Ok without further ado here is the short story. Keep in mind it is very short. It is definitely not one of my best works but that can be expected. Constructive criticism is always welcome
. So I hope you like it.
Becoming the Statistic
It is said that every 43 seconds someone is labeled a criminal due to marijuana prohibition. On September 28, 2007 I became a part of that statistic. Ive been a regular pot smoker for some time now (since I was 13 years old) and have never had any trouble with the law in my entire life up to this moment. I've always tried to do what I believe in my heart to be the right thing, I've always done my best to help those in need, I'm a regular volunteer at my local library, I mow my 76 year old neighbors yard every other weekend, many would say that I'm a wholesome contributing member of society. Unfortunately my honorable virtues mean nothing to my state and federal government, because of my belief that marijuana is a healthy stimulant to the mind and soul, they believe I'm nothing more than a low down, common criminal. And on September 28, 2007 this belief became very clear to me.
It was a beautiful fall day in (so that I can keep my anonymity I will leave the town nameless) Michigan. I just moved backed into my hometown 3 weeks before, and the future was looking bright. I had a decent paying job, I was living with my grandmother, and everything was starting to look up. I was off work so I called up my friend (whom we shall call Bob) and he suggested that we hang out for a while and of course smoke heavily.
So Bob came and picked me up and we took the trip back to his house, bringing with me my pipe and about a gram and a half of “AK-47”. Arriving at his house he immediately retrieved his bong, christened “Old Faithful” and I preceded to load the first bowl. Smoking three nice size bowls, we then watched Seinfeld, and smoked some Hookah. After about an hour of Seinfeld and Hookah smoking it was decided that an adventure was needed.
It was brought to my attention that a neighboring town was having there homecoming, which seemed like the perfect opportunity for an adventure. So Bob and I smoked one last bowl, got into his car, put in a sublime CD, and headed out to the game, bringing along about a gram of my AK and my pipe. Along the way we stopped at a local pizza parlor and ate a meal truly fit for a king. After we gorged ourselves on pizza and mountain dew and flirted with the cute waitress, we found a nice parking spot, payed our ticket to get in and watched the game. Bob found a couple of his friends so we sat and talked with them for a while. About 2 ½ hours into the game we saw that the home team was absolutely obliterating the other (35-7 if I can remember correctly), so we decided we would be better off going to Bobs friends house to smoke.
We arrived at Bobs friends (whom we shall call Davey) house, and smoked a couple of bowls of mine and Davey's weed out of my pipe. We hung out there for a little while and then decided that the three of us should go back to Bobs house and finish off the night with some smoking, drinking, and possibly philandering (if we played our cards right). Davey and I got into Bobs car, turned on Rage Against the Machine and preceded to take the 30 min trip back home.
After about 15 mins of driving we see the red and blue lights flashing behind us. At that moment a feeling of fear and panic came over me and I quickly stash my pipe and weed under the center console of the car. We pull off to the side of the road and two officers approach either side of the car. They ask for Bobs license and registration and our names. Then one officer goes back and runs the number through his computer to check for any outstanding warrants (of course no one in the car had one). While the one officer was checking for warrants the other asked if we had been drinking or doing “any illegal activities” tonight we all replied no and the officers stern face broke out into a grin. In the mean time the other officer walks back to the car and then asked us, in a very official voice, to step out of the vehicle. So Davey and I step out of the vehicle but Bobs car door is broken and doesn't open, Bob tells this to the officer and suggests that he climb out the window to get out of the car. At this point the officer screams at him not to do so while putting his hand on his gun. After a few minutes of jerking the door the officers finally manage to get it up and we are all walked back to the trunk of the car. Immediately after the backup showed up, which consisted of another two officers.
At the trunk of the car they put all three of us in handcuffs and ask us if we would allow them to search our person. We all replied yes because we knew that we had nothing on us. After there search of us turned up fruitless, they turn there energy to the car, while the other two officers stayed and asked us if they would find anything in the car, we replied no. At this point I'm hoping upon all hope that they wont look under the center console. I'm not going to lie to you I was a little nervous about the whole situation, my knees where shaking a bit, but that was nothing compared to Davey. Davey was what I like to call wigging out. When he spoke it seemed as if he lost his ability to speak in an understandable way. The officer asked him what his birthday was he replied something like July 19, 1931. The officer looked at him as if he was half retarded and said “so your almost 80 huh”. To say lightly, Davey was not handling the situation very well.
After a barrage of questions from the two officers, I see the officers that were searching the car approach us with a content look on there faces. They set my pipe and little baggie of weed down next to all my other belongings. When I saw the materials laid out in front of me, I realized that the night would not end well for any of us....especially me. They asked us who's this was and I quickly replied that it was mine. He wrote me a citation and explained to me that they would send me a letter in the mail telling me when my court date would be. He also told me that I would have to call a ride and I could only find one person to come pick me up.... my 70 year old grandmother.
My grandmother has cadiracs in both eyes so driving at night is extremely stressful for her. When she arrived at the spot where I was. She was in tears. She asked what I had done and when the officer told her a look of shame formed in her eyes, one that I can not shake from my mind even today. After it was explained to her my crime, I was uncuffed and told that I could go home.
The whole ride home with my grandmother is an experience I wouldn't wish upon mine worst enemy. She was in complete hysteria, muttering incomprehensible statements and asking me how I could have done this to her when her heart cant take much more. I said nothing, I could only bow my head in shame and guilt.
About 2 weeks later I received a letter saying that my court date was to be held on January 16, 2008. During this time lapse I continued to smoke up until a month before my court date. On the day I went to court I was feeling hopeless. I knew that I would get some probation and some community service and maybe a fine or two. I was right. I got 6 months of probation with an 11 o clock curfew and random drug screens (which I got about every month), 20 hours of community service, I had to write a 2 page essay on The Dangers Of Marijuana, and had to pay $150 in fines and court costs.
The return home was almost as bad as the trip there. It was just beginning to dawn on me the consequences of this sentencing. I would no longer be able to smoke, I would have a bedtime, I would be forced to write an essay that I would later be ashamed of writing, and give money to someone or something that didn't deserve it. Yes it was a hard ride home.
Its June 5, 2008 now and I have about a month and a half before I go to court to get my probation and everything over with. But I am not completely bitter about the whole situation, because like almost all bad experiences you can take something and learn from it, which is exactly what I have done. They can round you out into a better person, make you realize things that you would have never realized had it not been for that experience. For instance I used to take the flower from that beautiful plant called marijuana for granted.... never again will this happen. I have become more active in trying to get personal use of marijuana legalized by becoming a part of NORML and writing letters and arguments which I plan to send to my state governor, senators, and representatives as soon as they are perfected (I wont bother sending it to Bush as I'm not sure he can read). But you don't need to get busted to realize what I have realized, you can never take pot for granted, you can right letters to your government officials, you can become apart of NORML or other organizations like it so that you can do your part to legalize the plant that we know and love. But I believe that the most important thing that we all can do is to conduct ourselves and our activities in a respectful, civil, mature manner so that we can show them that we aren't just a bunch of low down, common criminals but responsible adults that have the earth given right to put in our lungs the most wonderful of all plants.
