‘Does it make sense to lock up a man in a wheelchair?’
I got a call last week about this absolutely tragic story in Florida, which is as good an example of the senseless nature of our nation’s marijuana laws as any I have ever seen.
John Haring, 45, is a quadriplegic who suffers daily from chronic pain, arthritis, spasm attacks, and depression. He uses marijuana to treat his condition, and after two marijuana arrests in two years, he’s now heading to jail for 90 days, after which he’ll be forced to undergo three years of probation and drug testing. If he tests positive for marijuana in just one of those tests, he could face up to five years in jail.
Haring and his relatives say legal prescription painkillers left him “drugged, depressed and in an angry stupor.” Using marijuana, on the other hand, “allowed him to live his life,” according to the St. Petersburg Times. “He could drive his pickup and earn extra money hauling boats and classic cars. He had relationships again. Five years ago, he had children of his own.”
As this compelling article goes on to point out, “Prescription drugs kill six Floridians a day … and the number of deaths is increasing at five times the rate of illegal drugs.”
I’d try to boil down the idiocy of laws that punish Haring for using marijuana, a safe drug with proven medical efficacy, and instead push him toward more harmful prescription drugs, but Haring’s lawyer has already done a pretty good job: “They take away from him the one thing that has worked and force him to take something more toxic,” John Trevena told the Times. “There’s no logic to it.”
Tagged with: Florida and John Haring and painkillers and prescription drugs and victims by the author
31 comments
I agree. This is ridiculous. I can’t take most prescription drugs due to nausea and stomach problems so I turn to medical cannabis. The nation is changing but not fast enough. Sick people need to have their own rights just like women have certain rights of their own. We NEED to change.
you gotta be fucking kidding me. This is bullshit. How about some honor. Integrity. Someone tell me how this country is going to make it? Money is gone. Personal freedoms GONE. THIS MAN HAS A FAMILY OBAMA AND YOU STUPID SOB’S UP ON CAPITOL HILL. YOU BELIEVE IN CHRISTIANITY OR AT LEAST A GOD. GOD, BUDDAH, MOHAMMED, JESUS, JOSEPH SMITH, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, MALCOLM X, HELL, EVEN SATAN HIMSELF IS ASKING YOU PEOPLE WTF YOUR PROBLEM IS. YOUR TOO DAMN BUSY TRYING TO TAKE OVER HEALTH CARE, BIG BUSINESS, AND EVEN GUNS. YOU DONT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WRONG DOINGS. WEED SMOKERS GET MORE THAN CHILD MOLESTERS. I HOPE THAT SOMEONE TAKES YOUR SAC (EVEN YOURS NANCI PELOSI) AND SHOVES ‘EM UP YOUR A$$. HELL, SOCIALISM HAS MORE FREEDOM THAN THIS BS COUNTRY ANYMORE.
The situation is pretty ridiculous, im sure that if we have any sort of logic left to our judicial structure he will not have to do time. The judge must recognize how ludicrous it is to punish someone for taking a benign analgesic for a chronic condition, right? And what is the original intent of having a punishement-based justice system like this? It was to curb the behavior of citizens who threaten the freedom or pursuit of happiness of other citizens i think. Yet our government now blindly adheres itself to a near-century old law based on ideas that were either complete fabrications or poor information. Prohibition is like a great tumor on our governemnt that is indicative of a much more horrible sickness below the surface….
People should be FREE to utilize Cannabis
(The world’s most benificial natural resource). It should be no different than picking berries or growing vegetables.
My father has a place for them with the “FALLEN ANGEL”. PEACE BRUDDAHS AND SISTAAS.
Charlie Crist should do his best to be “Christ-like,” and have compassion for the lame, the sick, the indigent, and the least among us–and he should grant clemency.
The GOP–the party of cruelty–has already kicked his ass to the curb, anyway.
Holy Smokes. Have we lost all common sense? Yeah, Mr Haring posses a real threat to society and kids. The guy’s a quadriplegic. How much is this going to cost the people of Florida? Stupid. Leave him alone. As the end nears, chaos will come from the highest floors.
Rev.sLeezy
The Universal Life Church of the Holy Smokes
RAMP
CAMP
IT’S FLORIDA PEOPLE! What do you expect? 97 degress, plus 99% humidity, plus a good dose of reefer madness equals an intolerable place to live. Don’t move to Florida!
