I’ve shared some very interesting commentary and opinions on the Drug War from folks such as John Stossel, Mona Charen, Gary Johnson, Pat Robertson, Cory Booker, and Richard Branson.
And I’ve shared some horror stories about “asset forfeiture,” an odious procedure that allows the government to steal private property without any finding of guilt.
- The DEA trying to confiscate a commercial building because a tenant sold some marijuana.
- The government seeking to steal a hotel because some guests sold some marijuana.
- The feds grabbing cash from innocent bystanders in legal cases.
- A local government trying to steal a man’s car because someone else drove it while intoxicated.
But sometimes an anecdote is the best way of exposing the silliness of the War on Drugs.
Here are some surreal tidbits from a Yahoo Sports report.
Bonnie Jonas-Boggioni, 65, and her husband were driving home to Plano, Texas from Columbus after attending her mother-in-law’s funeral when a pair of black police SUV’s stopped the couple a few miles outside of Memphis. “Knowing I wasn’t speeding, I couldn’t imagine why,” Jonas-Boggioni told the Columbus Dispatch. “They were very serious. They had the body armor and the guns.”
What was the supposed “probable cause” that led the police to make this stop? Ummm…..
On the back of Jonas-Boggioni’s car was a Buckeye leaf decal, similar to the one players’ have on their helmets, and cops mistakenly thought it was marijuana leaf. Yes, really. “What are you doing with a marijuana sticker on your bumper?” one of the cops asked Jonas-Boggioni. After trying to explain that the sticker was not a marijuana leaf and that she and her husband were not trafficking drugs cross-country, the police advised Jonas-Boggioni to remove the sticker as to not cause any more confusion.
As a fan of SEC football, I certainly agree that there’s something wrong with supporting the Ohio State Buckeyes. But bad judgement shouldn’t be against the law, much less a cause for a legal encounter with the government.
Particularly when the cops are showing their lack of knowledge.
Tennessee police apparently aren’t botany experts. If they were, they’d know a marijuana leaf has seven leaflets (see above picture) and a narrow shape as compared to the Buckeye leaf, which is fat and has five leaflets. …As for Jonas-Boggioni, she acknowledged the cop’s wishes, but got back in her car without removing the sticker. “I didn’t take it off,” Jonas-Boggioni told the paper. “This little old lady is no drug dealer.”
But that doesn’t mean other little old ladies aren’t drug dealers.
Click here is you want to read about a grandmother’s encounter with the Drug War.
Now ask yourself why we should be paying higher taxes to support this failed effort.
And remember that you can do something about it, as shown by some good people in Montana.
Authored By International Liberty
