5 Senior Citizens Serving Life Without Parole for Pot

[Brewman_Jax]

http://www.alternet.org/5-senior-citizen...parole-pot

From the article:

Quote:Right now, five adults await death in prison for non-violent, marijuana-related crimes. Their names are John Knock, Paul Free, Larry Duke, William Dekle, and Charles “Fred” Cundiff. They are all more than 60 years old; they have all spent at least 15 years locked up for selling pot; and they are all what one might call model prisoners, serving life without parole. As time wrinkles their skin and weakens their bodies, Michael Kennedy of the Trans High Corporation has filed a legal petition with the federal government seeking their clemency. Otherwise they will die behind bars for selling a drug 40% of American adults have admitted to using, 50% of Americans want legal, and two states have already legalized for adult use. Since these men were convicted of these crimes many years ago, public opinion and policy related to marijuana have shifted greatly. Should these five non-violent senior-citizen offenders die behind bars for a crime Americans increasingly believe should not even be a crime?
...

Absolutely ridiculous sentences for non-violent offenses. Something isn't right when a lot of violent offenders are out in less time.

[72ptheriot]

But the killer of those firemen was set free for beating someone's head in with a hammer.

[azmouse]

I think it's all dumb, dumb, and dumb.
Dumb to sell it, dumb to use it, and really dumb to have it illegal.

I may be the only person around to have never smoked pot. Never had an interest in being drugged up. But I also never saw much harm in pot if a person wanted to use it. And I don't understand it's illegality other than someone makes more money having it this way than having it legal, and until that changes it will remain against the law.

So that being said, I think if someone is interested in it, it's smart to stay away from selling and using pot until it can be made legal. I don't see anything about the stuff that makes the risk of jail worthwhile.

[Fire1]

(12-26-2012 08:25 AM)Brewman_Jax Wrote:  http://www.alternet.org/5-senior-citizen...parole-pot

From the article:

Quote:Right now, five adults await death in prison for non-violent, marijuana-related crimes. Their names are John Knock, Paul Free, Larry Duke, William Dekle, and Charles “Fred” Cundiff. They are all more than 60 years old; they have all spent at least 15 years locked up for selling pot; and they are all what one might call model prisoners, serving life without parole. As time wrinkles their skin and weakens their bodies, Michael Kennedy of the Trans High Corporation has filed a legal petition with the federal government seeking their clemency. Otherwise they will die behind bars for selling a drug 40% of American adults have admitted to using, 50% of Americans want legal, and two states have already legalized for adult use. Since these men were convicted of these crimes many years ago, public opinion and policy related to marijuana have shifted greatly. Should these five non-violent senior-citizen offenders die behind bars for a crime Americans increasingly believe should not even be a crime?
...

Absolutely ridiculous sentences for non-violent offenses. Something isn't right when a lot of violent offenders are out in less time.

I would be interested in knowing the race of these prisoners.

[SeattleGirl]

(12-26-2012 05:23 PM)Fire1 Wrote:  

(12-26-2012 08:25 AM)Brewman_Jax Wrote:  http://www.alternet.org/5-senior-citizen...parole-pot

From the article:
Absolutely ridiculous sentences for non-violent offenses. Something isn't right when a lot of violent offenders are out in less time.

I would be interested in knowing the race of these prisoners.

I looked them up. They are all white.