Penalty outweighs the crime

[Ripptyde]

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6282

Washington, DC: A 27-year-old quadriplegic man sentenced to serve ten days in a Washington, DC jail on charges that he possessed a minor amount of marijuana died while in custody last week due to inadequate health care, including prison officials' failure to provide him with a ventilator.

The victim, Jonathan Magbie, had been paralyzed from the neck down since the age of four, was unable to breath on his own, and required nursing care 20 hours a day.

Magbie was sentenced to spend ten days in jail on September 20, 2004 after pleading guilty to one charge of marijuana possession. Though prosecutors had recommended probation, the judge in the case ordered Magbie to serve jail time - noting that the defendant had told pre-sentence investigators that he would continue using marijuana because it made him feel better.

NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup called Magbie's death "one of the most tragic results of marijuana prohibition I have witnessed in the 35-year history of the organization."

He concluded: "Although Jonathan Magbie died from causes currently under investigation, it is clear that his death was the result of the overly punitive laws criminalizing the use and possession of marijuana. There is little doubt that were it not for marijuana prohibition, Jonathan Magbie would still be alive today. He did not deserve to die for smoking marijuana."

 

[noodles]

Yep. Welcome to fundie America.

"Can anyone tell me why, violent crime means far less time inside four walls?"

 

[SevenatoR]

Wow...like the poor guy didn't already have it bad enough...

 

[playstopause]

That makes me sick. Poor guy.

Stupid laws gives stupid results.

 

[ohio_eric]

That judge should have to go to his funeral and explain to his family why they are such a douche bag.

 

[Leon]

i won't hold my breath, but hopefully this blows the lid off the useless 'posession' laws in our country.

 

[noodles]

I'd love to read the article, but surprise! It's blocked by the firewall.

 

[Rev2010]

Wow, that's fucked up supremely! Question though... why is a man who can't breathe on his own and needs a ventilator smoking to begin with??

 

[noodles]

Who says he was smoking? Have you ever heard of hash brownies?

 

[Zepp88]

Drug users are not criminals. Period.

This man wasn't hurting anyone or even bothering anyone. So why does he have to die because pot is labled as a horrible thing. If he was drinking a bottle of alcohol he wouldn't have been bothered...it's hypocritical and this time it caused the death of someone.

BTW. Nice quote Dave.

 

[distressed_romeo]

Fuck... Not sure what to say about this.

 

[Cancer]

The complete article was printed in #1, but here's is NORML's response....


One year ago(9/20/04) a quadriplegic, Jonathan Magbie, died while in jail for marijuana possession.

Read the Washington Post article on the anniversary of this sad event.

NORML's Response to the original Post article:

October 5, 2004

Letters To the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071

Dear Sir or Madam:

In the nearly 35 years that our organization has been fighting to end marijuana prohibition, and to stop the senseless arrest of marijuana smokers, I have never witnessed a more tragic example of the need to repeal these destructive laws than that of Jonathan Magbie, a 27-year-old Mitchellville man who was recently sentenced to 10 days in the DC jail for marijuana possession. Magbie, a quadriplegic since age 4 when he was struck by a drunk driver, operated his motorized wheelchair with his chin. He was otherwise totally dependent on others for his care.

According to the Post report, when asked by the court's pre-sentence investigators about his marijuana smoking, Magbie said he would continue using the drug because it made him feel better. Apparently that honesty was too much for Judge Judith E. Retchin, who proceeded to ignore the presentence report recommending probation, a recommendation to which the US Attorney's Office had not objected, and to impose a 10-day jail sentence on this terribly handicapped individual, apparently to teach him a lesson.

The lesson for all of us, though not the one intended by this apparently uncaring judge, was that even a few days in the DC jail system can be a death sentence for those with serious medical problems. Jonathan Magbie died from unexplained causes, currently under investigation, but it is clear that his death was the result of his being sent to jail by Judge Retchin.