Halls of Justice Painted Green
Money Talking
Power Wolves Beset Your Door
Hear Them Stalking
Soon You’ll Please Their Appetite
They Devour
Hammer of Justice Crushes You
Overpower
The Ultimate in Vanity
Exploiting Their Supremacy
I Can’t Believe the Things You Say
I Can’t Believe
I Can’t Believe the Price You Pay
Nothing Can Save You
Justice Is Lost
Justice Is Raped
Justice Is Gone
Pulling Your Strings
Justice Is Done
Seeking No Truth
Winning Is All
Find it So Grim
So True
So Real
Apathy Their Stepping Stone
So Unfeeling
Hidden Deep Animosity
So Deceiving
Through Your Eyes Their Light Burns
Hoping to Find
Inquisition Sinking You
With Prying Minds
The Ultimate in Vanity
Exploiting Their Supremacy
I Can’t Believe the Things You Say
I Can’t Believe
I Can’t Believe the Price You Pay
Nothing Can Save You
Justice Is Lost
Justice Is Raped
Justice Is Gone
Pulling Your Strings
Justice Is Done
Seeking No Truth
Winning Is All
Find it So Grim
So True
So Real
Lady Justice Has Been Raped
Truth Assassin
Rolls of Red Tape Seal Your Lips
Now You’re Done in
Their Money Tips Her Scales Again
Make Your Deal
Just What Is Truth? I Cannot Tell
Cannot Feel
The Ultimate in Vanity
Exploiting Their Supremacy
I Can’t Believe the Things You Say
I Can’t Believe
I Can’t Believe the Price We Pay
Nothing Can Save Us
Justice Is Lost
Justice Is Raped
Justice Is Gone
Pulling Your Strings
Justice Is Done
Seeking No Truth
Winning Is All
Find it So Grim
So True
So Real
Seeking No Truth
Winning Is All
Find it So Grim
So True
So Real
WAKE UP AMERICA !!
Florida Medical Marijuana petition http://www.pufmm.org
if you live in Florida and are registered to vote download the petition and sign it, and send it in so we can finally change, come out of the dark ages and get past this kind of outrageous BS!!!!!!!!!!
Do it NOW!! MAKE IT HAPPEN so others like this guy don’t have to keep suffering.
I think it would be sad if he was going to jail just for growing his own meds. But come on this dumb ass desevers to go to prison. How do you justify personal use with 41 plants & get lucky enough to get a free pass. But this dumb ass turns around & gets cought with 82 plants. I am a medical user but this ass hole needs the key troughn away he was willing to lose his wife and kids for profit. Sorry but I have no sempathy for this guy he got off easy once he choose this path. And makes use all look like crimanals vote yes in AZ so no one here has to go to prison
This dude took a bullet for the cause. I hope his sentence is short and makes some money off this story to retire to Amsterdam. The truth is the cause needs someone like this. This story is so messed up that even “normal” people will look at it and say something has to change. I hope this story will get the promotion it deserves, hopefully it will manifest a little outrage.
It’s been proven time and again, if you leave it up to cops and District Attorneys, they WILL bust everyone, they WILL enforce the law.
I can’t fault them for that as I don’t want a police force or justice system that creates it’s own by-laws.
We need to change the law, period. If a cop tells you, as many police chiefs will and do, that they aren’t out to bust your brother, your son, your daughter or you, that they only want the dealers- remember they earn a lot of money off of the drug war, call them liars to their faces and damn it to hell, start voting to change the LAWS!
It is our only hope.
Kelly
This is in no way a defense of the state of Florida, because their actions are reprehensible. But Mr. Haring should seriously consider a move to a medical state. Unfortunately, for those of us in the south that means a long move indeed, but from the sound of things it might be the better choice.
Of course now that he has been ensnared in the Florida criminal justice system for nothing more than trying to feel better, that’s going to be exceedingly difficult if not impossible.
I don’t care if he was growing a thousand plants, it’s a damn plant and nobody deserves to go to jail for growing a plant. I don’t know why people always knock the commercial growers, not everyone Can grow their own meds, commercial growers risk their freedoms, to supply those meds, so what if they make a little money too.
While moving may be a good option, some of us consider FL our home, grew up here, fished here, hunted here, family is here, and don’t feel we should have to move, to treat our conditions. So if I wan’t to smoke MJ instead of taking way more dangerouse pain killers like oxycontin, leaving myself unable to function, I have to move 1000 miles away from my parents, my son has to grow up without his grandparents and extended family, not an option for me I live in a close knit family, besides there are no Snook in Cali.
