patrick leahy Archives - TheJointBlog

Insanity: A Fifty Five Year Prison Sentence For $350 Worth Of Marijuana

November 18, 2013November 18, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

By Johnny Green, TheWeedBlog.com

The story of Weldon Angelos is one that every marijuana reform supporter should know. Weldon Angelos is currently serving a 55 year prison sentence for selling $350 worth of marijuana while having guns in his home in 2004. A lot of people don’t know that possessing a firearm while selling marijuana results in huge federal penalties.

If you get caught possessing a firearm during a drug transaction, federal law requires a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison for the first offense, and 25 years for each subsequent offense. Also, there is no parole for federal offenses. These rigid guidelines are way to harsh, and don’t allow any flexibility when it comes to sentencing. In Oregon we have minimum sentencing for some offenses (not marijuana), and they are horrible public policy.

Obama Administration: U.S. Won’t Sue to Overturn Cannabis Legalization in Colorado and Washington

September 9, 2013August 29, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

Today the Obama Administration – through a memo sent to prosecutors across the nation, and a phone call made to governors in Colorado and Washington – made an official statement announcing that they won’t being suing to overturn recently-approved recreational legalization measures in Colorado and Washington, nor will they sue to overturn state medical cannabis laws, so long as they don’t run afoul of certain enforcement priorities, such as preventing sales to minors.

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to Hold Historic Hearing Over Federal Cannabis Laws

September 9, 2013August 26, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, announced today that his committee will be holding a hearing on September 10th to discuss the confusion between state and federal cannabis laws, including a discussion on ways to fix the problem; Leah would like to see a change of policy which allows states to decide their own cannabis laws, without fear of federal intrusion.