(NOLA.com) State Judge Raymond S. Childress punished [Cornel] Hood [II] under Louisiana’s repeat-offender law in his courtroom in Covington on Thursday. A jury on Feb. 15 found the defendant guilty of attempting to possess and distribute marijuana at his Slidell home, court records show.

Hood moved from eastern New Orleans to the Slidell area after he admitted to separate charges of distribution of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana on Dec. 18, 2009, in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. He received a suspended five-year prison sentence and five years’ of probation for each — which was precisely the same penalty he got in that court after pleading guilty to possessing and intending to distribute marijuana on Feb. 22, 2005.

[Hood's probation officer] found nearly two pounds of pot throughout the house, according to court records. He alerted Sheriff’s Office deputies. They arrested Hood, who apparently shared the King’s Point house with his mother and young son.

At Hood’s one-day trial, the evidence presented by the prosecution included a digital scale and about a dozen bags that had contained marijuana before being seized from the house, testimony showed. Deputies also found $1,600 in cash and a student-loan application with Hood’s name on it inside of a night stand.

The judge in this case cited the fact that Hood had been busted three times before and was apparently an unrepentant marijuana dealer who would never change.  The judge said that everybody is bound by the law and Hood clearly didn’t respect the law.

So judge, did you ever stop to think that the law isn’t deserving of respect?  He was packaging and distributing a non-toxic flower that willing customers chose to purchase and consume.  Could that entrepreneurship have been put to good use in a legal framework?  Instead of a prisoner at age 35 who is going to cost Louisiana taxpayers $13,000 / year, you could have had “Cornel’s Hood o’ Hemp”, a legit business contributing jobs and taxes and economic revitalization.

If Cornel lives to age 74, Louisiana will spend over a half-million dollars keeping him in prison.  Meanwhile, distribution of marijuana in Louisiana will continue unabated.  Sadly, it looks like Cornell was trying to get a student loan; who knows, maybe he was trying to start his life over, get an education, and start a new career.  For half a million bucks, we could give 21 students four years of education at Louisiana State University.

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If this was the DARE car, you could understand misplacing a dime bag...

I knew those D.A.R.E. people were all stoners!

VermilionToday.com AMITE, LA  — A sometime school drug awareness official is charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after a Mardi Gras traffic stop in New Orleans.

And his boss, the long-time Tangipahoa DARE officer has reportedly taken ill and resigned from the Sheriff’s Office since the March 8 arrest.

Sheriff Daniel Edwards over the weekend said Kentrell Smith, 27, was arrested in the New Orleans area when police pulled his DARE vehicle over. He said Smith was used by DARE Officer Bud Cason on an as-needed contract basis for DARE events.

I can’t help but giggle at the sound of “DARE Officer Bud”.

Rottweiler: Unfortunately unable to distinguish between mask-wearing, weapon-wielding criminals and mask-wearing, weapon-wielding police who break in its home.

It’s the kind of email we tragically get too often here at NORML…

Dear folks at Norml: we are a family still, after 6 years desparately trying to regain our lives after the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita… and add to that Gustave and Ike. … On Jan. 30th 2011 the one thing that truly made us happy was evily taken away because of someone’s unscrupulous greed for our property, stupidity or just to cause attention to our privately public problem.

On this date a New Orleans Police Department officer, without warning, or exigent cause, crept into our home, while our 19 year old daughter studied in the adjacent room, distrubed the slumber of our 125 lb. full bred Rottie, and shot him at point blank range before he was even able to bark.

This crime, this murder, this homicide is now carefully being covered up by the police department as an “unfortunate incident” the words they always use  when “they” screw up. The print media made a mockery of our family and depicted us as ghetto, trash vagabonds, squatters etc…

Here’s the report from FOX News in New Orleans:

(FOX8) Around 9:48 Sunday morning a call came into N-O-P-D’s Fifth District officers that someone was inside a boarded up home and there was a dog roaming in the yard.

Three officers arrived to 2363 North Villere within minutes.

[Dog owner, Nakita] LaGarde says, “They say they knocked on the door which I was sitting in the side room the whole time. They never knocked on the door, never.”

But spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department, Gary Flot says the officers knocked and identified themselves as police officers.

They found a metal door open and wooden door ajar, behind it was a rottweiler which charged at the three officers.

LaGarde says, “When they opened up the door he did what he was supposed to do. He was a guard dog. He went to protect his house and they shot him. I heard the shot go off I thought I heard the dog screeching.”

So they came to a home that wasn’t boarded up, there was no dog roaming around in a yard, make their way into the home and shoot the family dog inside.  There wasn’t even a question of drugs being present this time.  And if you’re poor and living in New Orleans, your life wrecked by hurricanes, your home destroyed and your neighborhood plagued by crime, it’s highly likely you get yourself a big dog to protect yourself.

