Police making arrests in Phelps pot scandal

Police making arrests in Phelps pot scandal

nbcsports.msnbc.com

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Authorities in the South Carolina county where Michael Phelps was photographed smoking from a marijuana pipe have been arresting people as they seek to make a case against the superstar swimmer, lawyers for two arrested people said Thursday.

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I just think this has gone way to far, it was just a bong hit and they are treating it like terrorism. This goes to show you that a wall street guy can steal 50,000.000.000.00 (is that 50 billion) and still be able to live in a luxury apartment basically free, while a simple bong hit gets you the shaft. Our country needs new priorities and fast!

nbcsports.msnbc.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 12-2-2009 by Dometheus]

Shouldn't these law enforcement officials be keeping us safe from the al qaedas hiding under our beds, not the stoners in our pantries? Another waste of money by the legal industry, our only growing field these days.

This has gone way to far. I say the man or woman who took this photo should be ashamed of themselves for needlessly destroying a young man's life.

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I would really like to know how the person feels who took and turned in this particular photo. Not exactly on my list of heroes either. I'm curious what sheriff argh-pie-hole would say they should do with him. Not that I hate the guy as much as.........asthma at a rock concert.

I tend to agree....I think that Bill Maher will get a lot of mileage out of this over-reaction.

I, personally, do NOT wish to use Marijuana....my choice, but it is, as I've comne to believe, such a relatively 'victimless' drug, compared to, say...coc aine.....

Alcohol, Tobacco....and FireArms....are for more addictive.....hence the Gov't agency known as the 'ATF'....

Why in the hell is there a Gov't Agency to cope with with the combination of....wait for it!!!!

Alcohol, cigarettes and guns?!?

Is it only because these three things make money, when 'regulated'???

Think about it.....

500+ major economists supporting the end of prohibition: www.prohibitioncosts.org...

Honestly, why are they for ending it? Because of absurd stories like Phelps'.

The report estimates that legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. $5.3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2.4 billion would accrue to the federal government.

That insane amount of wasted money could be put to some good use other than ruining a few kids lives via criminal records for having a feel good night or two.

Originally posted by Dometheus

I just think this has gone way to far, it was just a bong hit and they are treating it like terrorism. This goes to show you that a wall street guy can steal 50,000.000.000.00 (is that 50 billion) and still be able to live in a luxury apartment basically free, while a simple bong hit gets you the shaft. Our country needs new priorities and fast!

nbcsports.msnbc.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 12-2-2009 by Dometheus]

Well, it just goes to show you, one worked with money, or should I say stole it, and the other didn`t. So, who gets good treatment? The one who handled all the money. To me, it makes me wonder who else was in on the 50 billion scheme and didn`t get caught. Maybe someone higher up in the government? Why else would he still be living where he is? Is jail not good enough for someones buddy? Do you think Phelps will get that kind of treatment? I very much doubt it.

Originally posted by Reddupo
500+ major economists supporting the end of prohibition: www.prohibitioncosts.org...

Honestly, why are they for ending it? Because of absurd stories like Phelps'.

The report estimates that legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. $5.3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2.4 billion would accrue to the federal government.

That insane amount of wasted money could be put to some good use other than ruining a few kids lives via criminal records for having a feel good night or two.

GOOD POINT! DO NOT END PROHIBITON! Just as you states, all that extra money for helping treat addiction would RUIN US!

Also, if we started to have a million less children each year growing up with both parents in the home, THAT WOULD BE AN OUTRAGE! PEOPLE GET IT TOGETHER!!! We need to imprison 1 or more parents so that millions of kids in our country can grow up in broken homes. THAT is how we create the next generation that will make our streets safer!

We should start STONED TANKS, for all the rowdy stoners who are destroying our streets and robbing our stores of doritos and gatarade! THEY ARE OUT OF CONTROL!!!!

People, our law enforcement organizations are spending way to much time trying to combat terrorism and solve real crime, we need them ARRESTING PEOPLE FOR POSSESSION OF DRUGS!!

