Tell Congress To Stop Prosecuting Paraphernalia Sellers


As you have probably heard by now, on September 11, 2003 cultural icon Tommy Chong was sentenced to nine months in federal prison for his role in selling marijuana pipes on the Internet through his legally licensed company Tommy Chong Glass. Tommy Chong is the first person to be prosecuted under John Ashcroft's "Operation Pipe Dreams" and "Operation Headhunter," which shut down national glass distributors nationwide, resulting in the indictment of over 55 people.

Tommy Chong, one half of the Cheech & Chong comedy troupe that practically invented marijuana comedy, has been a celebrity among marijuana smokers and non-smokers alike since the 1970's. Recently, he has had a recurring role on 'That 70's Show' and was planning on a long awaited Cheech and Chong reunion movie with Cheech Marin. Tommy Chong was obviously targeted by the federal government because of his status as a cult figure among marijuana smokers.

Ironically, Tommy Chong was sentenced on September 11, 2003, exactly two years after the worst terrorist attacks in American history. With Osama Bin Laden still on the loose and President Bush admitting that the war on terrorism is far from over, it is preposterous that we would waste valuable law enforcement resources locking up a comedian for selling glass pipes. Can anyone here honestly say they feel safer today because Tommy Chong, a comedian and actor, has been sentenced to 9 months in federal prison for selling pipes on the internet? Of course not. These laws do nothing except make criminals out of otherwise law abiding businessmen.

The federal raids on paraphernalia distributors has been an utter waste of time and money, while it has ruined the lives and careers of otherwise law abiding citizens. These businesses pay taxes and do not in any way contribute to the crime problem in America. To target them at this time shows a total lack of understanding as to which risks truly threaten the health, welfare and safety of America's citizens.

Please take two minutes to write your members of Congress and tell them to stop funding Operation Pipe Dreams and Operation Headhunter, and to immediately release Tommy Chong.

If you mean the hard narcotics, then I would agree. But grass never hurt anyone.

Right. Keep dreaming, stoner.

That would be like someone back in the day, wanting to repeal prohibition, saying that alcohol never hurt anyone. Try some new logic if you actually want people to take you seriously.

Someone just recently died from smoking marijuana. I'd find the news site, but I'm too lazy. Look it up yourself if you don't believe me.

According to editors of the prestigious Lancet British medical journal: "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. ... It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat ... than alcohol or tobacco."

REFERENCE: Deglamorising Cannabis. 1995. The Lancet 346: 1241. Editorial. November 14, 1998. The Lancet.

Lol...you actually believe anything the British babble about?

Inhale enough smoke, no matter what kind, whether it be ciggs, marijuana, brush fires, tire fires, or whatever. You can die from all of it. Smoke is smoke. It's not healthy to your lungs. People think that giving it to terminally ill patients is because it's not harmful. They're going to die soon anyways, they're just trying to ease their pain till they do. It doesn't cure anything.

The government has no right to tell people not to harm their own bodies. Aside from drugs that have a high risk of making you homocidal, no substances should be outlawed because of risk of self-abuse.

if it keeps people mellow and non violent...i say legalize it!

*click here*

Yeah like that whole weed is dangerous thing they`ve also said(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2419713.stm). Not something you`d ever agree with.

who can afford three joints a day?

in CA that would only cost about $10, even less if they're pinners.

A lot of people, apparently. I know plenty of folks who smoke themselves stupid as often as other people have cigarettes. Then they complain that they need a better job, because they never have any money...

lol... just like anything, it's all about moderation...

Exactly. However, I hardly see anyone with a moderate attitude starting threads about the decriminalization of marijuana. It's always some stoner who has to have a pot leaf as his avatar, and in his sig, and a reference to getting stoned in every post...back to my original example, it would be like listening to an alcoholic back in the 20s crying for a repeal to prohibition.

and said alcoholic could get said alcohol just as readily back then as a stoner can get his weed now. Perhaps the only ones who start the threads are those who over indulge. But they're not the ony one's who post.

I think decriminalizing weed is a completly viable arguement, and for a lot of reasons. Let alone the millions of dollars that would be freed up in the process. Perhaps I don't start threads, but I do agree. Course, I also understand moderation.

I think decriminalizing marijuana would be a wonderful idea...it takes a big bite out of the criminal traficking of it, allows regulation and taxation, it would pave the way toward large-scale industrial hemp production, which would greatly ease the use of timber for paper production, and we'd have a lot more prison space for people who really deserve to be there.

It would just be refreshing to hear it less often from some pothead and more often from someone who's entire goal isn't to be able to remain baked 24-7 without fear of arrest.

why would anyone want to be that high for that long? i don't want to be baked 24-7, just be able to not fear asking some one in the neighborhood...

Oops, that's what I get when I type too fast. That "is" was supposed to be an "isn't"...

This is the single most depressing thing I've read on DF.