This Country is getting more rediculous every day, our gov’t wants to “protect” us from ourselves, what happened to land of the free, If I want to make a bad decision it is my bad decision to make, not uncle sam’s. Maybe one day the sheep in this country will wake up, but it may be too late. You know the US is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t allow hemp(little to no thc, not for smoking) production, we would rather mow down a 100 year old forest to provide rope, paper, ect.. than an annual crop of hemp, WTF. It really bothers me that the people who run my country believe the “propoganda” about marijuana w/ no experience, or maybe they don’t believe, they just like the handouts from the alcohol, pharmecutical, and other anit mj lobbiest, either way it’s scary.
What is a victimless crime, I don’t get it. This country is quick to take away our freedoms, and put people in jail who caused no harm to their fellow man. Freedom is precious, but it seems our “Land of the Free” doesn’t see it that way anymore.
Sorry for the rant, I love my Country, But i find Gov’t unethical, greedy, with “we the people” being the least of their worries.
I don’t care if he was growing a thousand plants, it’s a damn plant and nobody deserves to go to jail for growing a plant. I don’t know why people always knock the commercial growers, not everyone Can grow their own meds, commercial growers risk their freedoms, to supply those meds, so what if they make a little money too.
While moving may be a good option, some of us consider FL our home, grew up here, fished here, hunted here, family is here, and don’t feel we should have to move, to treat our conditions. So if I wan’t to smoke MJ instead of taking way more dangerouse pain killers like oxycontin, leaving myself unable to function, I have to move 1000 miles away from my parents, my son has to grow up without his grandparents and extended family, not an option for me I live in a close knit family, besides there are no Snook in Cali.
This Country is getting more rediculous every day, our gov’t wants to “protect” us from ourselves, what happened to land of the free, If I want to make a bad decision it is my bad decision to make, not uncle sam’s. Maybe one day the sheep in this country will wake up, but it may be too late. You know the US is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t allow hemp(little to no thc, not for smoking) production, we would rather mow down a 100 year old forest to provide rope, paper, ect.. than an annual crop of hemp, WTF. It really bothers me that the people who run my country believe the “propoganda” about marijuana w/ no experience, or maybe they don’t believe, they just like the handouts from the alcohol, pharmecutical, and other anit mj lobbiest, either way it’s scary.
What is a victimless crime, I don’t get it. This country is quick to take away our freedoms, and put people in jail who caused no harm to their fellow man. Freedom is precious, but it seems our “Land of the Free” doesn’t see it that way anymore.
Sorry for the rant, I love my Country, But i find Gov’t unethical, greedy, with “we the people” being the least of their worries.
Now I am watching TV, they are talking about banning vioent video games, whether or not a child is mature enough to play violent games should be up the childs parents not gov’t, more, and more, and more CONTROL.
To those in Cali…this november..put the joint down, brush off the cheetos , roll off the couch if you have too,and go vote for legalization. If you dont vote saying you dont deserve to go to jail for cannabis…someone will vote that you do go to jail ! (From the voice of Jody Emery)
I can’t wait until California legalizes marijuana, then the wolrd will see that society isn’t destroyed by legalization. Not that the Netherlands (who, historically, have had one of the best economies in the world) were destroyed, but somehow, conservative retards think that it did destroy their society. They refer to lies made up by the DEA about hard drug use going up, and social costs through the roof, but in reality hard drug use declined (while increasing in America, where we have strict drug laws), and Marijuana has almost no social cost besides laughing too much, and spending too much time at coffee shops.
@Reefer Man: Yeah I’ve noticed the same thing — the Fox News crowd loves to portray Amsterdam as some failed experiment in social libertarianism. “Oh, Amsterdam made minor changes in their coffee shop regulations, that must mean they all regret this horrible problem of legal weed.”
I just got out the hospital for a bi-polar breakdown again.
I heard in the psychiatric unit of the University of Utah, from a young gentleman, that his Mental Health Clinic actually
told him that he could have medical marijuana for bi-polar because they know it helps (not hinders) patients.
Hallelujah!
I see my doctor next week so I will let everyone know if it is true.
If I have always been bi-polar, it has been marijuana that got me through to age forty until I was diagnosed (23 years of medical use.)
