Dealing pot

[LilacDragon]

If it's only pot, I would not worry too much, and I don't think the police will either - unless it's huge quantities.

I also think it's time that people discriminate between pot and hard drugs.

While you may well be right about this - the use of pot affects a person's judgement. And pot dealers, much like dealers of "hard drugs" have a tendancy to move in undesireable circles. After all, it is ILLEGAL. Personally, if a family member of mine was living with a pot dealer, I would be very concerned.

Having never had to deal with such an issue in my family, I really don't have a lot of advice to give.

[Cataholic]

While you may well be right about this - the use of pot affects a person's judgement. And pot dealers, much like dealers of "hard drugs" have a tendancy to move in undesireable circles. After all, it is ILLEGAL. Personally, if a family member of mine was living with a pot dealer, I would be very concerned.

Having never had to deal with such an issue in my family, I really don't have a lot of advice to give.

Gosh, me, too! While I could argue about someone smoking something in their own home every once in a while, I don't see someone 'dealing' out of their home in the same way.

[Catsnclay]

Ok, I must be having a blonde moment, would someone please spell out 'SO' for me???!!!!


I'm just not getting it, today!

[lizbud]

Significant other.

[Catsnclay]

Significant other.

thank you!

I should have figured that one out!!!

Thanks for the help.

I still think you should do something, write a letter like someone suggested, or just make a call. The first step is always the hardest.

If YOU know you did something about this (alert the police) then YOU can sleep better at night, even if they choose not to do anything about this.

Maybe they already know and are building their case - I mean come on, selling at work and not getting caught?!!! Call his boss!!!!! They can't be all that stupid, can they?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Twisterdog]

IMO, if its a small town and word is out about it anyway - obviously it is, if you weren't fishing for the information and got it anyway - then I don't see how your family member is going to find out you were the one to tip off the police.

Write an anonymous letter stating what you heard and mail it to a detective in the police department. That way, there will be no phone call, and no one will know it was you. You will be sure that way it won't slip later that you were the one to tell.

If they choose to act, they can set up an undercover sting operation. I used to date a sheriff who did undercover narc work. It was simply amazing the things they could pull off, very convincingly. Of course, if your small town is anything like my small town, they may or may not act, depending on many political issues. But that's not your problem, all you can do is report it anonymously and wait and see. Give it some time.

I too, used to buy the "only pot" argument completely. And I still do believe pot is far cry better and safer than harder drugs. However, since my son failed his ninth grade year of high school, was arrested, spent a night in jail with a child molestor and a murderer, was sent to the state reform school for three months, is on supervised probation for a year, and cost us thousands of dollars .... for "ONLY pot" ... I have developed a bit of a harsher view of the drug. Yes, it better than crack or meth. Yes, it relatively physically and psychologically harmless compared to other drugs. Yes, it's organic (unless laced, of course). However ... it is illegal. It is addictive. It is highly unmotivating and has most certainly ruined countless lives and families. Only pot? Sure ... until you watch your only child who just barely turned fourteen years old drug away in shackles and handcuffs, thrown in a van, and driven 300 miles away to a military reform school where he spent 85 days cold, hungry, sick and miserable. For less pot than one could roll one joint with. Only pot?

[wombat2u2004]

IMO, if its a small town and word is out about it anyway - obviously it is, if you weren't fishing for the information and got it anyway - then I don't see how your family member is going to find out you were the one to tip off the police.

Write an anonymous letter stating what you heard and mail it to a detective in the police department. That way, there will be no phone call, and no one will know it was you. You will be sure that way it won't slip later that you were the one to tell.

If they choose to act, they can set up an undercover sting operation. I used to date a sheriff who did undercover narc work. It was simply amazing the things they could pull off, very convincingly. Of course, if your small town is anything like my small town, they may or may not act, depending on many political issues. But that's not your problem, all you can do is report it anonymously and wait and see. Give it some time.