WE SHOULD NOT STOP UNTIL EVERY PRISON IN THE US IS FULL! AND EVERYONE PRISON BEING BUILT IS READY TO FILLED AS SOON AS ITS COMPLETE!!! LETS IMPRISON EVERYONE!!!!

That insane amount of wasted money could be put to some good use other than ruining a few kids lives via criminal records for having a feel good night or two.

Are you kidding? Ruining a few kids? Try a million per year, for simple possession, not trafficking.

[edit on 12-2-2009 by king9072]

I'd like to see this court proceeding...

Judge, we have Mr. Phelps clearly sucking face with a bong.

Mr. Prosecutor, could you please provide evidence as to what was contained in said bong? Case dismissed.

A prefect example of a big waste of court time, public funds, and Mr. Phelps' bong time.

About 2.3 percent of the 74 million children in the U.S. resident population who were under the age of 18 on July 1, 2007, had a parent in prison. Black and Hispanic children were about eight and three times, respectively, more likely than white children to have a parent in prison. Among minor children in the U.S. resident population, 6.7 percent of black children, 2.4 percent of Hispanic children, and 0.9 percent of white children had a parent in prison. State inmates who were parents reported that nearly a quarter of their children were age four or younger and reported having two children on average.

www.ojp.usdoj.gov...

The drug laws have been used to excuse a number of previously unacceptable behaviors, including SWAT raids as a common practice, harrassing individuals, and (worst in my opinion) killing the constitutional requirement that seizures be only after due process has taken place: on an ACCUSATION of drug involvement alone, many have had their property seized - and 80% are never even charged with a crime.

They came first, and when the wresting of our rights was not enough with the War on (some people who use some) Drugs, they manufactured The Terrorist. Now they can call anyone a Terrorist and haul them away to the Ministry of Love. (ref Orwell's 1984)

But the drug laws still keep a base busy using public funds to rot our rights.

This is retarded actions by the sheriff. A photograph and/or admission of smoking pot can't warrant an arrest. There is no direct evidence of an illegal substance and that alone is enough not to have any charges brought against Phelps.

He can admit all day long that he smokes pot and have a half a million pictures taken of him "hittng the bong" and still, without any direct and physical evidence of the drug, can't be charged with possession.

This sheriff is an idiot. While I have respect for law enforcement, I have none for this imbecile.

Marijuana should not be criminalized. If you sit on a jury acquit the defendent if they are up for a possesion charge. Slavery was ended by juries taking action since the political class was happy to ignore them. Become a stealth juror, don't listen to lawyers that say you will get the book thrown at you if you don't plea. Stand up for freedom. Go to the Fully Informed Jury website and become a member. If you can swim as fast as this man and win as many gold medals then you have just destroyed the fallacy of the "lazy" "do nothing" pot smoker, which has been one of the dumbest myths that the drug warriors have promoted virally into the public mindset. People who drink and drive are actually far more dangerous than those that smoke and drive, sure one shouldn't do either but driving stoned probably has more in common with driving after drinking 5 cups of coffee, it just doesn't even compare to alcohol at all, and shouldn't be a criminal offense. These people get locked up and then politicians use their numbers in their list of constituents when claiming whom they represent, IT"S A SCAM, THEY ARE IMPRISIONING PEOPLE AND THEN CLAIMING THAT THOSE PEOPLE AGREE WITH THEIR POLICIES WHICH PLACED THEM IN THE PRISON.

Originally posted by bubbabuddha
People who drink and drive are actually far more dangerous than those that smoke and drive, sure one shouldn't do either but driving stoned probably has more in common with driving after drinking 5 cups of coffee, it just doesn't even compare to alcohol at all, and shouldn't be a criminal offense.

I might point out that in all studies of experienced users of the drug, the people tested scored better (but only marginally - as in statistically insignificatly) than "sober" drivers.

So the whole concept of driving under its influence as being some kind of problem is at best misguided, and at worst, a lie they propagate.