Comments on: Supporters Rally to Bigfooter’s Defense

By: Regan Lee

Regan Lee — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:47:13 +0000

Just want to throw in my support of comments who think these anti-pot and ’shroom laws are ridiculous.

By: MattBille

MattBille — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:53:07 +0000

There are two issues.
One is that, if you know what the law is and choose to violate it, then you accept that there are penalties if caught. If I speed, I know that any cop catching me is going to give me a ticket, and I have no arguments in my defense: I knew the law (or read the signs) and chose to take a risk in the legal sense. It’s not a defense that I am, in all other respects, a law-abiding citizen with a clean record, or that I thought I had good reason (late to pick up my child, etc.) to speed in a low-traffic area where I thought I created no physical risks. I am still guilty, and when this has happened a couple of times in real life, I have so pled.
There is a caveat in any case involving a search: was the search legally conducted and justified? It’s not clear from the article whether that will be argued here.

Whether the law should be changed (and I think it should) is a separate issue, one that must be addressed through the political process.

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:32:48 +0000

Good to see Chance getting all the support.

Hopefully this will not morph into a full-blown trial.

Interesting, and also funny, post. Kittenz.

By: riverguy

riverguy — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:34:20 +0000

To clear up some misunderstandings:
1. To those concerned with the “distribution” part of the charges– Whenever anybody is accused of growing pot, no matter what the size or number of plants, as a rule they routinely get these same charges. Whether the person was actually intending to distribute is settled in court. Knowing Bob, I have no doubt that if he was growing it, it was not for the purpose of selling it.
2. Maryland’s medical marijuana law applies to the weed itself, not just to synthetics. It applies to possession, but probably not to the more serious charge of “manufacturing” (growing). It does not decriminalize simple possession, but it provides for a greatly reduced penalty ($100 fine max) “if the court finds that the person used or possessed marijuana because of medical necessity”. If Bob is found to have been in possession, he could be helped if his doctor is willing to support him on this. And although the “medical necessity” law appears not to apply to the charge of growing pot, a doctor’s support still might be influential to a judge who has to decide on an appropriate punishment if he is found guilty of growing it.

By: kittenz

kittenz — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:45:30 +0000

“Fact of the matter is wether we like it or not it is illegal to grow marijuana most of the places I’m aware of even if it is for personal use. I don’t see what all the uproar is about.” -

That IS what the uproar is about. It should not be against the law for people to grow marijuana or any other herb or medicinal plant for their own use, and most of the people who have posted comments are sick and tired of the persecution that takes place.

By: Hawkeye

Hawkeye — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:09:31 +0000

wow I can’t believe some of the above posts. Fact of the matter is wether we like it or not it is illegal to grow marijuana most of the places I’m aware of even if it is for personal use. I don’t see what all the uproar is about. Chances are this will be plead down no matter what thats how the system works and if convicted of anything then his status in the community will be taken into consideration.

By: cryptothekid

cryptothekid — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:25:59 +0000

I agree with all the above. What has our world become, where people fear the government and stupid police arrest innocent people??

By: CamperGuy

CamperGuy — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:39:49 +0000

Sounds like this may be plea bargained down quickly.

agree with the above posters.

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:58:06 +0000

In total agreement with kittenz & a_mangy_human

By: kittenz

kittenz — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:39:04 +0000

“Chance declined to comment, but his attorney, Gus Brown, said any plants the police recovered in their May 12 search appeared to be immature and had yet to be tested and confirmed as marijuana.”

That reminds me of something that happened to me once. There is a beautiful flower called Spider Flower or Cleome, descended from a native wildflower, the Rocky Mountain Bee Plant. I grow these lovely flowers from heirloom seeds, handed down from my grandfather, as well as growing new hybrid types that I buy each year. Here is a photo. Notice the leaves? They greatly resemble marijuana leaves, although to the best of my knowledge the two plants are unrelated.

Once, when I was living in a small town in southwestern West Virginia, I had a beautiful border of cleome plants growing alongside my house. They were about 3 or 4 ft tall, but they did not have any blossoms on them yet (they can grow to 7 feet or even higher under very favorable conditions). One day a passerby remarked that I was stupid to grow “pot” right out in the open like that, and I explained that it was not marijuana, it was cleome. The next day while I was out with my dogs, someone stole every one of my lovely cleome plants! (I’d like to have been a fly on the wall when they tried to smoke them lol).

But that goes to show, the plants that Bob Chance had my not even have been pot plants. And even if they were, give the guy a break.