Take 32 Grams of Tylenol and Call Me in 25 Years

Reason ^ | December 13, 2006 | Jacob Sullum

[ClaireSolt]

If the government is deadlocked and paralyzed by conflicting pressures, then you can either live with that or find a way to work about that.

[mbynack]

Maybe because he did not consider himself guilty?

Possibly, but I think it's more likely that he didn't think they would get a conviction on the more serious count and we would walk away. There was obviously a miscarriage of justice here.

One of the articles that I read on the case inferred that Paey took an old prescription for pain killers and changed the date and quantity and presented it to get the 100 tablets. The doctor that signed the presecription said that he hadn't treated Paey since 1996. If that's true he knew that he broke the law, but didn't think he would be convicted of trafficking.

If he was guilty and that was his first offense, I think he should have gotten a fine, some community service and a suspended sentence.

[montag813]

Florida is the Land of Satan BUMP

[FormerACLUmember]

Florida is the Land of Satan BUMP?

Florida Judiciary is the Land of Satan, I would suggest.

[Kieri]

The plight of chronic pain patients in the USA is a nightmare. The doctors who treat them are subject to endless harassment, making few physicians willing to see these severely suffering patients.

I've been fighting with chronic pain for nearly 30 years and I'm only 41 years old. Doctors can't prescribe painkillers because of stories like this, so people continue to suffer just because they've been lumped in with REAL drug runners.

Stories like this infuriate me. Chronic pain affects more than just the patient: the entire family (if there is one) feels the effects, yet this prosecutor and jury CHOSE to heap on punishment after punishment.

[FormerACLUmember]

I've been fighting with chronic pain for nearly 30 years and I'm only 41 years old. Doctors can't prescribe painkillers because of stories like this, so people continue to suffer just because they've been lumped in with REAL drug runners. Stories like this infuriate me. Chronic pain affects more than just the patient: the entire family (if there is one) feels the effects, yet this prosecutor and jury CHOSE to heap on punishment after punishment.

God bless you and protect you. Your suffering is made far, far worse by ignorant petty tyrants, specially in judicial hellholes like Florida.

[Kieri]

God bless you and protect you. Your suffering is made far, far worse by ignorant petty tyrants, specially in judicial hellholes like Florida.

Thank you so much...I do have hope. I'm scheduled for the trial of a spinal cord stimulator at the end of January. If it works, a 60-70% cut in the pain will be a huge Godsend.

[Col Sanders]

Bigtime.

"Big River" is perhaps the only Broadway musical I can stomach...LOL

My father raised me on Roger Miller, Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Horton, Marty Robbins...etc

It was much to his chagrin that I later graduated to playing guitar in several punk bands...However, imagine my bandmates surprise when I popped in the "Roger Miller's Greatest Hits" cassette on the van's stereo...LOL

Col Sanders

[Col Sanders]

I dropped out of college to go hitchhiking across the country and then spent ten years on the "rock and roll" circuit playing guitar. In that time, I ingested many manner of foreign substances including, but not limited to alcohol and pot. I'll put it like this: If your body has an allotment of "party" cells, I've used mine up.

I'm now a very successful professional with a salary that approaches six figures. Incidentally, this story goes for every member of the three bands I was a part of over the years and we did it without detox or assistance of any kind. In addition, a couple of the guys finished college and are well over the six figure mark.

Oddly enough, the only habit that followed most of us from that lifestyle was smoking cigarettes. For some reason, it took me almost six additional years to kick that habit - Some of the other guys still have it.

I have two beautiful children and I often joke that they have no chance - There is no condition in which they can cross my threshold where I won't know a) that they're high, and b) what they're on. So they're screwed. Having said that, I can only hope that they have half of the life experiences that I've had. I tell them all the time to ignore anyone who tells them they "can't do" something. If you want to do it, go out there and try. When it's over, if you haven't succeeded, at least you can say you tried.

However, I digress.

I believe that just as there are stupid people who will never learn to drive correctly and will eventually make a mistake that kills themselves and perhaps others, there are people who can't handle drugs or alcohol in any way shape or form and may become addicted thus ruining their own life and perhaps the lives of others. However, just as I don't believe we should ban anyone from driving based on the former, we shouldn't ban drugs or alcohol based on the latter.

And for what it's worth - I'm not sure which of my posts to which you were replying, but I don't believe the US Constitution currently empowers the federal government to create laws or regulations making any substance illegal to grow, manufacture, possess, or ingest for any reason. In addition, I'm fairly certain that most state Constitutions don't conferr that power either.

Col Sanders

[dsc]

IMO, some of Miller's songs are the best kind of short poetry. Poetry a straight man not on drugs can enjoy, like Robert Service or Kipling.

Too bad so many people only know his humerous work...not that there's anything wrong with that.