Go, Willie!

[heftysmokes]

I debated whether to even put this in the news section, because really, is it even news that Willie Nelson has drugs on his tour bus?
FROM CNN.COM

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (AP) -- Willie Nelson and four others were issued misdemeanor citations for possession of narcotic mushrooms and marijuana after a traffic stop Monday morning on a Louisiana highway, state police said.

The citations were issued after a commercial vehicle inspection of the country music star's tour bus, state police said in a news release.

"When the door was opened and the trooper began to speak to the driver, he smelled the strong odor of marijuana," the news release said.

A search of the bus produced 11/2 pounds of marijuana and 0.2 pounds of narcotic mushrooms, according to state police.

A call to Nelson's publicist wasn't immediately returned.

Also cited were Tony Sizemore, 59, of St. Cloud, Florida; Bobbie Nelson, 75, of Briarcliff, Texas; Gates Moore, 54, of Austin, Texas; and David Anderson, 50, of Dallas, Texas.

Each was released after being issued a citation.

Nelson, 73, has recorded songs including "On the Road Again" and "City of New Orleans."

[hex1848]

Apparently he got lucky it was in Louisiana:

http://www.la-legal.com/marijuana.htm

Unlike most states, the amount of marijuana in possession, as long as it is less than sixty pounds, does not matter

Here in Florida, that’s a felony with intent to distribute charge.

The amount of money and resources spent on keeping marijuana illegal is ridiculous. Someone needs to sack up and get these laws changed. And I don’t buy the gateway drug bullshit. You could say the same about caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol.

[cigar no baka]

I'm with you, Hex. Weed is so prevalent by now that it is as ridiculous as the prohibition of alchohol in the 1920's. You simply can't tell your people not to do something they really want to do unless you want to put them all in jail.

[Empire23]

Here in California, more than an once and they can get you for being a drug dealer, even though your not selling it.

[hex1848]

This link popped up in a thread over at Metafilter about this:

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/015767.html

Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers between $10 billion and $12 billion annually and has led to the arrest of nearly 18 million Americans. Nevertheless, some 94 million Americans acknowledge having used marijuana during their lives. It makes no sense to continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as criminals for their use of a substance that poses no greater - and arguably far fewer - health risks than alcohol or tobacco.

Its hard to disagree.

I know this issue is off topic for this site, but it's something that has been on my mind for quite some time. I'm not sure what can be done to change these laws, but imprisoning non violent drug users does nothing to help society (unless you count the $$ going to lawyers and law enforcement).

I know I would much rather have my tax money going to preventing things like 9/11 then keeping the next door neighbors 19 year old son in jail for 6 months for having a couple onces of weed on him at a traffic stop.

[WOXOF]

Forget about the weed(damn random drug tests) I'll take the shrooms.

[SuperChuck]

I know this issue is off topic for this site, but it's something that has been on my mind for quite some time. I'm not sure what can be done to change these laws, but imprisoning non violent drug users does nothing to help society (unless you count the $$ going to lawyers and law enforcement).

In a similar vein, I've become annoyed with every state creeping its legal blood alcohol level lower and lower and lower. I'm much less concerned about the guy that had 2 drinks on his way home from work... I'm concerned about the guy driving down the wrong side of the sidewalk.

It seems we're so obsessed with "getting tough on ____" that we fail to apply logic...