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Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

bloomberg.com

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Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#71

Post by mikestew »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #31
mikestew wrote: post #5

As already pointed out in another comment, don't volunteer that you have pot on you. At least make 'em work for it. Oh, you were thinking they were going to go easier on you? It doesn't work that way. On the one hand, yes, current marijuana laws in most states and at the federal level are ridiculous and unproductive. On the other hand, as a Washington resident what do you think I left at home on a recent motorcycle t…

>>> As already pointed out in another comment, don't volunteer that you have pot on you. At least make 'em work for it. Oh, you were thinking they were going to go easier on you? It doesn't work that way. Actually it does. I've had several incidents in states where medical marijuana is legal, but you have to have a card. Possession without the card is illegal. Both times we were up front with the cop and he thanked u…

> Actually it does.

Did you not read the article? My comment was a counterpoint to the actions of a person who did exactly what you recommend, and now he's facing ten years.

> Trust me, it's always better to cooperate with the cops.

If we're going to play a round of Anecdotal Evidence: Home Edition, I can tell several stories of how keeping my mouth shut worked out just fine, and one story of how cooperating was the worst of all the choices available to me.

Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#72

Post by lutusp »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #31
mikestew wrote: post #5

As already pointed out in another comment, don't volunteer that you have pot on you. At least make 'em work for it. Oh, you were thinking they were going to go easier on you? It doesn't work that way. On the one hand, yes, current marijuana laws in most states and at the federal level are ridiculous and unproductive. On the other hand, as a Washington resident what do you think I left at home on a recent motorcycle t…

>>> As already pointed out in another comment, don't volunteer that you have pot on you. At least make 'em work for it. Oh, you were thinking they were going to go easier on you? It doesn't work that way. Actually it does. I've had several incidents in states where medical marijuana is legal, but you have to have a card. Possession without the card is illegal. Both times we were up front with the cop and he thanked u…

> Trust me, it's always better to cooperate with the cops.

Trust me -- an experienced defense lawyer will tell you in no uncertain terms to do exactly the opposite.

1. Exercise your right to be silent.

2. Do not volunteer any information.

3. Ask whether you are under arrest, and if the answer is "no", leave and engage the services of a competent attorney.

> Being a dick is just going to get you more trouble.

This is what the cops always tell you as they try to get you to abandon your rights. But the cops are allowed -- nay, encouraged -- to lie during interrogations, something the suspect cannot do without dire consequences.

Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#73

Post by lutusp »

enjo wrote: post #52
at-fates-hands wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>> As already pointed out in another comment, don't volunteer that you have pot on you. At least make 'em work for it. Oh, you were thinking they were going to go easier on you? It doesn't work that way. Actually it does. I've had several incidents in states where medical marijuana is legal, but you have to have a card. Possession without the card is illegal. Both times we were up front with the cop and he thanked u…

If you're telling the truth, you are incredibly lucky. Hell the guy in the cited article was absolutely cooperative and now he's very likely going to jail and ultimately will likely be deported. If he had chosen to simply invoke his 5th amendment right, he very likely would have left that incident a little bit poorer (traffic violation) but not much else.

> If he had chosen to simply invoke his 5th amendment right ...

The right to be silent, and the right to avoid self-incrimination, are distinct rights. Being silent during interrogation doesn't necessarily mean one is exercising a fifth amendment right.

Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#74

Post by Retric »

internet2pac wrote: post #70
Retric wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People under 15 and over 70 smoke pot. According to this 38% of those surveyed and 17% of those over 65 admit to trying pot. http://www.gallup.com/poll/163835/tried-marijuana-little-cha... Though only 7% of those surveyed where willing to say they currently smoked. As a sanity check if you where 15 in 1960 your ~69. PS: Though, in an informal survey's my 14-15 year old classmates in the 1990's over 90% said they had…

Yeah sure but statistically it is not significant. There is a two year chinese kid that smokes 2 packs a day, but that does not mean a significant number of 2 year old kids smoke. Also if 14% of people smoke pot that means 80% of all house household smoke pot and it is NOT true.

My point is it's a high variance statistic which is hard to control for.