Why can’t officers at least go for the taser to subdue a dog?  Police, if you ever find the need to break down my door for something as dangerous as smoking a joint while I watch Glee, just throw a tennis ball to the other side of the room and my dog will happily let you in.  Just please don’t kill him.

(Best of New Orleans) On Thursday, Dec. 16, members of the New Orleans City Council gave unanimous thumbs-up to reclassifying simple marijuana possession as a municipal offense. The decision gives New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers the option to issue a summons rather than make an arrest. District A councilwoman and Criminal Justice Committee co-chair Susan Guidry said, “These ordinances will contribute significantly to the city’s efforts to promote greater efficiency and equity in our criminal justice system, particularly for our police officers, the District Attorney’s office and in the criminal courts.”

Pending proper implementation with NOPD and city coding practices, the new ordinance goes into effect at 7 a.m. on Jan. 30. The first available court date is the following Monday.

The ordinance does not, however, decriminalize or “reclassify” possession. The term was reported and proliferated following the council meeting, but both District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office and the Vera Institute, which advises the council on criminal justice, emphasize neither decriminalization nor reclassification are correct terms. The penalties for possession — a $500 fine or up to six months’ jail time — remain the same. “People say it’s decriminalization. It’s not,” says assistant DA Christopher Bowman. “Offenders are subject to the same penalties. The only difference is they’re not arrested.”

I’m still looking for the right word for this.  It is not decriminalization as the Assistant DA noted – you’ll still have a “drug crime” on your record.  It’s not depenalization as the penalties stay the same.  Dearrestification just doesn’t play right.  It is almost literally the least they could do in marijuana law reform – save the taxpayers the expense of the arrest and the cannabis consumers the cost of bail.

But it is a baby step in the right direction.

Dear Mrs. York,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. It is a privilege to serve as your Representative in Congress. I welcome your thoughts on this important issue.=20

As you may know, under the Controlled Substances Act (Public Law =
91-513), marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse without a generally accepted medical use. Schedule II drugs, such as morphine, may also have a high potential for abuse but do have generally accepted medical uses. Approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), accompanied by clinical trials, would be required in order to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug. However, for several technical reasons, it is difficult to research accurately the medical effectiveness of natural marijuana.

The FDA alleviated these complications by approving the marketing of a
synthetically derived form of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, under the name Marinol. Substantial clinical evidence demonstrated that THC was safe and effective for the treatment of chemotherapy patients who suffer from nausea and vomiting and who do not respond to conventional treatments. Based on this evidence, the FDA classified Marinol as a Schedule II drug. Additional evidence, which suggested the drug’s effectiveness in combating weight loss and malnutrition in AIDS patients, led to another reclassification of Marinol as a Schedule III drug in 1999.

While some claim that natural marijuana is more effective than Marinol, most health experts see smoking as a harmful drug delivery system without substantial benefits. As a physician, I regularly advise my patients of the dangers that accompany smoking. Smoke from marijuana cigarettes contains a variety of toxic chemicals that could be harmful, especially for those in need of strict medical attention Moreover, as a physician I agree with most health officials who see no medical advantage to natural marijuana over doctor’s prescription for the synthetic version of the drug.

Despite this evidence, there has been an effort to legalize natural
marijuana for medicinal use. On June 11, 2009, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts introduced H.R. 2835 “The States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act.” This bill would change the classification of natural marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug H.R. 2835 was referred for further consideration to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

While I respect your support for medical marijuana, I am opposed to efforts to legalize drugs such as marijuana. Marijuana impairs judgment and has proven links to fatal accidents and harmful injuries. Marijuana is addictive, adversely affects the immune system, and it leads to the use of other drugs, such as cocaine. Marijuana also causes other side effects such as cancer, respiratory diseases, and mental disorders. Babies born to women who smoke marijuana during pregnancy have an increased incidence of leukemia, low birth weight and other abnormalities. Furthermore, I believe that the legalization of so-called medical marijuana is a back door to the general legalization of this drug.

I look forward to continue serving you in the 111th Congress and hearing from you again soon. If my staff or I can do anything to assist you, please do not hesitate to contact my office. You can also visit my website at for further information or follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repjohnfleming or on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/repfleming.

Sincerely,

JOHN FLEMING, M.D.
Member of Congress

Dear Amber:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the use of marijuana. It is
good to hear from you.

As you know, many states have reduced penalties for marijuana
possession. At the federal level, I do not think the current democrat-controlled Congress is likely to legalize marijuana.

