# 20 Years In Prison For Space Muffins? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 30, 2006, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699 "2006-05-30T03:11:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/41 "2006-05-30T15:50:57Z")
I’m with **Ink**. Anyone who deliberately taints food and then feeds it to the unsuspecting has earned and richly deserves jail time. If a person wants to imbibe on their own time in private, far be it from me to have a word to say. These individuals did NOT imbibe on their own time in private though, they suckered other people into imbibing who otherwise would have done no such thing. People who may have allergies. People who may have to pass no-excuses-allowed drug tests at their work. People with ethical or moral or even religious reasons for abstaining. People who might be working on their sobriety. The law frequently punishes people for _what ifs_. For starters, there’s a whole line of attempt crimes. “What if his aim were better…” I think **DrDeth** is wrong. Twenty years is possibly too stringent, but they deserve at least a year or two. It doesn’t take a lot of abstract thought to arrive at the conclusion that possibly sneaking an intoxicant into food and then serving it to the unsuspecting is a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/42 "2006-05-30T15:55:04Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > What if one of the people who ate one had a job that required random drug testing? Or worse yet, what if they were in charge of distributing snacks? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/43 "2006-05-30T15:57:51Z")
> [@Aangelica](#): > > The law frequently punishes people for _what ifs_. For starters, there’s a whole line of attempt crimes. “What if his aim were better…” Exactly my point. “Attempted murder” is not punished the same as “Murder”. The law does not determine sentences based on what might have happened. Anyone with even a little imagination could whip up all sorts of horrific hypothetical consequences for the most mundane crimes. That does not mean we should punish the guilty as though those consequences had actually come to pass. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/44 "2006-05-30T16:25:22Z")
Maybe a lengthy but probated sentence would be appropriate here. If the boys are to be believed, it’s not just that no harm was intended but that they honestly didn’t even know any would result. Altering someone’s food with a drug is awfully serious and deserves a serious punishment, maybe 5 to 10 or whatever a judge deems sufficient. Probation would insure that if they’ve learned their lesson they won’t suffer unduly but that if, in fact, they’re really so callous and insincere that they will suffer greviously for their crime. ---
**Author:** ![Andros\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Andros\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andros_X)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/45 "2006-05-30T16:33:43Z")
While what these kids did was wrong and they should be punished for it, I think that any jail time past, say, 3-6 months, would be superfluous and only serve to placate people’s anger. Besides, the perpetrators will be punished long after their sentences have been carried out. The drug-related felony conviction will cause all sorts of problems for them down the road. They’ll probably be ineligible for federal financial aid. They won’t be able to get a security clearance. Getting a job will be more difficult. And so on. A suspended sentence seems appropriate here. No one was harmed, but it was silly. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/46 "2006-05-30T17:23:29Z")
Just wanted to express my admiration for **Excalibre** ’s excellent posts above, one rebutting the NORML cite and one distininguishing between consensual pot use and the situation here. Both points I was going to make… until I saw them done first, and better, by **Excalibre**. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/47 "2006-05-30T17:48:12Z")
I don’t think the “allergy” argument is going anyplace. Replace pot with peanuts; I made stir fry and when you ask, I forgot that I used peanut instead of canola oil. One emergency room trip later (plus me frantically searching my cabinet to ruefully realize I did use peanut oil) - what am I guilty of, assuming I was not previously aware of your allergy. This is NOT to defend the boneheads. This is to diffuse the allergy “what-if”. Start using that, and most people will be guilty of some sort of allergic reaction “what-if” scenario sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/48 "2006-05-30T17:56:50Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I don’t think the “allergy” argument is going anyplace. Replace pot with peanuts; I made stir fry and when you ask, I forgot that I used peanut instead of canola oil. One emergency room trip later (plus me frantically searching my cabinet to ruefully realize I did use peanut oil) - what am I guilty of, assuming I was not previously aware of your allergy. But that’s not even close to what happened here. Unless they’re completely unfamiliar with marijuana these men knew that, allergic or not, the drug would have _some_ effect on their victims. There’s a huge difference between “forgot about an ingredient” and “deliberately added an ingredient designed to have an effect.” That said, I agree that the allergy argument is spurious. What they did was bad enough on its own without playing the what if game. They made over a dozen people sick and caused a panic. That in itself is sufficient to warrant some time in Stripe City (as Molly Ivins calls it). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/49 "2006-05-30T18:05:14Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Did you read this line in the article: Hey, look! The board’s resident illiterate is actually criticizing someone else for not reading a cite! Of course, it’s no surprise to anyone that, once again, **Humpy** hasn’t bothered to read the entire thread before he embarassed himself in it: > [@Rhubarb](#): > > I saw this story live on local TV. In actual fact, only one of the persons who ate the muffins NEEDED medical attention - she is 86 yo and is taking blood pressure medicine. Eating two muffins lowered her blood pressure and she was kept overnight for observation. AFAIK, no actual medical procedures were done on her. All of the other “victims” were simply checked and released. The interview with the doctor was interesting. He said that these effects wear off quickly by themselves and that no one was in any danger. Back to the topic at hand, I say lock the dumbfucks up. But anything more than a year is far too excessive. What they did was stupid, and dangerous, but no one actually got hurt, and the odds of them doing it again are nil. Let’s not waste a bunch of taxpayer’s money incarcerating these boobs towards no useful end. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/50 "2006-05-30T18:22:39Z")