If population A = 95%, Population B = 30%, and Population C = 1% then it becomes vary important to get the correct ratio of populations A, B, and C. And correctly sampling culturally diverse populations in the same geographic area is vary difficult. Something as simple as a phone screen is unlikely to work due to things like % of population in prison or number of phone numbers in a household. Even block by block analysis can fail with transient populations as it's easy to introduce bias by counting someone twice or not at all.

Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#75

Post by GauntletWizard »

cloakanddagger wrote: post #63
GauntletWizard wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You live in the EU, but legal activity in one place is a felony worthy of decades in prison a few miles away - in the same political union. It's mind numbing that a citizen of the EU would have to know 26 sets of laws just to travel around the Schengen Area. "States" in the American sense have nearly all of the powers and differences that "Countries" have in europe. Each one is as large as a european country, and nea…

Please keep in mind you are comparing a continent to a country. So no, north america has not 'figured out' the unified currency & freedom of traveling thing nor the bickering.

3.119 million sq miles - Continental US.

3.931 million sq miles - Europe.

1.691 million sq miles - The EU.

No, not a huge difference.

Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#76

Post by dneronique »

bronbron wrote: post #44
jeffdavis wrote: post #38

The US Constitution makes states almost like countries. For those who don't know, laws are different, sometimes in major ways, when you cross a state line. And that's just fine. A big problem in politics is trying to push 300M people to all follow the same set of laws. That's how we ended up with illegal marijuana in the first place. Vote for what you believe in in your state, and leave the rest alone. Singapore does…

> For those who don't know, laws are different, sometimes in major ways, when you cross a state line That seems like a recipe for a huge disaster that we should rectify. It's incredibly easy to cross state lines without purposely intending to, especially in the northeast (e.g. you can easily be ushered into NJ trying to get to upstate NY through NYC). It's exactly why 'safe passage' laws exist, even if it doesn't app…

>> For those who don't know, laws are different, sometimes in major ways, when you cross a state line

> That seems like a recipe for a huge disaster that we should rectify.

Naw, bro. It's by design. I'd rather not get into the US's extensive history of states rights vs. federal goverment, but you have to appreciate the fact that it's even possible for a state to independently and legally override a federal law.

Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#77

Post by bmelton »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #62
jeffdavis wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You call that "united"?" "Union" and "United" are the same word, so you could make an equal criticism of the EU for not being "united" enough because laws happen to vary between Germany and Spain. What if some bureaucrat decided to move your family and 10 others (from radically different cultures) into big house? You can all agree on who cleans what common areas at what times, who cooks, what pets everyone can have,…

There are vast differences between the EU and the interaction with states and federal government. Everyone views other countries as just that - other countries. The government systems even vary. The thing is that no one looks at states as countries. People state their nationality as American, not Hoosier or .. um.. whatever else locals name themselves. Most Americans fully expect free travel without worry of arrest t…

Switzerland enjoys the same "state-level" autonomy, and they still get to call themselves "Swiss" at the end of the day.

Having studied the Constitution and surrounding documents with some degree of rigor, I think it's incorrect to assert that that a large difference was intended between the United States and the European Union.

It's of course open to interpretation, but the idea that states espouse a degree of autonomy beyond a monolithic federal government isn't absurd, and is even codified into both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Re: Marijuana Law Mayhem Splits U.S. In Two as Travelers Get Busted

#78

Post by internet2pac »

mikeash wrote: post #68
internet2pac wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is impossible and does not even pass a basic math. 317,493,212 is the current population. If you discard people under 15 and over 70 you are left with the you have (219685604) that means 20% of the US smoke pot. Pot people always like to over inflate the usage number, but 14% too funny. Even in states where its legal, it would not reach 20%.

I bet if I said that 14% of the US population drinks alcohol, you'd say it was way too low. What about your "basic math" argument applies to pot but not alcohol?

I would not say that. But lets you are right. Do you know the infrastructure is involved in supporting 14% of people in the US drinking alcohol?

Pot smokers confuse... "I have one time tried smoking pot" with "14% of america consumes alcohol". It is not the same thing, but you use it as if it is. That is the lie... they knowingly or through lack of braincells from smoking pot get this point intentionally wrong.

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