According to the latest government surveys, at least 27 million Americans smoked marijuana last year, and most of them did it for the same reason that Jonathan Magbie did: because it made them feel better. Marijuana is a safe drug, when used responsibly, and unlike alcohol, that results in approximately 50,000 deaths each year in this country, and tobacco, which results in more than 400,000 deaths each year, marijuana has never caused a death in the history of mankind. It is simply not sufficiently toxic. Yet alcohol and tobacco are legal, while marijuana remains classified as a dangerous drug, and more than 600,000 Americans are arrested each year for smoking it.

Surely this tragic incident will cause the DC City Council to consider decriminalizing minor marijuana offenses in the District. Until that can be accomplished, perhaps this tragedy will cause the DC Police to consider issuing tickets to minor marijuana offenders, as Mayor Daly has recently suggested for Chicago, instead of arresting and jailing smokers. A ticket would have saved Magbie's life.

This is truly a sad time for all of us, and especially for the family and friends of Jonathan Magbie. He did not deserve to die for smoking marijuana.

Respectfully,

Keith Stroup
Executive Director
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Original Article:
NORML.ORG US DC: D.C. Jail Stay Ends in Death For Quadriplegic MD Man

 

[T_money419]

And the award for the biggest douche in the universe goes to...

 

[Chris]

i won't hold my breath, but hopefully this blows the lid off the useless 'posession' laws in our country.

I don't even smoke pot and I think it's a lot less harmful than alcohol.

 

[ohio_eric]

“A drug is neither moral nor immoral - it's a chemical compound. The compound itself is not a menace to society until a human being treats it as if consumption bestowed a temporary license to act like an asshole” - Frank Zappa

 

[playstopause]

Very well said, Mr. Zappa.

 

[Rev2010]

Who says he was smoking? Have you ever heard of hash brownies?

Of course. So I guess he carried the weed on him along with an oven and the ingredients to make brownies?

You know that's not the point I was getting at Believe me, regardless, I truly think his death is totally fucked up and I do feel marijuana should be legalized. I just think it's also silly that a dude in his state was smoking when he couldn't even breathe on his own.

 

[noodles]

You know that's not the point I was getting at Believe me, regardless, I truly think his death is totally fucked up and I do feel marijuana should be legalized. I just think it's also silly that a dude in his state was smoking when he couldn't even breathe on his own.

Medical cannabis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indications

According to a survey on the recommendation of cannabis in California[15], cannabis is indicated for over 250 conditions. Cannabis is most importantly indicated as an antiemetic for the treatment of nausea and anorexia associated with treatments for cancer, AIDS, and hepatitis. Cannabis also acts as an antispasmodic and anticonvulsant and is indicated for neurological conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and spasms. As an analgesic and an immunomodulator it is indicated for conditions such as migraine, arthritis, spinal and skeletal disorders. As a bronchodilator it is beneficial for asthma. it also reduces the intraocular pressure and is indicated for glaucoma. Cannabis is also used to treat some mood disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder. It is also indicated for premenstrual syndrome, hypertension, and insomnia.

 

[stuz719]

I don't even smoke pot and I think it's a lot less harmful than alcohol.

Not sure about that:

Cannabis smoke contains many of the same components as tobacco smoke. As much as four times the amount of tar can be deposited on the lungs of cannabis smokers as cigarette smokers if a cigarette of comparable weight is smoked. This difference is probably the result of differences in administration. Cannabis cigarettes usually do not have filters and cannabis smokers usually develop a larger puff volume, inhale more deeply and hold their breath several times longer than tobacco smokers

And that's just for starters.

Cannabis health risks

 

[oompa]

thc is less unhealthy than alcohol and it can clearly be used as a form of painkiller(i know people who use it for the very same reason), wich was prolly the case for the one in the article.

thc and tobacco (aside from passive smoking) dont affect society nearly as much as heavier druguse and alcohol. crimewise, accidents where people are drunk etc. id like to think of coffee, tobacco, thc and alcohol in the same folder (where alcohol is worst).

and stuz, yea, ofcourse its not healthy, neither is a bigmac. but on the smoking part, sure you take deeper blows, but on the other hand you dont smoke 30 joints a day as smokers smoke cigarettes (some even more).

having alcohol legal and weed illegal is hypocrisy. allow or forbid both.