Texas Juries Refusing to Send Pot Offenders to Prison: NPR

[Ganjarden]

Drug courts and the state-mandated rehab industry detail their trouble with cannabis decriminalization, in yet another pot piece by NPR – which has recently gone all in on the topic. "These days it's difficult for a lot of people to see marijuana as a problem, even if they have never touched the stuff," says Judge John Creuzot of Dallas, who has presided over drug courts and regular felony courts. "When we get into guilt, innocence and punishment, you see a lot of pushback, especially on marijuana, from the citizens [juries]," he says. "They don't think it should be a felony offense and ... so it's very difficult to get them to commit to sending someone to the penitentiary for possession of marijuana." Our hearts go out Judge Creuzot and the challenges he faces locking up potheads. Also in that piece ...

Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, mouthpiece of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told NPR he doesn't buy any of the arguments in favor of legalizing pot: that it will reduce violence, free up police to fight other crimes, and raise tax dollars. "None of that really holds up under any scrutiny," he dismisses, without presenting any data whatsoever.

However, Jeffrey A. Miron, a senior lecturer and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, politely disagrees with the Drug Czar and says legalize it.


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: East Bay Express
Author: David Downs
Contact: East Bay Express
Copyright: 2010 East Bay Express
Website: Texas Juries Refusing to Send Pot Offenders to Prison: NPR

 

[Weeds]

Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, mouthpiece of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

Who gave this jackass his job? Who pays him? How much?
We may never know.

 

[jimp]

1

 

[LighTer]

Our hearts go out Judge Creuzot and the challenges he faces locking up potheads. Also in that piece ...

I now officially hate David Downs.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Who gave this jackass his job?

Barack Obama.

Who pays him?

Each and every tax-paying citizen in the United States.

Mr. GIL KERLIKOWSKE (Drug czar, United States): I would really enjoy hearing from you what I should be doing, because you're paying my salary. [Quote from an NPR interview when he visited an Orange County, CA drug court after a month at his job.]

Drug Czar Kerlikowske Leads Shift In Drug Policy : NPR

How much?

The most recent permanent drug czar before him made $183,000 (2006). That was at a time when Congress was trying to reign in salaries but a couple other "czars" make $158.5K and a couple make $172.2K so somewhere in that general range is likely. Think he made $188,315 in his previous job.

We may never know.

Now you know.

Here's an article about him at The Stranger:
Good Luck and Good Riddance by Dominic Holden - News - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper