dumb, annoying rules. You are most always reminded, every day, that you are a prisoner with very few rights. Following these rules and behaving yourself doesn't mean you won't occasionally get shit on. Some of the corrections officers (C.O's) are decent, others are assholes on a power trip, and some are in between. Same goes for the sergeants. It could be worse. Prisons in other states can be alot worse from what I hear. That, however, is all beside the point. I AM NOT A CRIMINAL! I should not be in here. Now I can truly sympathize with everyone who has gone through this injustice in one form or another. It's a learning experience I could have gone without. Defiently yours, "Un-reformed" Prisoner of the war on some drugs