I think people saying ~1 year or more of prison time is underestimating how long one year really is. I was in lockup for 24 hours for a DUI and I can tell you I sure as hell learned my lesson with that alone, not even bringing the other consequences into consideration. Not only that, but until this trial has finished (quite a while away), they have the possibility of spending 20 years in prison on their mind. Waiting 4 months with that on my mind was much, much worse than spending a day with any illness I’ve ever had, and I only had the possiblity of spending a week in prison. Again, not saying they shouldn’t be punished, but there was little harm done and community service + probation is sufficient. I can pretty much garuntee that they never do it again, but if they do, just remove them from the gene pool permanantly. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/51 "2006-05-30T20:23:42Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] > [@Kentammy](#): > > (a) Find a real cite. I’m not frankly inclined to trust NORML’s summaries of scientific results Advocacy group or not, you might want to try taking notice of the quotation marks and bolding on that page. NORML is quoting the summaries directly from the actual studies, not making up their own. I’ve seen that page before and have tracked down some of those studies to their original sources. They do indeed say what NORML claims. > [@](#): > > (b) Find evidence that a first-time marijuana user who _doesn’t know they’re on marijuana_ isn’t any more dangerous a driver. Habitual pot-smokers all claim to be able to drive perfectly well while high, and I’ve seen enough of them do it that I don’t doubt that, in some cases at least, it’s true. However, assuming because habitual users can drive reasonably well while under the influence that cannabis-naive people intoxicated without their knowledge can properly compensate for its effects is patently ridiculous. On that point, I completely agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/52 "2006-05-30T20:31:12Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Just wanted to express my admiration for **Excalibre** ’s excellent posts above, one rebutting the NORML cite and one distininguishing between consensual pot use and the situation here. Both points I was going to make… until I saw them done first, and better, by **Excalibre**. :: blushes :: Aww, gee, thanks . . . ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/53 "2006-05-30T21:19:33Z")
> [@BabaBooey](#): > > Again, not saying they shouldn’t be punished, but there was little harm done and community service + probation is sufficient. I can pretty much garuntee that they never do it again, but if they do, just remove them from the gene pool permanantly. Oh that’s _genius_. 20 years for a first offense is excessive but death for a second is perfectly reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/54 "2006-05-30T23:30:29Z")
I just can’t go along with a slap on the wrist here. Sure, 10-50 years (standard sentencing) or 20-100 years (if the prosecutors get their way) is excessive, but a suspended sentence or some community service just doesn’t fit with the severity of slipping illegal drugs to other people without their consent. A few months of real jail time and a felony on their records seems appropriate to me. > [@hajario](#): > > What if one of the people who ate one had a job that required random drug testing? They were _teachers_. I don’t know if that’s a job that requires random drug testing in Dallas, but there are a lot of places where it is. > [@lieu](#): > > If the boys are to be believed, it’s not just that no harm was intended but that they honestly didn’t even know any would result. And what would you _expect_ the boys to say? “Why, yes, officer, we thought it through and realized that these teachers could experience serious problems, but we did it anyway”? Yeah, right. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/55 "2006-05-30T23:35:13Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Oh that’s _genius_. 20 years for a first offense is excessive but death for a second is perfectly reasonable. Screw the Google ads and the subscriptions. You really wanta make money on this board: start selling [irony supplements](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7434479&postcount=14). Thanks, **Larry Mudd**. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/56 "2006-05-30T23:59:56Z")
> [@Wolfian](#): > > irony I don’t think that word means what you think it means, Alanis. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/57 "2006-05-31T00:11:01Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I don’t think that word means what you think it means, Alanis. _irony: The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning._ Sounds about right to me. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/58 "2006-05-31T00:19:40Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Exactly my point. “Attempted murder” is not punished the same as “Murder”. The law does not determine sentences based on what might have happened. Anyone with even a little imagination could whip up all sorts of horrific hypothetical consequences for the most mundane crimes. That does not mean we should punish the guilty as though those consequences had actually come to pass. In this case, the charges are not based on a what if. They did knowingly sneak an illegal substance into foodstuffs passed on to teachers. The twenty years, if they can tack it on, is only a possible maximum and I’d be surprised as hell if they got the maximum. Let’s save the outrage for after they get sentenced. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/59 "2006-05-31T00:32:52Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > _irony: The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning._ > > Sounds about right to me. So when **BabaBooey** said “remove them from the gene pool permanantly [sic]” it actually meant…if they lace someone’s food with pot again they should be compelled to breed? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699/60 "2006-05-31T00:41:30Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > So when **BabaBooey** said “remove them from the gene pool permanantly [sic]” it actually meant…if they lace someone’s food with pot again they should be compelled to breed? No, I think he was suggesting an insanely harsh penalty as a humorous way of advocating a much lighter policy. C’mon, man, read the post again, and tell me you can’t see that he’s making a joke. He goes from “One year is way to harsh,” to “Kill 'em if they do it again.” That’s not a serious suggestion. It’s an ironic jab at the people calling for draconian punitative measures. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-years-in-prison-for-space-muffins/358699.md?page=4)