Let's talk about that weed. Man, I could write a hundred blogs about marijuana and it's illegal use in the United States. In fact, I think it's telling that one of the constant political debates in our country is over the legalization of marijuana. Proponents declare it safer than cigarettes and helpful for people with chronic pain, but opponents say it's just a gateway to stronger narcotics, among other arguments. The fact of the matter is folks, no matter what your opinion is, marijuana is illegal here, at least in most states that is. As long as people continue to buy marijuana, they will continue to fund and fuel an underground criminal network that not only sells marijuana, but often commits violent crimes against innocent people. You can tell me all day long that it is the fault of the government for making it illegal, but it doesn't change the fact that you are giving your money to individuals who commit horrible atrocities just to make an easy buck. I could go on all day about this phenomenon, that we as people are responsible for our own actions regardless of the actions of others (or governments), but I wont. That's not what today's post is about.
Marijuana has grown more and more popular, especially among the younger generation here in the States. It has become a way to relax and to forget about the problems of the day, even though they are ignoring the origins of what they are smoking. Again I digress. What people, especially young people, fail to realize is the trouble they can get into for smoking pot. In most states possession of a single joint is a misdemeanor offense. In the State of Tennessee that offense is known as Possession/Casual Exchange. The punishment for this offense is usually probation, a few days in jail, or some community service. Nothing that would ruin anyones life, right? Well, there's a caveat to this law; once you're alright, twice it's ok, but what about the third time? Many states, including Tennessee, have limits to how many times you can be charged with a misdemeanor Poss. Casual Exchange. The truth is, that 3rd offense could lead you to a felony charge. A class E felony to be exact. As common as marijuana is today on high school and college campuses, it's not unlikely that casual smokers of this drug can find themselves in serious trouble. We're no longer talking about a citation and confiscation of your stash. We're talking getting placed in handcuffs, put into the back of a police car, and going straight to jail. Once there, it's up to a judge or commissioner to let you out until your next court date, but given that it's your third time for this charge, you could be looking at a hefty bond. I don't know about you, but I don't have $1,000 sitting around to just throw away.
As I've said before, there are those out there that look at this as the price of doing business. However, for your average college student, this can be devastating. They could be looking at expulsion from University at worst, but you might just be sitting down in booking on the day you have a big exam. I don't know many professors who grant make-up exams for people who've gotten arrested. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky. Even if you're not in college, employers don't like having to grant sick days or vacation time to employees who can't make it to work because they got arrested.
You may think weed is a casual drug, but it's not. Using it comes with real consequences that you'll have to live up to, and guess what? You can't blame it on the Officer arresting you, or the government. That goes back to that whole taking responsibility for your actions thing. It is common knowledge that marijuana is illegal. If it wasn't, people wouldn't be buying it from that guy hiding in the shady corner with a gun his waist band. Again we can argue about the government making it this way, but you need to wake up and realize that until the law changes, you're gonna have to deal with the consequences.
I'll stop there, because I don't wont this to turn into a raving rant about pot smokers. Truthfully I write this to hopefully wake someone up to reality. I've known plenty of wonderful people who partake of the green leafy substance we know as weed, but they are playing a risky game. Please don't throw your future away on a short high. Too many people, with great potential, have thrown it away on marijuana. Don't be one of them. At the least you're fueling a violent drug war that has claimed the lives of Thousands across this country, and in others.
Thanks!
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