Are Pot Users Criminals? The Tragic Case of Rachel Hoffman

ABC News ^ | July 24, 2008 | BRIAN ROSS and VIC WALTER

[Mojave]

There are numerous quotes, sites and links in the thread.

[piytar]

“How many people overdosed on pot?”

I think the answer is a grand total of one. Used to be zero, but someone managed to do it a couple years ago. Didn’t smoke a ridiculous amount, smoked an insane amount. Enough that if it was cigs, that probably would have killed him (nicotine overdose - yes, that can happen, esp. when someone uses the patch and still smokes a couple packs in a day).

[jaydubya2]

Thanks, I’ll review. Regardless, buying large amounts of coke and handguns exposes you to a much higher level criminals than being a small time pot dealer.

[Oztrich Boy]

She was an experienced dealer with multiple arrests running a drug house.

From the reports it was one(1) arrest and a threat of being charged.

[jaydubya2]

“Hoffman was facing charges of possession of ecstasy with intent to sell, possession of controlled substance with intent to sell, maintaining a drug house and possession of drug paraphernalia, he said.”

This sound more damming than it may actually be. I didn't see any details of what they found but "intent to sell" can be assumed by the ammount of dope you have on you, 20oz may have tripped that limit. "maintaining a drug house" I don't know what that means, selling from your house? I didn't see where they nabbed her selling. "possession of drug paraphernalia" that can be as simple as having rolling papers.

[Oztrich Boy]

I didn't see any details of what they found but "intent to sell" can be assumed by the ammount of dope you have on you, 20oz may have tripped that limit. "

Actually it was 20 grams (2/3 of an ounce) on her, and they found another 5 oz, when they raided her house. But if they think she intended to sell it, any amount can be "intent to sell" (and possession of more than 20 gm is a felony, which sets the bar pretty low)

[jaydubya2]

ops, I meant to write 20 grams, 20oz would be quite a lot. But your right, the bar is set very low.
It's getting close to harvest time here in Indiana, and I can expect to start reading about pot plants being found in corn fields by the state police in their choppers. They rarely ever nab the growers. A poor use of equipment and personnel IMO.

[Mojave]

From the reports it was one(1) arrest

She was already in a court ordered drug diversion program at the time of her most recent arrest.

[Oztrich Boy]

She was already in a court ordered drug diversion program at the time of her most recent arrest.

Unless they charged her, it's no arrest

[Gondring]

She was caught dealing Ecstasy.

Oh? Were you her customer? If not, then how do you know this?

She got pulled over for speeding, and her previous time in jail was for failure to show in court. That was how she was in the diversion program, for the pot possession.

It's not like she had a huge cache of Ecstasy...well, until the cops wanted her to buy 1,500 pills (thus violating her conditions of her program).

[Ron Jeremy]

The Caifornia law passed by VOTERS didn't authorize marijuana sales. Or Ecstasy sales. Or non-medical possession. Too lame.

When the medical marijuana bills are to be voted on, people like yourself yell and scream that it is closet decriminalization. Then when they pass, you say "The voters didn't vote for deciminalizatin".

Everyone knows the medical marijuana thing is BS, that's why they vote for it!

[Mojave]

Oh? Were you her customer?

Were you her dealer?

[Mojave]

When the medical marijuana bills are to be voted on, people like yourself yell and scream that it is closet decriminalization.

Quote me.

[Mojave]

“Rachel Hoffman, 23, had been in a pretrial diversion program after a minor marijuana arrest. Police in Tallahassee searched her home and allegedly found marijuana and ecstasy.”

She was caught again after her previous arrest.

[Hacksaw]

I find it funny how everyone’s blaming the police.. Nobody wants the killer or the stupid girl to take any responsibility it seems.

These "Free My Dope" threads always go the same way - blame the police, not the murderer, call people the Taliban who disagree with you, and throw in a couple of red herrings about alcohol and peanuts.

[Hacksaw]

Hungover? What if they were just sick? How would you know? I’d sue you into bankruptcy.

That's assuming you would have been hired in the first place. I've found that people with a lot af attitude tend to flame out in interviews.

[TKDietz]

“Saw a news/documentary that since weed is such the norm in Amsterdam it’s no longer cosidered “cool”.”

“Such the norm?”

I know what you mean, but it's actually not the norm. Even though they allow people to possess it and licensed shops to sell it, a considerably lower percentage of the Dutch have even tried marijuana than the percentage of Americans who have tried it. The law is not what keeps people from smoking marijuana. There are plenty of other good reasons for not smoking it and whether you live in Holland or the U.S., chances are if you don't smoke pot it's because of all these other good reasons for not smoking it rather than the law.

[itsahoot]

Nothing inherent in robbing the bank contributed to the woman's predicament nor her subsequent death. Prohibition of bank robbing did.

There feel better now?

[itsahoot]

Pot is a plant, put here by God

Arsenic, also put here by God, along with myriad's of poisonous plants, all there for you to use at your pleasure.

[I see my hands]

I feel great already. You've had zero effect on me.