MSNBC: So far, the facts of the case are not in dispute: College student Daniel Chong was picked up by federal agents during a raid on a party in the San Diego area where there were illegal drugs, and after questioning he was left locked up in a holding cell with no water, food or access to a toilet for nearly five days…
According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the number of people behind bars for drug law violations rose from 50,000 in 1980 to more than a half of a million today — a 1,100-percent increase. The group said that in 2008, more than 800,000 people were arrested for marijuana alone — nearly 90 percent for simple possession…
Arrest for marijuana possession in April 2003 had fatal consequences for Jonathan Magbie, 27, a first-time offender in Washington, D.C. Magbie, who was quadriplegic, was riding with his cousin when they were pulled over by police, who found some marijuana and a gun in his pockets. In September 2004, a judge sentenced Magbie to 10 days in jail for the pot, according to a Washington Post report. Magbie needed a respirator at night, but the jail infirmary didn’t have one. He died four days into his 10-day sentence… (more)
EDITOR: All of this over a substance that a federal government report ranked as no more dangerous than coffee, unlike truly dangerous substances such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine and heroin. Vested interests in the criminal justice and pharmaceutical industries prevent the taxation, regulation and control of marijuana as we do alcohol and cigarettes.
