Life without Parole for nonviolent Cannabis conviction
 

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dai...efforts_co.php

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dai...mb-550x413.jpg

Efforts to release Jeff Mizanskey, the only man in Missouri serving a life-without-parole sentence for a nonviolent marijuana charge, are continuing this month with help from Show-Me Cannabis and Change.org.

Show-Me Cannabis has bought billboard space on I-70 near Kansas City (and near Sedalia, where Mizanskey was arrested). The billboard features a photo of Mizanskey and says: "Life without parole for cannabis? It's time we fix our unjust marijuana laws."

Jeff Mizanskey was convicted under Missouri's "Prior and Persistent Drug Offender" statute, the only drug-specific three-strike law in the country. Each of his felonies were for marijuana, the largest being approximately six pounds, which he didn't even have on him. To read the details of Mizanskey's story, go to: How a Missouri Man Could Die in Prison for Weed

Him serving a life sentence for weed is a waste of taxpayer money.

A brother and sister were recently given a 20 year sentence for growing pot in Missouri.

How did GE get arrested for weed he didn't have on him? Trying to buy from an undercover cop?
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:facepalm:

I'd prefer that this repeat pot head be taken into the street and killed, but this okay.

Cool story bro. Won't you tell it again?
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Meanwhile in America, a wealthy Du Pont heir dodged prison for raping his three year old daughter.

And that 'affluenza' teen only got probation for killing 4 people.

And...

The idea you can get locked up for a plant is just so... I can't even....ugh.

Wait. What? Seriously?
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hell a teacher raping his 14 year old student got 30 days in jail in Montana.

BUT THIS WEED SMOKING HIPPIE IS A BIGGER DANGER GUYZ!11

Yeah, and it boggles my mind that in 2014 there are still dry counties in this country. Hard to believe.

I could die of cancer if he blew smoke in the air as I walk by.

Wow. Just wow.
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Not sure if serious

Study: Marijuana legalization doesn’t increase crime

Of course not. I like needling the pot heads. They are more sensitive than Paul followers.

You would think that this country would have learned something from prohibition.

They are, indeed.

I have trouble feeling sorry for this guy. He repeatedly broke the law. I don't care if you don't agree with the law. If you know something is illegal and choose to do it anyway, you have to be willing to face the consequences.

I think life without parole is excessive, but like Jim Carrey said so eloquently in Liar Liar. "Stop breaking the law, asshole!"

Its funny; you hear all of this talk from legislatures about "the raising crime rates" caused by legalization and now you get research attached to this argument going in the opposite direction. If these twats would just pay attention to all the crime prohibition has caused, legalization would be a done deal. Our legislators seem more interested in grandstanding than common sense.

This. The sentence is a little over the top but it's hard to get worked up over a guy who gets popped 3x for basically the same thing. Also, I assume he was told after strike two, what was to come next.

one could argue such a sentence is a violation of the 8th amendment of the US constitution.

1. unusual: only drug specific 3 strike law in the country.
2. cruel: life in prison for drug conviction (plant)
3. excessive ?

And... The good people of Texas get to pay $21,000/month to send the affluenza ten to rehab...

What if it was a genetically engineered Venus fly trap that was capable of eating a human and it was created for the specific intent of throwing in your dog groomer? What then, huh? Huh? What then?

The social Puritans dropped religion and found Government. They are still Puritans but instead of simply speaking from the pulpit they can use the violence of government to satisfy their sense of moral outrage that somebody somewhere is having a good time.

Heroin comes from a poppy plant. Cocaine comes from a coca plant. LSD comes from a fungus.

The source is irrelevant. All the best shit is natural. Doesn't make it good for you though.....

takes tremendous concentrating and processing, unlike cannabis. Hashish would be a closer (yet still imperfect) comparison to Heroin, cocaine, and LSD.

arguable if "all the best shit is natural." Talk to a chemist who knows how to make some extremely potent drugs, or talk to the pharm industry.

I dont think its the role of government to ban everything that is bad for you. One could make an argument that almost everything (including H20 and O2) can be bad for you outside of moderation.

Actually his parents are paying for the rehab.

Not last I knew.

His parents wanted to send him to a $35,000/month joint, but the judge didn't like that option and ordered he was treated somewhere else.

