

Geohot Arrested for Marijuana Possession En Route to SXSW - jetxs
http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=20672

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smutticus
What will this look like 20 years from now when marijuana is decriminalised? I
always wonder that when seeing these sad stories. How will our future selves
view the ignorance of the past in regards to drug laws?

Even 5 years ago I never thought gay marriage had a chance in America. But now
it seems like just a matter of time and entirely obvious. There will come a
tipping point with drugs laws in America where marijuana decriminalization
seems equally inevitable. Unfortunately we still have a ways to go.

~~~
drewblaisdell
It likely is not going to take 20 years... at least, for states that aren't
Texas. My state (Washington) is the front-runner to regulate the sale of
marijuana in this year. I-502 polled with an 8 point lead last month, with 47%
in favor, 39% opposed, and 15% undecided. [1] Of course, the initiative in
California polled well last year and still failed, but this is almost
certainly going to pass in less than twenty years on the west coast.

[1]
[http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_WA_2...](http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_WA_222.pdf)

~~~
WildUtah
The federal government can and will still enforce its more severe marijuana
laws against residents of states without such laws.

The Supreme Court has taken this case (Gonzales v. Raich) and decided that
state medical marijuana laws provide no protection. The court decided 6-3
against medical marijuana laws with one justice a cancer patient and one's
husband a cancer patient at the time providing two surprise votes for sanity;
most observers expect such state reforms to never again have more than one
vote (Clarence Thomas) on the court since those two soon died and retired.

Obama has been an exceptionally lenient president, reducing the prosecution of
medical marijuana patients so long as they aren't caught in his frequent raids
of buyers' clubs and aren't involved in any kind of commerce or production.
Even licensed facilities have been granted no leniency. States that consider
state provision and regulation of marijuana have been consistently threatened
by Obama's AG Eric Holder with prosecution and incarceration of state
officials.

That will likely be enough to defeat legalization initiatives and certainly
end the likelihood of measures passed through the legislatures.

But if legalization initiatives pass, expect a new growing industry of federal
prosecutions to reverse the new laws. When the Republicans next elect a
president, the states that tolerate marijuana will probably see massive
punishment doled out until the laws change back.

Actual legal marijuana is not likely to be seen anywhere in America before
2030 and then only if the pace of reform continues to accelerate.

Changes in public opinion are really insufficient in the near term. This is
politics. Fear, inertia, and moneyed interestes are arrayed strongly against
legalization. The voice of the people enters the discussion weakly and slowly,
but it can win over a long period of time.

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Codhisattva
Attention medical marijuana card holders! It's not protection in other
jurisdictions. Don't get casual.

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aggarwalachal
He still made it to SXSW.

His talk (audio only) can be found here:
<http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_IAP992467>

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bennyfreshness
It's unfortunate that Austin, such a creative and progressive city, is
surrounded by the rest of Texas.

~~~
Jun8
"If I owned Texs and Hell, I'd rent out Texas and live in Hell" is how Ben
Franklin put it.

~~~
jlujan
First, you miss attributed this. It was Philip Sheridan; a Union General
assigned to occupy Texas and oversee reconstruction after the Civil War. He
was less than popular and removed from his post by president Andrew Johnson
for his harsh application of the Military Reconstruction Acts.

Which leads me to a much better quote.

"Fuck You! I'm from Texas."

The guy wasn't even arrested in Texas. He was arrested by the Feds... who
Texans usually have no love for. Succeed is on bumper stickers here. But yeah,
I admit... Texas enforcement and sentencing can be BS. So don't break our laws
and we wont break you.

~~~
kbutler
> Succeed is on bumper stickers here.

Took me a minute to figure out what that bumper sticker was supposed to mean,
but it's perfect.

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feefie
What a waste of time and taxpayer money.

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intenex
Ruining people's lives for no reason at all. Completely nonsensical, but then
again when things like this baffle me I get reminded of humanity's past (and
present) - gladiators, slaves, genocide, ritual sacrifice, lynching, witch-
hunts, genital mutilation, whatever...and things like this no longer seem so
bad in comparison.

But I lose significant faith in humanity.

~~~
billpg
"for no reason at all"

Private prisons gotta have their supply of prisoners. (I think you mean no
_good_ reason.)

~~~
intenex
Whoah. Didn't realize private prisons existed. Forgot anything can be
capitalized

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milkshakes
what a fucking waste of money. don't these law enforcement officials have
anything more useful to do?

~~~
wh-uws
As a lifelong resident of the south and a current resident of (Austin) Texas I
can tell you.

No

You have to be very careful driving through the smaller towns. The cops have
absolutely nothing else to do and the jursidictions make a lot of money of
pulling out of towners over. Mostly for speeding butaparently narcotics busts
as well too now

~~~
afterburner
I have never seen so many cops by the side of the road as I have in Texas...

