Is It Hopeless?

Before I even begin, what I'm about say involves the politics of marijuana, but I'm posting it here because more people come to the recreational board. And I guess I can further be condoned because depending on state, the recreational smoker is at risk.

Last night I was searching through www.norml.org when I found a map of the United States, each state with its own policies about marijuana. Living in Florida, I naturally clicked on Florida-- just to see what would happen to me if I was busted with some pot.

It turns out, Florida is what's known as a MMS state (MMS - Mandatory Minimum Sentence) and if your caught with 25 grams or less, even if it's your first offense and you've done nothing wrong previously, your automically fined $1,000 and jailed for 1 year.

..1 year? An upstanding citizen with nothing on his record can be as young as 18, be a college student with a scholarship, take the time out to do some community service now and then, and he'll be jailed for a year, no questions asked. What's more, no judge has the power to overturn this MMS law. It's only black and white-- it doesn't matter if you've robbed banks or cured cancer, if your caught with 25 grams or less, your going to jail for 1 year.


Now besides just being alarmed, this was the first time I ever really wanted to do something about it. But realistically, can I? I'm just a freshman college kid, and what can I do about something I heavily disagree with? I'm not talking about what I can do to not get caught, I'm asking what can I do in order to take steps at changing this law?

It seems so uncoordinated to think that if your caught with the same in New York, your given a fine. Fuck up a second time and... you still only get a fine if it's 25 (possibly 35, I forgt) grams or less (On both occasions).

Basically, I want to try and do anything in order to at least bring this ridiculously unfair policy to people's attention... but what can I do?


Thanks.

Nothing my friend. Government needs to keep laws strict on weed because they dropped the ball on tobacco. As for the law changing state to state... fuck i'd just move

u get probation in PA....i live in ny though we get acod the first time and then after that its probation and stuff

Damn, man, that really sucks! Join up with your local NORML branch, and see if you can't get the ball rolling in your town on the local gov't level.

I live in Ann Arbor MI, about 5 miles from the U of M campus, so our laws are strange. If you get caught by the Ann Arbor city cops, it's a $25 dollar fine for posession of a small amount. If you get caught by the state cops, or on UM campus property (which is state, not local, property), you can get serious jail time.

What I'm trying to say is that you can make a change, even if it's only on the local level.

If anything's going to be changed, it will have to be the result of lots of angry common people. The politicians won't change things for us; they have too many vested interests in the status quo. Every bit of progress in society has been achieved through mass movements from below: think of the abolitionist movement, the labor movement, the women's liberation movement, the civil rights movement, the environmental movement. All these things were started by regular everyday people getting together and demanding change, and politicians have only conceeded when the movement got so large that continuing to do nothing would threaten the stability of their system. It will have to be the same if cannabis is ever going to be legalized. We need a massive grassroots movement that demands the overhaul of the status quo regarding drug laws. We need to make it so that unless they cooperate with our demands, the stability of their system is threatened.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zooted999

Before I even begin, what I'm about say involves the politics of marijuana, but I'm posting it here because more people come to the recreational board. And I guess I can further be condoned because depending on state, the recreational smoker is at risk.

Last night I was searching through www.norml.org when I found a map of the United States, each state with its own policies about marijuana. Living in Florida, I naturally clicked on Florida-- just to see what would happen to me if I was busted with some pot.

It turns out, Florida is what's known as a MMS state (MMS - Mandatory Minimum Sentence) and if your caught with 25 grams or less, even if it's your first offense and you've done nothing wrong previously, your automically fined $1,000 and jailed for 1 year.

..1 year? An upstanding citizen with nothing on his record can be as young as 18, be a college student with a scholarship, take the time out to do some community service now and then, and he'll be jailed for a year, no questions asked. What's more, no judge has the power to overturn this MMS law. It's only black and white-- it doesn't matter if you've robbed banks or cured cancer, if your caught with 25 grams or less, your going to jail for 1 year.


Now besides just being alarmed, this was the first time I ever really wanted to do something about it. But realistically, can I? I'm just a freshman college kid, and what can I do about something I heavily disagree with? I'm not talking about what I can do to not get caught, I'm asking what can I do in order to take steps at changing this law?

It seems so uncoordinated to think that if your caught with the same in New York, your given a fine. Fuck up a second time and... you still only get a fine if it's 25 (possibly 35, I forgt) grams or less (On both occasions).

Basically, I want to try and do anything in order to at least bring this ridiculously unfair policy to people's attention... but what can I do?


Thanks.

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also on the norml site it says those listed are the maximum, except for the MMS bullshit. and the limit is under 25 grams for ny. i think that could be changed but i also think that somehow georges blood would have to be out of control of the office down there, but that's just me.