According to the National Institutes of Health, “the short-term
effects of marijuana can include problems with memory and learning;
distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem solving,”
while long term use can produce “changes in the brain similar to those
seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs.” Heavy use has been
associated with “depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances,”
lower grades and graduation rates, and “increased absences, tardiness,
accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover.” As a
physician, I can personally attest to the harmful effects of smoking
and do not think Congress should encourage wide-spread use of
marijuana.

Again, thank you for contacting me.

Sincerely,

Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D.
Member of Congress

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BATON ROUGE — Second-conviction felony drug dealers should have that noted on their driver’s licenses, a House committee said Tuesday.

The House Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee unanimously approved House Bill 139 by Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, after increasing the fee assessed on offenders from $10 to $25 to cover the cost of issuing a special license with “DRUG OFFENDER” in bright orange on the bottom. Similar licenses with “SEX OFFENDER” already are issued to people convicted of certain sex crimes.

Hardy said the main goal of his legislation is to “give the officer who would stop that person a heads-up who he’s dealing with, to let him know that person has been involved in criminal activity and might be armed.”

The legislation was supported by state police Maj. Dewayne White.

“When they hand that license, a caution light is going to come on” in a law enforcement officer’s mind, White said. “If a drug offender doesn’t have it, his caution light may come on too late.”

Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin, who got the committee to increase the fee so it covers the license cost, told Hardy “I wouldn’t mind amending the bill to paint their cars white with pink polka dots.”

via ‘Drug offender’ could be added to licenses | shreveporttimes.com | Shreveport Times.

I have an even better idea!  We won’t always be able to know who the drug and sex offenders are when they aren’t driving, getting entrance to a nightclub, cashing their paychecks, applying for employment, buying beer at the grocery store, crossing a border, and applying for housing.  These drug and sex offenders (who are so alike, you know) could be walking among us!

Let’s instead require all drug and sex offenders to wear clothing with a big letter embroidered on it so people can see it at great distances!  I know that bright orange may not be the best color for matching today’s fashion, so instead, let’s make it scarlet.

No, wait.  They could easily wear coats to conceal the letter.  Plus it would be hard to enforce the clothing law.  Let’s instead make it a mandatory scarlet letter tattoo right in the center of their forehead.  Then, and only then, can we truly be safe in Louisiana.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Swift

Thank you for contacting me regarding the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. It is a privilege to serve as your Representative in Congress. I welcome your thoughts on this important issue.

As you may know, under the Controlled Substances Act (Public Law 91-513), marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse without a generally accepted medical use. Schedule II drugs, such as morphine, may also have a high potential for abuse but do have generally accepted medical uses. Approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), accompanied by clinical trials, would be required in order to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug. However, for several technical reasons, it is difficult to research accurately the medical effectiveness of natural marijuana.

The FDA alleviated these complications by approving the marketing of a synthetically derived form of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, under the name Marinol. Substantial clinical evidence demonstrated that THC was safe and effective for the treatment of chemotherapy patients who suffer from nausea and vomiting and who do not respond to conventional treatments. Based on this evidence, the FDA classified Marinol as a Schedule II drug. Additional evidence, which suggested the drug’s effectiveness in combating weight loss and malnutrition in AIDS patients, led to another reclassification of Marinol as a Schedule III drug in 1999.

While some claim that natural marijuana is more effective than Marinol, most health experts see smoking as a harmful drug delivery system without substantial benefits. As a physician, I regularly advise my patients of the dangers that accompany smoking. Smoke from marijuana cigarettes contains a variety of toxic chemicals that could be harmful, especially for those in need of strict medical attention. Moreover, as a physician I agree with most health officials who see no medical advantage to natural marijuana over doctor’s prescription for the synthetic version of the drug.

Despite this evidence, there has been an effort to legalize natural marijuana for medicinal use. On June 11, 2009, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts introduced H.R. 2835 “The States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act.” This bill would change the classification of natural marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug. H.R. 2835 was referred for further consideration to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

While I respect your support for medical marijuana, I am opposed to efforts to legalize drugs such as marijuana. Marijuana impairs judgment and has proven links to fatal accidents and harmful injuries. Marijuana is addictive, adversely affects the immune system, and it leads to the use of other drugs, such as cocaine. Marijuana also causes other side effects such as cancer, respiratory diseases, and mental disorders. Babies born to women who smoke marijuana during pregnancy have an increased incidence of leukemia, low birth weight and other abnormalities. Furthermore, I believe that the legalization of so-called medical marijuana is a back door to the general legalization of this drug.

I look forward to serving you in the 111th Congress and hearing from you again soon. If my staff or I can do anything to assist you, please do not hesitate to contact my office. You can also visit my website at www.fleming.house.gov for further information.

Sincerely,
John Fleming, M.D.
Member of Congress