She didn't like the facility because it was too luxurious and she was getting scrutiny.

That kid was in the facility where my wife is interning.

Which, to my understanding, b/c it was court ordered, and he didn't get to choose, it was paid for them.

Would she do US a favor and off him?

I wish. He was shuffled out of there as fast as possible. There were some issues with some of the jailors and other staff being extremely hostile to him because they see kids that had no chance get long sentences for stuff that was no where close to as bad as what that kid got. They had to put several people on paid leave when he was there.

The psychologist that came up with the affluenza defense was a private guy. The family paid for that diagnosis so his punishment would be somewhat sellable to the public

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime...

And just looked it up. You were right. His parents are paying the max on the state facility's scale. I didn't know that had changed. I think the people at my wife's facility want to forget that he was ever there.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/04...ated.html?rh=1

Please PM me if anyone is on board with hunting these people down and killing them.

A little? :spock:

Weed=the devil... NOT!! Keep it Rasta!!!!

Isn't giving the aliens argument credence pretty dangerous?

Couldn't now anyone who grows up in the hood argue a similar but opposite mental disorder?

the dude that's the DuPont heir looks like the old man from Pawn Stars

It's the 3 strike rule, and other mandatory laws, that are the problem. The same thing happens with petty theft, and other low level crimes, in other jurisdictions.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...violent-crimes

If I read correctly the guy was busted 2X before for selling weed and then got busted again making a 3rd time. I am certain the guy probably had other charges that were reduced in his history as well, I doubt 3 times is his real total.

While a life sentence is ridiculously absurd, I have to ask, couldn't the guy have simply quit doing what he knew was a crime with a progressive sentence structure?

I mean he really must not be very smart maybe prison is a good place for him.

Have to agree. Society isn't going to miss this moron.

Harsh sentence but this guy is stupid. If they let him out he'll probably get arrested for it again next year.

That's kind of my position. He knew if he didn't cut the crap he could face life but continued anyway. I like the idea that people who continually ignore the law gets penalized. CO is currently working on 6yr jail time for your 3rd DUI in 7yrs or 4th in a lifetime. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on ME"

If you know you can't do it... Why do it? Too many people running around thinking they are going to start a revolution or something... It's America, shits not gonna change.

Man **** Missouri

It is unwise in this day and age to create a "paper trail" for a conspiracy to commit murder. Either that or you are LEO.

no different than prohibition time. How do you think Budweiser made their fortune? Does one follow a law only because it defines what is legal or illegal?

While it may be true that he should not have broken weed laws 3 times, placing him in prison for life is ****ing ridiculous. Especially when weed is being legalized in so many other places in the country.

It'll change eventually. 2 states have legalized it.

Also, people know the consequences of speeding, it doesn't stop people from doing it.

Speeding doesn't have a 3 strike law that can land you in prison, so that's a pretty bad comparison.

If I knew I could realistically go to prison for it I wouldn't speed.

I doubt it will ever be legal to have 6lbs of it.

If you're a proprietor. :D

Is he over-punished? Probably. Any ****s given by me? Nope.


planetdoc, please don't post a quote by MLK that had to deal with Civil Rights and Segregation in a thread about a dumbass that likes to smoke weed.

Stupid guy is stupid. But if I lived in MO I would encourage my state to repeal this law and recommend Commutation of sentence. The cost of keeping him locked up is not a good use of tax dollars

1. MLK didnt limit his ideas to civil rights and segregation. He has a lot of quotes and speeches in regards to unjust laws.

2. I would think MLK would be in favor of cannabis reform. The history of the laws itself were written to unfairly target minorities (mainly African Americans).

This forum was able to organize "save our chiefs" and get banners flown, billboards put up, and fans to wear black on game day to show displeasure against the Pioli regime. Dont discount the power of the common man.

I think that is a long time to be hanging in a cell for weed. On the other hand life is full of choices, we all have choices to make and this guy made some bad ones.

yup, I can see all the dope smokers getting together to raise a ruckus...LMAO

one does not have to smoke cannabis to understand the laws against them are unjust.

This.

Dudes dumb as a brick no doubt, but a life sentence is even dumber.

