Lakeland man charged with selling marijuana at convenience store

[Legalize it]

Bill wrote:

<quoted text>
Your description of the cops is sophmoric. If there are factual incidences that you know of, then by all means bring them to a forum. If not, keep your remarks and innuendoes to yourself. As to the legalization of marijuana; I support it wholeheartedly. In all the years that I have been smoking I have yet to see any violence committed by a pot smoker. Just don't drive while smoking.

Well, "Bill B" there are, for example, the sophmoric Bayport cops who pulled over a person I know very well, a person of color, every day for the first 6 months(at least) he lived in Bayport for no reason other than he was driving through town on the main drag on the way to his residence. And my citation(or innuendo if you'd prefer) of the overfunded, under occupied Bayport cops remains. They recently sent out a rash of letters to people about the placement of gargbage cans saying someone had complained and threatening them with tickets. Only, nobody complained, "Bill B", the cops just wanted some action, a reason to be if you will. Yes, sophmoric as hell. Or how about the cops going around town looking for any little messy item to send a letter to residents about: a basketball left out in the driveway, a shovel leaning against a garage, an "improperly stacked" woodpile. You may check it out independently if you'd like. Have a nice day, "Bill B"!

[Legalize it]

Oh, sorry "Bill B". I guess I meant just plain ol' "Bill". My apologies. Not to "Bill" however. He finds me annoying and sophmoric. So I'm succeeding...

[justinCase]

Small town geek,

You want to hit the major dealers? Why? Do you seek to drive up street value, and thereby business related violence?

1/3 of Americans support decriminalizing cannabis.
A majority of Americans do not support decriminalizing cannabis. The resulting injustice is a tyranny of the majority. Families are being torn apart, and peoples lives are being ruined by bad law.

The Bill of Rights is failing us here. The root of the problem is a lack of tolerance related to non-violent consentual acts. For non-violent consentual acts that have been deemed 'crime' by the legal system, there must be a defined [u]level[/u] of tolerance at which point the act cannot be punishable.

Currently, that [u]level[/u] of tolerance is a 'majority', and this is the problem. 1/3? 1/10? 1/25? Put it in writing. A Legal Level of Tolerance at which point the government can no longer punish a [i]non-violent[/i] consentual act. A Legal Level of Tolerance clearly defines the level of the people's approval/disapproval at which point the government can no longer punish a [i]non-violent[/i] consentual act. Polls will show it. Votes will confirm it.

From 1919 to 1933, alcohol was prohibited.
Intolerance.

From 1873 to 1936, the Comstock Act prevented distribution of literature or products related to birth control.
Intolerance.

From 2003 to 2007, Genarlow Wilson served 3 years of a mandatory 10 year sentence because he committed an act of 'oral sex'. Had the act been sexual intercourse, he would have walked away with a misdemeanor. Until 1998, Georgia's anti-sodomy laws made oral sex punishable by up to 20 years in prison (even between husband and wife).
Intolerance.

This sad list goes on-and-on.

America's massive incarceration numbers are due to intolerance toward many non-violent consentual acts, and to the collateral violence resulting from this intolerance.

Demand a Legal Level of Tolerance.

[Jeffersons Air Plane]

Legislature has all school teachers and lawyers. Teachers trying to be do gooders and lawyers make to much money off defending violators same as for DWI. Never see it legalised with all democrats in the state.

[ZenBirdist]

justinCase, that was a very well written post. Thank you!

[juxtapostle]

Thanks ZenBirdist!

Spread the word!

Imagine tolerance in the Middle East.
Imagine tolerance in China.
Hold dearly to tolerance America!

[Baby Gangsta G]

ok so look, he made a mistake dealing where he did... but honestly who the fuck cares. he's obviously not a stupid kid, i'm sure this wasn'ton his agenda and i'm pretty sure he is a good kid! so yeah he made a mistake so what? tell me how many other kids in the bayport stillwater area have made similar if not worse mistakes? this is just ridiculous that cops are bustingkinds left and right for wanting to catch a buzz. how about the cops go after the kids running around with e and cocain and acid? what about that? i'm sorry but this is beyond ridiculous.

[bayporter]

wow... i think i knew that guy. to bad.

[Amy G]

Washington County Cops are the absolute worst!!! There are way too many with nothing to do! While they HANG OUT at the gas stations eating donuts, they even leave their cop cars RUNNING, so they stay comfortable all year long. They don't care about the gas bill.

[Older and Even Wiser]

The War on Terror will be as successful as the War on Drugs, which we have been constantly fighting for the last 40 years. From all the rhetoric I have been hearing all my life, marijuana should have been eradicated by now. 40 years from now we will still be occupying the Middle East, fighting "terrorists" who we will be told want to turn us into Muslims. Who is dumber, the politicians who continually tell us this stuff, or the people who vote for them?

[Penny]

Everyone is complaining and thinks this is wrong?
No one is listening. The arrests keep happening and the real criminals are having a field day. And you thought the police were there to protect and serve? Think again. They have their own agenda now and everyone is being viewed as a potential criminal. Once they arrest you for something, even minor, they will proceed to take all they can from you. I wonder if this is the payback for budget cuts involving law enforcement. They have to justify their jobs one way or the other. Much safer to bust a kid selling a little pot at a Holiday than driving down Lake St. trying to avert a shooting. Maybe Bayport just felt left out of the action.

[Penny]

a friend wrote:

im a resident around here david is indeed a good friend he was how should i say offended by what happend. it seemed they wanted to set an example out of him. Even with all the fines. lost his vehicle and now cannot get a loan for college all because of a tiny bit of green. but yes, i agree selling out of a store is not the smartest of things to do.

Making examples out of young people is what they are best at. Are you sure he lost his vehicle?
If so, it had to have been a decent car. They try to go after that right off especially if he has not been in trouble before and probably would never be a threat again. Loans for school are another crutch they hang on you. It's a good way to show kids that life sucks and they can make sure you don't have much of a future if you make one stupid mistake even if there were no victims.

I always wondered why they don't go after the vehicles of drunk drivers. If they did the ticket revenue and fines from future arrests would hurt their revenue stream. It's all pretty
slick.