This just in from a Georgia Stasher as part of our ongoing series called Politicians on Pot, where listeners send in replies from their elected officials regarding marijuana law reform.
Thanks for the email. We will have to agree to disagree on this and whether or not money is wasted. I am opposed to the legalization of marijuana. I think we should go to caning for people caught using and maybe execute dealers. That would solve the problem as well. That is what they do in Singapore and they don’t have a drug problem, but then they have less liberty than we do here.
Rep. Tommy Benton
tommy.benton@house.ga.gov
Isn’t it amazing how much of the Constitution an elected official is willing to throw away for the Drug War Exception? Here’s the Wikipedia entry on Singapore’s drug laws:
The law creates a presumption of trafficking for certain threshold amounts, e.g. 30 grams of cannabis. It also creates a presumption that a person possesses drugs if he possesses the keys to a premises containing the drugs, and that “Any person found in or escaping from any place or premises which is proved or presumed to be used for the purpose of smoking or administering a controlled drug shall, until the contrary is proved, be presumed to have been smoking or administering a controlled drug in that place or premises.” Thus, one runs the risk of arrest for drug use by simply being in the company of drug users. The law also allows officers to search premises and individuals, without a search warrant, if he “reasonably suspects that there is to be found a controlled drug or article liable to seizure”.
So if you don’t mind sacrificing essential liberty, if you’re cool with cops searching you and your property on mere suspicion or being considered guilty because you happened to be in a night club where someone unknown to you got caught sniffing coke in the restroom, or if you think it’s reasonable to execute someone for possessing 1.06 ounces of pot, you can have a relatively drug-free society.
The United States per-capita rate of drug crimes is 41st out of 60 countries surveyed by NationMaster.com at 560.1 per 100,000. Singapore ranks near the bottom at #53 with a rate almost 1/12th that of America, or 46.8 per 100,000. Yet Spain, with its fairly liberal drug laws, ranks #56 in the survey with only 27.9 drug offenses per 100,000. That 30 grams of cannabis that gets you the hangman’s noose in Singapore isn’t even a crime in Spain and neither is buying and selling of seeds and cultivating up to five plants.
Now, certainly you’re going to have a lower rate when many of the “crimes” aren’t being counted (Spain has similar personal possession decriminalization for other drugs as well), but does anyone think Spain has descended into chaos? By all accounts it seems to be at least as nice a place as Singapore, even though they lock up in prisons 2.6 times fewer citizens for all crimes (per capita prisoners: Spain 146/100k (#61); Singapore 388/100k (#12)). It is tough to compare, as Singapore is a city-state on an island and Spain and America are larger continental countries with both urban and rural areas. However, regardless of crime rate, it is simply un-American to suggest that we should be whipping people to punish them for smoking a joint.
Contact your elected representatives and urge them to 'Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers'. 
That is just crazy, these people do realize this is just a plant right?
[...] a July 29, 2009 e-mail (which was voluntarily forwarded to the NORML office), Rep. Benton wrote: “Thanks for the email. [...]
people like this is who are going to suffer when the world is under Islamic Rule, which is going to happen. its written in the bible that powerful nations will fall! we are headed toward Islamic Rule.. are you aware that the muslim religion just surpassed the Roman Catholics as the number one religion! when we are under this rule, i would love to see Rep. Benton be put to the test for what he says now. to see how he likes it… It is totally incredible how an elected official can actually say , thats how they do it in Singarpore… an Islamic country. people like this is why we are headed for destruction and when it happens he will be the first to CRY. i bet he is a drunk also. oh but liquor is ok,,, yet it is the worst DRUG and its lega. hey representative wake up, what you expect from Georgia, KKK.
Let’s also require that caning be used as a punishment for adultery and see if this jerk is still so hot for it!
[...] [...]
[...] cast)Via NORML, which is encouraging people to contact their legislators about marijuana reform, here’s the e-mail that a constituent received back from GA Rep. Tommy Benton (31st House District). He says he favors [...]
[...] [...]
[...] [...]
[...] [...]
[...] [...]
[...] [...]
[...] a July 29, 2009 e-mail (which was voluntarily forwarded to the NORML office), Rep. Benton wrote: “Thanks for the email. [...]
[...] Stasher C.C. from Lowndes County emailed Georgia Rep. Tommy Benton to protest his stance that marijuana users should be tortured by the brutal act of caning, as is the standard in Singapore. GA Rep. Benton: "I am opposed to the legalization of [...]
[...] one Stasher sent to Rep. Tommy Benton of Georgia regarding his remarks that we should resort to Singapore-style caning of marijuana users and execution of marijuana dealers: Representative [...]
Has this email been confirmed by the congressman? Anyone can create a fake email and forward it to someone.
If the statements are true then the outrage expressed here is justified. Yet, if the statements are false then Norml just reduced its credibility.
So, Rep. Benton advocates taking away the freedom of Americans and making our government even more oppressive? He wants our government to be like that of Singapore? I hope these thoughts are brought before the people during the next election campaign.
-ED
check this out http://rushkoff.com/
Where’re those cops who stash weed on undesirables when you need them?
Then said cops could cane him out of his office.
This is scary beyond belief to learn that someone so anti-American is holding such an important position of power.
If anyone in GA is reading this, you guys need to start getting vocal. Your electing some of the most insane people walking around the planet.
I just can’t get over how disgusting this guys position is.
Maybe we should get some laws that allow the people to cane their leaders when they get caught doing ANYTHING illegal at all. Or if they take lobby money for a vote? Howd that be?
What a jerk. Looks like GA is being ‘Ruled’ by a fascist scumbag.
The concept of any prohibition comes from the definition of a sumptuary law. A sumptuary law attempts to control and divide people into classes by limiting the desires of those considered the lesser class. Generally monarch type governments use sumptuary laws to inflict class separation through prohibiting the lesser class from participating in something reserved strictly by the so called upper class royalty.
Any 4th grade student understands this country was founded on the principles of individual freedoms.” A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.” -Abraham Lincoln U.S. President. These same people pushing prohibition would be targeted for treason investigation had they been around during the founding of our country! Don’t Be fooled American people any prohibition enforcement against us is as UN-AMERICAN as Hitler!!
Let’s see here. Have we not seen the news about all of the P.O.S. politicians and people in law enforcement lately? Especially in SD! They have lost ALL creditability. So why are they still in office? Why are the police running the streets like jack booted Nazis’? Time to somehow submit a vote of NO confidence in the majority of politicians and by extension law enFORCEment!!! Let’s not FORGET poor Bob Newland. His 1st, 4th, and 8th(and maybe the 14th) Amendment rights ARE clearly violated! What about HIS(and ALL of our) civil liberties? Has it been so long since a popular(in the hearts and minds of all. i.e. M.L. King,etc…)person has had there civil liberties SO violated it outrages ALL Americans? “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish JUSTICE, ENSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY, provide for the common defence, PROMOTE the GENERAL WELFARE, and SECURE the BLESSINGS of LIBERTY to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Do these words mean anything anymore? “NO State shall MAKE or ENFORCE any law which shall abridge the PRIVILEGES or IMMUNITIES of CITIZENS of the United States” Say’s right there in the Bill of Rights. WE the People. More like THEM the Government!!! What a SHAME!!! Before 1937 tax stamp act. The herb(a gift from GOD) grew WILD EVERYWHERE!!!
*smoke a
I am embarrassed by my state. My responses were pretty standard. This sounds all out angry. Maybe he should joke a