Anyone hear about the recent stunning drug bust at the University of Illinois?
“Police seized 180 grams of marijuana, traces of cocaine, anti-anxiety pills.”
It is some time since my triple-beam days, but isn’t 180 grams somewhere shy of 7 oz? It takes them a year of investigating, and they arrest 21 folk for an average of 1/3 of an ounce of pot a piece?
All I can say is if it took them a year to seize this little pot, the war on drugs must have been won! Did I miss the parade?
“Town Celebrates Victory With 3-Day Nazi Crank Binge”
Have I mentioned how much I hate it when someone only quotes half of the relevent information?
Get it right. Sheez. 
Traces of cocaine? I’ve probably got traces of cocaine on the dollar bills in my pocket. Can someone help me with bail here?
Yes, the drug war has been won, by the organized drug gangs and the firms running privately owned prisons. The rest of us are getting ripped off. We are paying to keep half a million non-violent “criminals” in concrete boxes, and we’re paying for the enforcement machine that makes the drug gang bosses ridiculously wealthy. We could use that money more usefully somewhere else.
That’s not all. Underneath the surface, small time dealers think they’re living large, but most of them are not clearing much profit, even without taxes. The individual drug users are getting ripped off big time. They’re paying enormous markups for products of inconsistent potency, that sometimes are spiked with ingredients the users would rather not use. For example, cocaine and heroin are routinely cut with lactose and mannitol, a laxative. How many junkies and snowflakes know why they have diarrhea and lactose intolerance symtoms? No dealer knows for sure how many times his stock has been cut before he cuts it.
Cocaine users often judge the product by wiping a little on the gums to feel the numbing. Sharp dealers add xylocaine to make their dilute product seem more potent.
I totally lived in front of a drug house the first year I was there (converted Victorian on W. Oregon Street four houses over from a fraternity). And to give you a taste of my innocent upbringing, it took me until Crim Pro to figure it out. My dining room table used to be in front of the porch windows and I’d spend many a Saturday morning reading caselaw/making outlines…until one day I managed to look across the street and connect all the dots.
But seriously, that haul is pretty weak. They could score a better cache storming any party on campus.
The squirrel in the tree outside has a bigger stash.
That’s just, like, your opinion, man.
In the meantime, decriminalization of most drugs in Portugal seems to be having very good results:
Reminds me of comedian Ron White talking about getting busted for 7/8ths of a gram of marijuana.
From possibly faulty memory: “I don’t know about you, but when I get down to 7/8ths of a gram…I consider myself to be OUT of weed.” 
IIRC, somewhat less than an ounce could cost you 99 years in Texas----but I’m going on memory and that isn’t too good these days.
This is, to me, the most telling portion of the story. My headline would read “Cops seize trivial amount of grass, steal cool things from campus students.”
The forfiture laws in this country are a big of a joke as the drug laws.
No, really? Is it 1986 already? 
Also from possibly faulty memory:
Doctor: Do you have any symptoms that marijuana helps?
Ron White: Well, when I run out of weed, I get depressed…marijuana cures that!
You mean in the past, or currently? An ounce is only a class B misdemeanor, probation or 1 to 180 days in county jail (or a ticket if you’re in Austin). To be looking at 99 years, you’d have to be in possession of more than 2000 pounds.
As a non-American, I have to ask : WTF ?! Are your cops entitled to seize miscellaneous stuff for shits and giggles ? I mean, the laptops I can sort of grok - if they were small time dealers talking about it on MSN, the cops may want to have the logs as evidence… but why the cars and TVs ?
Way in the past, like back in the early 1960s when all us dirty hippies were running around. I did qualify this with the IIRC; if I’m wrong, please tell me because I would hate to perpetuate lies.
They’re probably alleging that they were bought with the proceeds of drug sales. They may actually be legitimate purchases, but since the onus is on the person whose property is seized to come to court and challenge the seizure and a significant proportion of people don’t, many law enforcement agencies “err on the side of caution” in seizing property for forfeiture.
Couldn’t tell you, wasn’t alive yet. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if an ounce was once a felony, but a 99 year sentence seems pretty high even for 1960’s Texas. I’ll see if I can find out.
I see… so, what happens to the stuff after the seizure ? Is it destroyed, kept in evidence storage ad vitam aeternam, or does it become “perks” ? What’s the cops’ agenda : punishing the dealers, or keeping the shinies ?
I work on a University campus, and I am stunned…STUNNED I tell you that a small amount of drugs can be found on campus.