Posted on 07/25/2008 8:49:03 PM PDT by bamahead
After being caught twice with a "baggie" of marijuana, 23-year old Rachel Hoffman was reportedly told by police in Tallahassee, Florida that she would go to prison for four years unless she became an undercover informant.
The young woman, a recent graduate of Florida State University, was murdered during a botched sting operation two months ago.
"The idea of waging a war on drugs is to protect people and here it seems like we're putting people in harm's way," said Lance Block, a lawyer hired by Rachel's parents.
The Florida Attorney General's office says it is reviewing the procedures and protocol of the Tallahassee police.
"I'm calling her a criminal," Tallahassee police chief Dennis Jones told 20/20, who maintains that both drug dealers and drug users are considered criminals to his department.
Under Florida law, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana is a felony.
The Tallahassee police chief says Rachel was suspected of selling drugs and she was rightly treated as a criminal.
"That's my job as a police chief to find these criminals in our community and take them off the street, to make the proper arrests," Jones told 20/20.
Rachel's case also is raising questions about how police recruit and use informants in undercover operations.
"There need to be some safeguards here," said Block, the Hoffman family lawyer.
The young woman received no training before being sent to an undercover meeting to buy a large amount of drugs and a handgun from two suspects.
Police says Rachel was killed by the very handgun she was supposed to buy.
"I don't think she understood the risk or danger that she was in," said Block.
Rachel was in a drug court diversion program when she became an informant.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Manufacture and sale of moonshine is illegal. Just like the manufacture and sale of pot and Ecstasy.
Gee, it looks like your strawman wilted.
Yes, it makes sense that you would know that place quite well, waiyu...with the lack of reason (and large component of nanny-statism) in your posts, it shows.
;-)
Yep! Treat all drugs like we treat alcohol.
No more persecuting a Rush Limbaugh for “doctor shopping”. No more drug wars or scum like Al Capone and Joe Kennedy getting rich from the trade.
Strict regulations on the quality, sale and production and strict enforcement of the laws and regulations.
They can be if they:
...unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did operate a motor vehicle on a highway while attempting to elude a law enforcement officer. At the time of the violation, (choose any TWO)1. The defendant was speeding in excess of 15 mph over the legal speed limit
2. there was gross impairment (.14 or more)
3. the defendant was driving recklessly in violation of GS 20-140,
4. the defendant was driving negligently and caused an accident with property damage of 1000 or more, or personal injury
5. the defendant was driving while the defendants drivers license was revoked.
6. school zone speed limit violation
7. passed stopped school bus
8. defendant driving with passenger under 12 yrs of age in the vehicle.
Which has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with reducing the point that was made by SUSSA.
By the way, I'd like to hear your definition of "moonshine"...since it can be quite a circular argument if you define it as "illegal distilled unaged spirits" or something.
I suppose you believe that marijuana is just a gateway drug...sooner or later, they'll be into trans-fats, right?
Okay. Absinthe is illegal.
That was easy.
Rachel's Ecstasy would have still been illegal if the moonshine model is followed.
And so why not get the press gang going and save some tax dollars?
Cannon fodder, you know...why bother training or paying people when we can just buy a few gestapo uniforms and round up citizens to provide the verloren hoop.
The law makes it a felony.
Speeding is not a felony, per se, at least wherever I know of. Of course, IANAL.
Drugs are not a felony, per se,
VERY good point
Nope. If Ecstasy were made legal but highly taxed, then you could say "Rachel's untaxed Methylenedioxymethamphetamine" was illegal"...but in that case, there's little likelihood she'd have been dealing in untaxed MDMA, with brand name Ecstasy available. (Of course, the UN prevents Ecstasy from being "brand name" but that's another story.)
Or do you fail to recognize that there's little reason to buy an illegal form of alcohol when alcohol has been made legal but is highly taxed?
Of course I know about DU. I’m on PJ-Comix’s Ping List.
I'm reminded of the bricks in the chimney.
Bingo.
So you agree with me...glad you finally understand.
Sell taxed whiskey out of the trunk of your car. Send me a postcard from jail.
Now that you understand the problem with this mode of law enforcement destruction, I bid you goodnight.
Bricks of what?
Agreement with you would indicate a lack of understanding. Rachel wasn't a pharmacist, Ecstasy isn't medicine.
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