I too, used to buy the "only pot" argument completely. And I still do believe pot is far cry better and safer than harder drugs. However, since my son failed his ninth grade year of high school, was arrested, spent a night in jail with a child molestor and a murderer, was sent to the state reform school for three months, is on supervised probation for a year, and cost us thousands of dollars .... for "ONLY pot" ... I have developed a bit of a harsher view of the drug. Yes, it better than crack or meth. Yes, it relatively physically and psychologically harmless compared to other drugs. Yes, it's organic (unless laced, of course). However ... it is illegal. It is addictive. It is highly unmotivating and has most certainly ruined countless lives and families. Only pot? Sure ... until you watch your only child who just barely turned fourteen years old drug away in shackles and handcuffs, thrown in a van, and driven 300 miles away to a military reform school where he spent 85 days cold, hungry, sick and miserable. For less pot than one could roll one joint with. Only pot?

OMG. That happened to him ???? That is just so unbelievable. Sometimes I feel sorry for the kids when these very hard sentences get handed down.
Peer pressure in schools and such must be great on these kids to try it and all, and then they get caught. Terrible stuff. And it always seems that the wrong ones are caught and punished.
Wom

[Cataholic]

TD- thanks for sharing that story. I cannot imagine the pain.

[Twisterdog]

OMG. That happened to him ???? That is just so unbelievable. Sometimes I feel sorry for the kids when these very hard sentences get handed down.
Peer pressure in schools and such must be great on these kids to try it and all, and then they get caught. Terrible stuff. And it always seems that the wrong ones are caught and punished.
Wom

Yes, it seems that way to me, too. My son was by no means a threat to anyone but himself. He was not dealing or selling anything. He was experimenting. Of course that does not make it legal or right. But everyday I read our local paper and people caugt cooking, using and selling meth get 90 days of probation and a suspended nominal fine. I truly do not understand. Something is very wrong with the system.

[lizbud]

Sounds like that Prosecutor was up for re-election or something. That
would be very unusual to to come down so hard on a child, especially
for a first offense.

[wombat2u2004]

Yes, it seems that way to me, too. My son was by no means a threat to anyone but himself. He was not dealing or selling anything. He was experimenting. Of course that does not make it legal or right. But everyday I read our local paper and people caugt cooking, using and selling meth get 90 days of probation and a suspended nominal fine. I truly do not understand. Something is very wrong with the system.

Was this his first offence ???? I know that question sounds silly, cos he's only fourteen....but still sometimes it isn't at that age.
If it was his first offence, and the fact that this boy is still a minor....was there no way that you could intervene ??? Like perhaps an appeal against such a harsh sentence ????
I just find this matter so disturbing, that the so called law can do this to a minor for just trying a bit of pot. It's so beyond me how these people think.
Wombat

[Daisy and Delilah]

Anxiously waiting for an uppydate. Anything new on this situation?

[Twisterdog]

Was this his first offence ???? I know that question sounds silly, cos he's only fourteen....but still sometimes it isn't at that age.
If it was his first offence, and the fact that this boy is still a minor....was there no way that you could intervene ??? Like perhaps an appeal against such a harsh sentence ????
I just find this matter so disturbing, that the so called law can do this to a minor for just trying a bit of pot. It's so beyond me how these people think.
Wombat

Yes, it was his first offense. It was his first offense for ANYthing, actually. He was in school, and had no prior record whatsoever. He had never been in court, never been on probabtion, etc.

Yes, I could have fought it. I called a lot of lawyers for information. I would have gotten a lawyer and fought it from the beginning, but I had no idea I would need one. From everything that everyone had told me, I had nothing to worry about. I heard about a hundred times that the judge would lecture him, give him probabtion and some work restitution to pay off his fine. That was fine with me, I wanted him punished ... just not to the degree he was!

After the sentencing, I started calling lawyers. They told me they would take the case, but by the time we got a trial date in our vastly meth-case-clogged system, chances are he would have served the entire sentence anyway. They also told me she is a moody, vengeful judge, and if I fought it and my son ever had to appear before her again, that he would be pretty much dead in the water. They said she holds a grudge and never forgets.

They also said that the sentence she gave him was within the limits of state law, and even though most of the time the judge does not go for the harshest possible sentence on the first offense ... that they certainly can do it if they choose to.

[cassiesmom]

Tony10k, by knowing about it but not informing the authorities, will you be placing yourself in legal trouble?