Virginia legislature votes to legalize recreational marijuana

[Anonymous]

Good. Resources can be directed to things other than arresting people for pot. Tax the heck out of it and use the income for good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good. Resources can be directed to things other than arresting people for pot. Tax the heck out of it and use the income for good.

And no, I have no interest in partaking (I never have) but I have no issue with people doing it responsibly (same as alcohol, basically)

[Anonymous]

My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

The same exact scenario would apply to someone who possesses even a single round of unregistered ammunition in DC. And yes, otherwise completely ordinary people who were minding their own business not harming anyone (just like your g/f you described) have been arrested for and prosecuted for that.

Do you oppose that, too? Or is that different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

Best friend from childhood was a UVA law student (W&L undergrad) who was pulled over in Texas the summer of 1996. There was less than an eighth of weed in his backpack in his trunk. He was driving home from living in CO for the summer. He was denied bail at first and spent 4 weeks in some podunk county jail. Never had a speeding ticket before. Missed the next semester of law school. Cost his family something like $25,000 to get straight. 1996 dollars. It STILL shows up on background checks. Absolutely insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

The same exact scenario would apply to someone who possesses even a single round of unregistered ammunition in DC. And yes, otherwise completely ordinary people who were minding their own business not harming anyone (just like your g/f you described) have been arrested for and prosecuted for that.

Do you oppose that, too? Or is that different?

Non-sequitur is a non-sequitur.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

The same exact scenario would apply to someone who possesses even a single round of unregistered ammunition in DC. And yes, otherwise completely ordinary people who were minding their own business not harming anyone (just like your g/f you described) have been arrested for and prosecuted for that.

Do you oppose that, too? Or is that different?

Non-sequitur is a non-sequitur.

So that’s a “No Comment!”, then.

Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

The same exact scenario would apply to someone who possesses even a single round of unregistered ammunition in DC. And yes, otherwise completely ordinary people who were minding their own business not harming anyone (just like your g/f you described) have been arrested for and prosecuted for that.

Do you oppose that, too? Or is that different?

Non-sequitur is a non-sequitur.

So that’s a “No Comment!”, then.

Got it.

I don't see how bullets in DC are connected to a policy debate about the legality of marijuana in Virginia.

Completely different jurisdictions, different issues at play. One is a plant....the other a man-made object?

You seem obsessed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

The same exact scenario would apply to someone who possesses even a single round of unregistered ammunition in DC. And yes, otherwise completely ordinary people who were minding their own business not harming anyone (just like your g/f you described) have been arrested for and prosecuted for that.

Do you oppose that, too? Or is that different?

Not PP. But, yes of course that's different. The only reason why you would possess ammunition is to use it to injure or kill someone. Unless it's a relic from some old war and kept as a memento. It is, by nature, a violent tool used for inflicting injury. Marijuana is not a tool for inflicting injury onto others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ex-GF got busted smoking weed in her own apartment in Williamsburg, VA in 2013. She was a STEM grad student at William & Mary on a full scholarship (brilliant woman) who ended up getting a PhD at a STEM powerhouse on the west coast.

It cost her $5K in lawyers fees and fines to ensure she didn't have a criminal record. If she had received a felony, she would've lost her scholarship at W&M (since it's a state school). She had to do one year of probation.

She was privileged in that she had UMC parents who could afford to pay for this. But what would've happened to a poor student?

How the hell does society benefit by giving this woman a criminal record for something consumed in the privacy of her own home? Further, if she was kicked out of the program, the state of Virginia would've flushed the money down the toilet that they paid for her education up to that point.

I think it's wonderful that the state will legalize. It's the absolute height of irrationality to penalize people for life with a criminal record for consumption of a plant. The entire prohibition scheme was a jobs' program for people who couldn't hack it in life.

The same exact scenario would apply to someone who possesses even a single round of unregistered ammunition in DC. And yes, otherwise completely ordinary people who were minding their own business not harming anyone (just like your g/f you described) have been arrested for and prosecuted for that.

Do you oppose that, too? Or is that different?

Not PP. But, yes of course that's different. The only reason why you would possess ammunition is to use it to injure or kill someone. Unless it's a relic from some old war and kept as a memento. It is, by nature, a violent tool used for inflicting injury. Marijuana is not a tool for inflicting injury onto others.

Funny you should mention that, because there is a well-known case in DC where a man was prosecuted for exactly that. He had a “dud” shotgun shell from a family hunting trip years before, kept as a memento.

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/23/trial-mark-witaschek-washington-dc-one-shotgun-she/


This is equally as stupid as arresting someone for smoking weed in their own home.

But it’s a perfect analog. In both cases, the defendants weren’t harming anyone, had never harmed anyone, and had no plans to harm anyone. They were simply in violation of a local statute. And both were prosecuted.

Completely unnecessarily, in both cases.