Posted on 08/04/2004 5:55:39 AM PDT by BJClinton
Texas cops thought they'd made a major drug bust when they raided a home northwest of Houston last Tuesday. After all, it looked like there were huge marijuana plants growing in the front yard.
"All of a sudden, they burst in with their guns loaded, pointing at me, screaming, 'Get on the floor! Get on the floor!'" northwest Harris County resident Blair Davis told KHOU-TV.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Right now, the police chief is probably chewing out some officer for screwing up this bust (ie., not seizing the guy's new Escalade)
Lt. Webb needs a little trauma inflicted on him.
"Yep, those photos are very close. I'm relieved my Hibiscus is the more commonly seen type. I don't need a bunch of cops screeching to a halt every time they pass my front porch."
Do you really think they're very close? A quick perusal of those two pictures reveals that other than a general similarity in the outline and arrangement of the leaves, there are many differences. The MJ plant has green stalks and shoots - the hibiscus has reddish stalks and shoots. The MJ plant's leaves have a characteristic ribbing on them that the hibiscus plant's leaves lack. And the MJ plant is much bushier, for lack of a better word.
Well it's easy, exactly like pot, the hibiscus has...five...petals...Ooops...LOL
You would think police would have more pressing matters to deal with. I wonder what will happen of the bright officer who masterminded this totally brilliant crackdown ?
No Hibiscus, no peace!
Even more to the point, why didn't they just knock on the front door and ask him what the plants were? Why the SWAT approach?
I'm not interested in relaxing the drug laws generally--just marijuana. And my only interest is that it's a waste of resources given the negligibly worse health impact of marijuana vs. alcohol and tobacco. Hard drugs are a different matter, though.
Actually, I would not have a problem making it legal for proven addicts to get small amounts of harder drugs, provided that they submit to treatment, and monitoring. They could buy from the government, at low prices, and the government could acquire their supplies from seizures, using the proceeds to offset the cost of the program. That would be better than banning the narcotics altogether because it would burn the pusher's rope at both ends. They keep up the pressure with arrests and seizures, and they take away the market for the product by undercutting the street price and forcing addicts into programs.
I agree... go after the hard stuff, cocaine, crystal meth
Dave's not home, dude.
Ya think????
Couldn't agree more. Make him liable, in civil court, for any damages that resulted in this bogus bust.
Such mistakes are made possible only by morons who attempt outlaw plants. What a racket!
I agree, except too much tax and you've got the black market all over again. I say treat it like alcohol - punish the effects of the substance if they occur (bad driving, etc). But if folks can handle it responsibly, in their homes, why the fuss?
And for the record, I have never smoked the stuff, but I object to its demonization and subsequent wasted government resources.
That's exactly what I thought.
To think, some people in this country don't trust their fellow citizens with firearms, but they trust the police.
Bingo! And I have never seen a person's life ruined by regular pot smoking if there were not hard drugs involved as well. Perhaps they're a little less motivated than the norm, but functional and relatively normal nonetheless.
Especially when you consider that I have never seen a variety of Hibiscus that looked anything at all like Marijuana.
>>I believe every American adult should be responsible fot themselves and it should not be any of the governments business. <<
If you are going to give aid to foreigners then Americans should receive some too!
Why restrict just Americans to being responsible for themselves?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.