12-12-2008, 02:32 PM
Mark Stapleton Wrote:Here's another happy story from the annals of the great American society.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n1108/a02.html?397
A first time offender who was carrying a firearm while selling cannabis recieves a prison sentence of 55 years. His appeal fails. He has two young kids and is a producer of rap records. (ooh those evil rappers).
That's five years more than they gave public enemy number one, Lucky Luciano.
Now what do you get for murder in the US?
The article states he had three prior convictions involving use of a gun in furtherance of drug dealing. Unless this is just a poorly worded article...???
And yes you can get way less here in TX. for murder. My friend's daughter was murdered and he got 35 years. But this was pursuant to a plea deal. This guy went to trial. It is still wacky but it appears it was the gun that got the sentence not the pot. Meaning if this was just selling pot without a weapon the outcome would have been different. (However without seeing more detail it's difficult to speculate.)
Dawn