~~~
davidw
I wish they'd loan a few to Italy, which could sorely use a few more traffic
stops for things like tailgating at 2 meters and flashing the brights to
indicate that at 150km/h, you're way too slow and get the fuck out of the way
right now god dammit because I've got a bitchin Camaro.

I have daydreams about one of those guys with some Texan cop... "sir, d'ya
know just how fast you were goin'? Yer gonna have to come down to the station
with me...".

~~~
freehunter
People in Italy drive Camaros? God, I can think of a couple dozen cars I would
rather drive in Italy than an American muscle car. Hell, any Alfa Romeo will
likely be classier and of a better build quality.

~~~
davidw
No, they don't:-) A "Bitchin' Camaro" is not an actual car, it's a state of
mind...

~~~
freehunter
Ah, being an American, when I hear "bitchin' Camaro" I think of a muscle car
with a loud exhaust.

~~~
davidw
When I hear "Bitchin' Camaro", I think "Dead Milkmen".

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saurik
This iClarified link is a summary of a much longer article from Above the Law
that seems to be the commom source of all current stories (which also means
this really should be considered uncorroborated).

[http://abovethelaw.com/2012/03/famed-hacker-arrested-for-
pot...](http://abovethelaw.com/2012/03/famed-hacker-arrested-for-pot-
possession-en-route-to-sxsw/)

------
johnpowell
I got busted for smoking weed in public in Eugene, Oregon. I walked away with
a ticket. I had a 1/8th on me at the time.

The ticket was ten dollars more then the weed that was confiscated.

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rdl
Sounds like when weev got raided in Fayetteville, AR and they found his
(small) stash of drugs by the computer, too. The local drug charges were
dropped eventually.

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hhastings
I grew up in Arizona and Border Patrol is _everywhere_ down south. It looks
like Geohot ran into a permanent checkpoint. Seems like a really poor choice.

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DanBC
Hopefully he knows some lawyers. The article mentions some oddities about the
search.

I don't take cannabis (and I wouldn't even if it was legal) but I recognise
the current status is causing considerable harm; both to people like Geohot
getting caught with tiny amounts and to people in Mexico being killed in drug-
gang wars.

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minimax
Some people are using this post as an opportunity to bash Texas, but the
article says he was arrested by DHS (federal authorities) in Seirra Blanca,
which is in New Mexico. This doesn't have anything to do with Texas.

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SpikeDad
I agree current laws are crap. But isn't is possible for someone to refrain
while traveling to avoid such a circumstance? And no, medical use is crapola -
folks treat this like some miracle drug.

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mark_integerdsv
Damn you glaucoma, thou art a vile affliction.

------
thedangler
Why is there a checkpoint? US turning into 1940's Germany?

~~~
joelhooks
They've been there for a long time. For the children.

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drivebyacct2
What an unfortunate choice of picture for that article.

Also, what a trumped up set of charges. I had a friend just tell me the other
day about some hippies that got locked up because they were charged by the
weight of their edibles. What a fucking waste of time, money and prosecution
of perfectly good members of society.

~~~
wyclif
_What an unfortunate choice of picture for that article_

The funniest photo of geohot is the one on his Wikipedia entry:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hotz>

------
doggydogworld
Haha! I was listening to the song "Young wild and free"
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa5B22KAkEk> just now =P

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CJefferson
I am constantly amazed that people seem so surprised that when people break
the law, they get in trouble.

Just because you don't like a law, doesn't mean you should be surprised when,
like so many people before them, people get caught for breaking it.

I often wonder if I am the only person in the tech world who wouldn't mind
much higher penalties for possessions of narcotics, instead of this current
"illegal, but most of the time not really" business. I'd be fine with
legalisation too, I just wish the law would go heavily one way or the other.

~~~
gee_totes
ORLY?

I'm against higher penalties for narcotics, since the penalties themselves
don't seem to provide a deterrent, and just serve to increase the prison
population.

People are gonna do what they're gonna do, and I'm for lower penalties, since
I think that would mean less people in prison.

~~~
CJefferson
Are you sure that a fixed prison sentence, enforced on everybody, for
possession of any amount of cannabis, wouldn't cause many people to stop?

I'm fairly sure it would, looking at my friends who smoke because they believe
(rightly) the worst they will get for possession is a smallish fine.

~~~
stoic
I'm sure that's not the prevailing reason for their choice.

Please do not pursue a career in government or law enforcement.

~~~
CJefferson
Do you think that everyone who currently smokes cannabis would continue to
smoke it, even if the penalties were massively increased, and strictly
enforced?

I find that fascinating. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't think introducing
prison sentences would reduce usage, and believe that the existing scientific
evidence backs my viewpoint. You clearly disagree with me. Unfortunately
ycombinator is not the best place to have a discussion about such things, but
I would recommend in future if you would like cannabis to be legalised, you
shouldn't be so dismissive and insulting to people who hold an opposing
viewpoint to you, who I assume you would want to convert.