I fried my computer a couple of months ago but now it is rebuilt like new again.
God Bless everyone!
welcom to the sunshine state florida
a friend of mine is a dibetic 2 shots a day put in prison for 2 1/2
years we tax payers payed $300,000.oo dollers for eye surgery
not including room and board or other medical needs
They just don’t care it’s not their money they play with
we have min mandtory
18 and 19,
I find it offensive that you classify me as one of these assholes. I am a conservative. The democrats are the ones that played the legalization card then back peddled as soon as Obama hit the oval office. Personally, I wish the “parties” would go away. We are all American and honestly, Dems are just as crooked as Republicans and visa versa.
@9 -Justme – nicely done brother, a timeless work of art by metallica, it seems funny how that song is still relevant even though it was written some 20 years ago. The government was, is and will be a greedy driving force that is willing to pay any price to reach it’s selfish goals.
This story is a shame on Florida politicians and law enforcement. Law enforcement will never bother to differntiate a patient from a drug dealer, as long as cannabis is illegal they will continue to bust people without rhyme or reason.
California must vote YES,Legalize this November. It seems that the future of this whole nation rests in the hands of cali voters.
This injustice has to end. I will not consider myself a criminal for responsibly enjoying some cannabis after work and I will not consider other people criminals for doing the same. Criminals are the people who try to run other people’s lifes with unjust laws.
Free The Weed. Free The People.
Another violent offender off the streets. I hope they sleep well at night.
‘Does it make sense to lock up a man in a wheelchair?’
This makes perfect sense! (If you are protecting your agenda.)
What better way, to prevent a law from passing, other than to arrest the people that are voting to pass the law. Most likely, marijuana smokers would vote for reform. In most states you are required to restore your right to vote if convicted of a felony or cannot vote if you are currently incarcerated for a felony. Arrest the voters, save the law. The war on drugs will never end unless we all vote and educate everyone we know. Smokers and non-smokers. Most people I speak to have absolutely no idea how political prohibition is.
For every marijuana smoker arrested, a government job is saved.
We are not in the wrong. Just victims of unjust politicians and big industry.
Unfortunate.
Ok so what you all are saying is it’s ok to give up your wife & kids to sale weed if your in a wheelchair.rob a bank how about shoot or molest your kid? O yea poorguys in a wheel chair that makes it ok lol
BLAH BLAH BLAH is all I am reading from you people. This Story is tragic as are all the other people harrassed by bull shit laws. The real tragedy is YOU PEOPLE spout your rhetoric HERE. How about contacting EVERY FUCKING WEEK your State and Federal legislators and BMC about their apathetic attitudes and belittling attitudes towards their constituents. Did all what I said here piss you off? YES – good now write a letter to your State and Federal Reps., be courteous and let them know how you feel. V/R D. Bocker
Man I sure sleep better at night knowing all those dangerous quadriplegics are locked up!
I am a firm believer in medical marijuana. I believe it is the cure for the common cold, menstrual cramps and anything else that ailes you… As for the prescription drugs, well they are legal, deadly, but legal …whom ever created earth put pot here for us yo use… It is not a harmful drug, since it is not legal, the door is open for what is… The drug companies are what Henders the legalization of marijuana …get the government out of the hip pockets of the drug companies , and realize the people need it.
the war on drugs is bascially a war on american citizens. the only ones that benefit from it is cops,drug task forces,lawyers,prison guards. america is no longer a free country because of the war on citizens. we have over ridden the bill of rights in order to arrest and confiscate what people own. also their children are taken and put into homes. I am ashamed to be an american anymore. I am 65 and still plant and consume cannabis for relaxation and dealing with aging. we need a revolution and it is coming. hang on to your guns and ammo, you will need them.
These politicians have to protect they’re donors of big money (big pharma, and their lobbyists) at all costs to keep that bribe money rolling in. Its all about the money, not justice, or what is right. Google Search, ” Hemp Oil Cures Cancer”. If only Ronald Regan would of said yes, most likely that Acethycholinestarase enzyme that formulates Alzheimer’s Disease would of never developed causing his 3 dreadful years of painful suffering before he passed. Maybe, these stinkin corrupt immoral politicians will believe Bob Marley’s words expressed in one of his songs sometime in they’re demented lifetimes that “What comes around goes around” Those politicians, and their big phama donors should all crawl up the Devil’s ass, take a big wiff, and die!
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