Rare ‘Perry Mason’ moment in court wins dismissal for defendant, desk duty for 5 police officers

perjury that only results in paid desk duty.

I wonder if there is a 3-strike law for DUIs?

I have read stories about people having 6-7 DUI's.

There should be a 3-strike law IMO.

Sounds like a bunch of BS to me. The guy had a brick of weed, got caught, and is getting off the hook because the cops didn't follow proper procedure. There is no "conspiracy" here. Just cops getting too bold and thinking that they don't have to follow procedure.

Humans being treated as equals is just a little different than recreation. Just a little.

No. There's no "on the other hand" here. The punishment is absurd and ridiculous and in no way fits the crime. Not reflective of justice in any way, and an embarrassment for Missouri.

http://directives.chicagopolice.org/....html?ownapi=1
Cook County Circuit Judge Catherine Haberkorn says this
you might think that there was no conspiracy, but the judge does not.

link

Yep.

I love Marijuana. Since I've gotten my CDL, I cannot risk using any. A failed test and I lose it.

The judge is saying "Conspiracy" because the cops lied about following standard procedure. That's it. Period. The cops lied because they know they ****ed up. The judge is merely saying, "if they lied about this, what else did you lie about?". That in itself doesn't mean that they planted a pound of weed in the guy's car.

The guy was being monitored for drug trafficking. You don't get that kind of attention unless you're involved or around a lot of suspicious activity. The odds are pretty damn good that he was selling weed. The idea that cops are running around with bricks of weed to plant on people is such a pot head idea. It sounds like something i'd read in High Times and it sounds like something someone with an agenda would say.

It's far, far more likely that he was selling weed, the cops got too excited and ****ed up their bust.

This story does absolutely nothing for the fight against prohibition and as a smoker myself, i couldn't care less if the guy goes to jail for trafficking that much weed. I support recreational, legal use, not black market drug trafficking.

they lied under oath about the entire case. The entire case is fabricated. link

they essentially had the defendant under observation but failed to get a warrant for a search. They said the reason for the traffic stop was "failure to use turn signal" and probable cause for search was "smelling marijuana." The video evidence contradicts that.

Rights violated:
4th ammendment (searches and seizures without warrant)
right to discovery (evidence regarding basis of stop fabricated)
perjury by witnesses in criminal case.

you can call it failing to "follow procedure." I call it illegal and undermining the criminal justice system.

there is only a black market because in some places (such as Illinois) it is not legal.

what you are saying is the equivalent of someone during prohibition saying, " I am an alcohol drinker. I support recreational, legal use, not black market alcohol trafficking." Its hypocritical because, at one point, it was illegal throughout the USA.

Where does it say the entire story is fabricated? They lied about the order of events. They searched the car w/o a warrant (Not following procedure). That's what caused the case to be dismissed. Again, they knew they had something, didn't follow proper procedure and lied to cover their ass. That does not equate to conspiracy. It equates to being stupid about their bust. The cops were tipped off by a narcotics agent and got too ahead of themselves. I've seen cops do this before with my father.

The "defendent" has priors and has already been convicted for drug trafficking. But i'm sure it was just those big, bad cops out to conspire against and plant drugs on a ****a, huh?

Did the cops **** up? of course they did. That doesn't absolve the guy or mean he was conspired against.

Casey Anthony wasn't convicted, but that doesn't mean that she's not a killer.

This guy got he case thrown out. That doesn't mean he's not selling drugs by the pound. He's been in jail several times before, and they'll get him again. Next time, they'll probably do it right.

There is a lot of illegal activity around trafficking that kind of quantity. We are trying to move towards one goal. A safe, legal, consumer driven MJ market. I grew up around this shit. My dad was a trafficker for weed, meth and Heroin. He would take me with him all the time because he thought the cops wouldn't go after him with a kid in the car. I'm very well aware that while weed itself isn't that bad, this kind of black market that deals in these quantaties is toxic for communities and it needs to go away.

I want MJ legalized not because i think MJ is some great cure for cancer, or because i want to smoke pot freely wherever...i want it legalized so we can take the money and power away from people like this defendant here.

You can call me hypocritical all you want, but there is a right and wrong way to do things. Just because the cops ****ed up and didn't do it the right way, that doesn't absolve this guy.

Excellent post.