Pot Smokers Overloading Our Prisons?

Marijuana sympathizers want you to believe our prison system is over-loaded with otherwise law-abiding drug abusers simply on the account of their 'recreational' pot use. Those illicit-drug advocates are not telling you the truth.

The fact is that the majority of our drug prisoners are violent criminals, drug traffickers, repeat offenders or some combination of the three - in addition to their other crimes. These people belong in prisons. The true recreational user, in fact, rarely goes to prison anymore. Intervention, drug treatment and the drug courts are in place to offer these recreational users a chance to put an end to their destructive and illegal behavior.

The majority of those in prison for marijuana offenses were nailed for more than simple possession. They come with additional drug trafficking charges, additional offenses or have pled-down to possession in order to avoid prosecution on more serious charges. The latter, I personally see on a routine basis. In the judicial system, it's "death, taxes, and plea deals."

In State Prisons during 1997 (the most recent year with complete available data):- 1.6% of state inmate population was held for sole-marijuana offenses- 0.7% of state inmate population were incarcerated with a sole charge of marijuana possession, and- 0.3% of state inmate population consisted of first-time possession only offenders

In Federal Prisons during 2001, the story is similar:- The overwhelming majority of drug-convictions were for drug trafficking- 2.3% of federal prisoners (186 total) were sentenced for simple possession. Only 63 of those 186 (with 174 whose sentencing information is known), actually served time behind bars

Drug laws exist because drug users, pushers and abusers hurt our communities, our friends, and our families. Persistent violators face increasingly harsh penalties. The mischarachterization that our prisons are overloaded with casual users is simply false.

Seth Michael Ferranti told Rolling Stone magazine that he was a prisoner in the war on drugs... from the suburbs... and basically a law-abiding citizen with a possession rap. In fact, Ferranti ran a drug-trafficking network that distributed over 100,000 doses of LSD to high school and college students in Fairfax Co, Virginia.

Somehow, he was released on his own recognizance pending trial. Taking up one-third of the "death, taxes and plea deals" offer, Ferranti agreed to roll on one of his fellow gang members for a lighter sentence. Surprise, surprise, however, when Ferranti faked his own suicide, skipped out on his own plea deal, and vanished. While on the run, Ferranti returned to his drug trafficking ways and was finally arrested under a complete alternate I.D. (credit, I.D. cards, birth certificate, voter registration, checks, etc..) in St. Louis on a simple possession charge. Unaware of his true identity, Ferranti was released. US Marshalls tracked Ferranti a month later - still in St. Louis - and nailed him with multiple sets of alternate identify info and 18 pounds of marijuana.

When he was returned to Virginia, Ferranti was sentenced to 12 months for failure to appear at his original sentencing and mail fraud. He also received his original 24 year-plus sentence without the possibility of parole - NOT for marijuana, but for selling LSD.

Ferranti's story is no different than countless others whose stories are repeated by drug advocates in their persistent misinformation campaign. People must look deeper than the Rolling Stone article or the headline on tomorrow's front page.

The truth is that drug abusers are, on the whole, receiving fair and equitable treatment by our judicial system and the overwhelming majority of them who are enjoying milk and cookies in our prisons have more than earned their stay.




See Also:

• An Interview with Seth Ferranti: Prisoner #18205083, by Michelle Daugherty. Spank Magazine, Summer 2000, as posted on Prisonerlife.com.
• The American Dream: Free Enterprise, Seth M. Ferranti, #18205083. Web site for the November Coalition.
• United States of America v. Seth Michael Ferranti, Case #’s 1:91CR00337001 and 9400122A, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. (PACER, fee)
• I’m a Prisoner in the War on Drugs, By John Colapinto. Rolling Stone, May 28, 1998.