A Pledge
My name is Christopher Powers. I am 22 years old and currently reside in Kentucky. On April 20th of 2009 I intend to smoke marijuana in front of the capitol building in Frankfort. In order to do this, I must first either purchase or grow the drug. If I am to purchase it, whoever sells me the less than eight ounces of marijuana is punishable by up to one year in jail and a five hundred dollar fine. If I were purchasing alcohol, no penalty would be imposed. If I were to grow it, it would be I facing the one year imprisonment and five hundred dollar fine. Once I have the drug, I am required by this states laws to purchase a tax stamp to keep with my contraband. Failure to do so may result in a fine and/or criminal sanction; being required to pay 200% of the tax as well as being charged with a class c felony. This act constitutes tax evasion (taxation without representation, anyone?). The stamp will cost me $3.50 per gram. Possession of this stamp, just as possession of the drug itself, is a misdemeanor punishable by one years incarceration and a five hundred dollar fine.
If I am tried on a federal level my crime remains a misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail, and the fine increases to one thousand dollars.
If I were to drink a pint of rum, my crime would be non existent, as public intoxication laws in Kentucky exclude alcohol; for marijuana this is potentially a class b misdemeanor (http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/525-00/100.PDF). I am not aware if the punishment for either of these activities is altered due to my chosen location. I suspect they will be, as smoking this drug in my chosen location presents a clear political motive and makes my actions into actions of protest, something we aren't really allowed to do in the country anymore.
I will do this because these laws seem profoundly unreasonable to me, given light of current knowledge on the impact of the war on drugs and the comparative dangers and addictive qualities of the illicit drug cannabis and the licit drugs alcohol and niccatine. If you hold similar opinions, I ask you to spread this around to show support. If you hold similar convictions, I ask you to take similar actions in your own state on the same date of April 20th, 2009. I am ready to make sacrifices in order to raise awareness and push for change, but it I will accomplish little on my own. Are you ready to help?
Those of you ready to make this pledge and wage a similar protest in your home state, I ask you to affix your name and home state to the bottom of this message before forwarding it. Just remember, it is nothing to say it, it is something to do it.
If I am tried on a federal level my crime remains a misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail, and the fine increases to one thousand dollars.
If I were to drink a pint of rum, my crime would be non existent, as public intoxication laws in Kentucky exclude alcohol; for marijuana this is potentially a class b misdemeanor (http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/525-00/100.PDF). I am not aware if the punishment for either of these activities is altered due to my chosen location. I suspect they will be, as smoking this drug in my chosen location presents a clear political motive and makes my actions into actions of protest, something we aren't really allowed to do in the country anymore.
I will do this because these laws seem profoundly unreasonable to me, given light of current knowledge on the impact of the war on drugs and the comparative dangers and addictive qualities of the illicit drug cannabis and the licit drugs alcohol and niccatine. If you hold similar opinions, I ask you to spread this around to show support. If you hold similar convictions, I ask you to take similar actions in your own state on the same date of April 20th, 2009. I am ready to make sacrifices in order to raise awareness and push for change, but it I will accomplish little on my own. Are you ready to help?
Those of you ready to make this pledge and wage a similar protest in your home state, I ask you to affix your name and home state to the bottom of this message before forwarding it. Just remember, it is nothing to say it, it is something to do it.