NORML.ORG US MI: The High Cost of Toking

[Grasscity RSS Robot]

(Mon, 26 Oct 2009) Northern Express (MI)

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[nugglord_420]

It's a damn shame. Being a resident of MI for the past 18 years, I've seen a lot of this.

Growing up, a few of my closest friends were in and out of juvenile drug court for years. These kids got caught smoking a joint, and it spiraled down from there. Failed drug tests led to extended rehab stays and family separations - and it took a toll on everyone. They charged the families unaffordable amounts of money and kept their kids locked in the system. It only drove their use further!

With the state of the economy, especially in Michigan, municipal governments are turning to the police forces to fill the county coffers. Police are going on an all out offensive to turn up as many offenders as they can.

That's where the trap starts. Once you're caught, you can't get out.

Let's say you get arrested for Use of Marijuana (in MI). That's a misdemeanor on your record, $100 fine off the bat (don't forget to add in court costs, attorney fees, and other offenses that stack up), and up to 90 days in jail. With this arrest, you might lose your job - so your primary source of income is gone. The court doesn't care, they just want the money. So you might be faced with two options, commit another crime and attempt to get the money illegally or sit in jail. And don't get caught failing a drug test, or get a PV - then you've just dug yourself into a hole you'll never see the light of day out of. Expect no freedom and no financial security if you get caught up in it. It's a vicious fucking cycle.

The corrupt assholes that pollute our county governments aren't doing shit for the people. They take peaceful and responsible drug users and treat them as criminals. They show them no respect, force them to sign over their freedom and income, and throw them in a perpetuating machine where they are just a cog. Most of the time, for something as small as smoking a joint.


DECRIMINALIZE!