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Saturday, June 14, 2008

Crime and Punishment

posted by on June 14 at 10:26 AM

Washington residents can rest a little easier now that the 61 year-old co-owner of a garden-supply store in Kent has been sent to prison for three and a half years. Le My Nguyen was the “matriarch of marijuana growers” in our area, according to the Seattle Times, and she sold supplies to folks that grew marijuana. And marijuana, of course, is an illegal and very dangerous drug—why, the potency of pot is a 30 year-high, and that’s just one of the things that makes marijuana so very, very deadly.

Wait, what’s that you say, NYT?

Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says

From “Scarface” to “Miami Vice,” Florida’s drug problem has been portrayed as the story of a single narcotic: cocaine. But for Floridians, prescription drugs are increasingly a far more lethal habit….

Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths. Alcohol was the most commonly occurring drug, appearing in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and judged the cause of death of 466 — fewer than cocaine (843) but more than methamphetamine (25) and marijuana (0).

RSS icon Comments

1

"But for Floridians, prescription drugs are increasingly a far more lethal habit…."

That would be because of the elderly population of Florida.

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/36/10/6

Posted by yucca flower | June 14, 2008 11:30 AM
2

While the Times' reporting has been little more than a shill for the Feds, with no accountability or actual investigation into the cost or purpose for the War on Green, at the very least their articles help document how not to get caught:

Jeffrey Steinborn, an attorney who represents an indicted store employee, said the largely Vietnamese customers didn't know a cardinal rule of marijuana cultivation. "All the American growers know that if you go to a grow shop, you're going to get followed home [by police] and busted," he said. "The Vietnamese didn't know that the feds were hanging out at the watering hole."

(From this 2007 article

Posted by DavidG | June 14, 2008 11:52 AM
3

The Ubiquitous They just did a sketch about a gardening store where they sold weed. It was called Learn2Grow. Life imitates art again.

Posted by Sir Learnsalot | June 14, 2008 12:04 PM
4

I'd love to see statistics for the rest of the country. Anyone know of any?

Posted by James | June 14, 2008 1:48 PM
5

This is what drives me crazy. Marijuana has never, EVER caused a death. You simply can't overdose on it.

But, as Dan points out, The Feds say it is dangerous, so it must be so.

Posted by Mike in MO | June 14, 2008 2:34 PM
6

Kinda apples and oranges. I mean, how many of the people actually killed themselves--intentionally or not-- with prescription drugs from their home cabinets instead of bothering to first go buy and then fill themselves with illegal drugs? My guess is a vast majority use the prescription drugs suicide option simply because it's more convenient.

Posted by Creek | June 14, 2008 3:44 PM
7

"This is what drives me crazy. Marijuana has never, EVER caused a death."



Please, commie! It's a well known fact that marijuana causes AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, black syphilis, pregnancy, abortions, single-parenthood, same-sex marriages, mad-cow disease, and atheism and is a "gateway" to every harmful drug known to man, including birth control!

Posted by The Feds | June 14, 2008 3:57 PM
8

Here are statistics for King County. Here, prescription opiates are the #1 drug killers, even above alcohol. Benzodiazepines are big killers, but usually only in combination with alcohol or opiates.

See the graph on page 9:
http://depts.washington.edu/adai/pubs/tr/cewg/CEWG_Seattle_June2007.pdf

Posted by poppy | June 14, 2008 4:08 PM
9

I'd still say marijuana killed this man.
Or his chance to access health services in your country. http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/5/2/15157/13257

Posted by Jlo | June 14, 2008 6:24 PM
10

Please, commie! It's a well known fact that marijuana causes AIDS, (get high and forget to wear a condom) cancer (Can't prove this one) , tuberculosis (stupid people breathe stupid fumes-and/or smoke nasty air), black syphilis, (again-forgotten condom) pregnancy (forgotten condom), abortions (forgotten condom), single-parenthood (forgotten condom) , same-sex marriages (got nothin'), mad-cow disease (maybe?), and atheism (too stupid to know better and to look around and find GOD) and is a "gateway" to every harmful drug known to man (possibly- you start young-with cigarettes and pot), including birth control (learning from the forgotten condom)

Sorry- but marijuana causes stupidity- Stupidity TOPS the list of reasons for a BIG chunk of deaths in my book- car accidents, assaults, falling out windows, getting run over, drowning, etc...etc...

Posted by Cattymaran | June 14, 2008 8:18 PM
11

Yup @ 10 and stupidity causes posts like this comparing death rates by drug as the only criteria for whether a drug should be legal or not. It's not really intoxication if you don't die!

Posted by Bob | June 14, 2008 9:26 PM
12

Cattymaran @ 10,

You forgot crime. Most (okay all) petty criminals I know are devoted stoners. Thanks to pot most don't have the ambition or brains to commit major crimes. Although, they have caused a few car accidents...

Posted by Y.F. | June 14, 2008 9:45 PM
13

Damn it. Why doesn't this country have the money to make everyone perfect. We must conform. Stop needing sedatives. Stop needing to feel good for a change. Stop your incessant instinct to feel better. STOP BEING HUMANS! We have money to stop you with prisons. You'll see. Even people who sell dirt will pay!

Posted by Vince | June 15, 2008 3:50 PM
14

America's most deadly drug is the sofa. Not only does it ruin lives, but it litters the planet with disgusting humanlike detritus that would only have a social contribution in a society where slavery was the norm.

Posted by kinaidos | June 15, 2008 6:58 PM
15

Did everybody who died with the bennies in their system have a prescription? Drug Warriors wouldn't file abusers of Rx meds under the "legal drugs" column, I betcha.

I'm tired... somebody make a Rush Limbaugh joke, please.

Posted by CP | June 15, 2008 10:55 PM

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