Pubdate: Thu, 07 Mar 2002
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Copyright: 2002 San Francisco Examiner
Contact:  http://www.examiner.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/389
Author: Redford Givens

WHAT CRIME?

THE DEA claims that its "job is to enforce the federal drug statutes and 
we're committed to doing that." ("Pot activists claim innocence," The 
Examiner, March 5) But what America's lunatic drug crusaders never say is 
how utterly ridiculous the penalties for "marijuana crimes" are.

According to the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2000, the 
average prison term served for violent offenses of all kinds is nine years. 
The average forcible rape sentence is 10 years. Assault averages six years 
and a burglar does about five years.

Kenneth Hayes, Edward Rosenthal, Richard Watts and James Halloran face 
mandatory sentences of 10 years to life for growing a plant that eases the 
suffering of people with serious illnesses.

Where's the moral justification for imprisoning a person when no injury is 
done? Why should the pot laws be on the books to begin with?

Redford Givens
The City
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart