Schapelle Corby: 20 Year Sentence for Pot

Karlo at SwerveLeft covers the story.

I agree: it's heinous and extreme. But right here at home, we have someone - is it Sensenbrenner? a man whose name should not have "sense" in it - proposing a "pass the joint" law that would give a mandatory minimum of 5-15 years if you're even in the same room with someone smoking pot.

Now, I'm somebody pretty unhappy with how many of my fellow Americans cannot get through the day without pot, pills, alcohol, or something. Oh, I'm not being pious here. There was a time when I wanted it too - I was just "lucky" enough to realize before I went too deeply down any road that there was no "fix"; you have to learn to deal with yourself.

We're raised here to believe there's a drug for every ill - mental or physical - and to go looking for it on our own if our doctors won't prescribe it. But huge sentences and filling up prisons with nickel-and-dime drug consumers while we're letting seriously violent cases out after a couple of years to make room for guys who grow 3 pot plants in their backyard is just madness. Considering how bad our system is, it's hard for me to work up the moral outrage at another country.

So I feel terrible for this woman. But I feel terrible for those here who are serving life sentences for absolute stupidity. The more we try to punish those - and then, only a certain segment of those, while others use "sanctioned" methods to get stoned with inpunity - who use chemicals to survive, the worse it all becomes. Since 9/11, drug use of almost every type - alcohol, antidepressants, sleeping pills, sedatives, plus "street" drugs - are way, way up. So are the costs inherent in same. No legislation is going to stop that.