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Thank you to the NORML blog at Marijuana Law Reform - NORML for the info.

This is a sad story. One that i think hits close to home for a few of us in here. During my struggle the past year i was asked multiple times by LEO to snitch on the very people i thought were doing absolutely nothing wrong, and i never gave in. Its a frustrating and down right insane practice to "flip" marijuana users. Why would you put someone and yourself as an officer in more risk than the drug itself is worth.

The answer is easy and it is a sad one. LEO does not care, and they do not make an attempt for a distinction between drugs. They are impervious to anything they are doing to a human being who just smokes pot. And will use them as a tool in the "War" anyway they can. Unfortunately, it is a powerful tool seeing what the cost could be to your freedom, and life...

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:53:04 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
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Rachel Hoffman is dead.
Rachel Hoffman, like many young adults, occasionally smoked marijuana.
But Rachel Hoffman is not dead as a result of smoking marijuana; she is dead as a result of marijuana prohibition.
Under prohibition, Rachel faced up to five years in prison for possessing a small amount of marijuana.
Under prohibition, the police in Rachel’s community viewed her as nothing more than a common “criminal,� and threatened her with years in jail unless she cooperated with them as an untrained, unsupervised confidential informant.
Under prohibition, the law enforcement officers responsible for placing Rachel in the very situation that resulted in her murder have failed to publicly express any remorse — because, after all, under prohibition Rachel Hoffman was no longer a human being deserving of such sympathies.
Tonight, ABC’s 20/20 will shed a national spotlight on the tragedy surrounding Rachel Hoffman’s untimely death — and the tragedy that is marijuana prohibition.

Are pot users criminals? The tragic case of Rachel Hoffman
via ABC News
After being caught twice with a “baggie� of marijuana, 23-year old Rachel Hoffman was reportedly told by police in Tallahassee, Florida that she would go to prison for four years unless she became an undercover informant.
The young woman, a recent graduate of Florida State University, was murdered during a botched sting operation two months ago.
Her case will be profiled Friday on 20/20.
“The idea of waging a war on drugs is to protect people and here it seems like we’re putting people in harm’s way,� said Lance Block, a lawyer hired by Rachel’s parents.
The Florida Attorney General’s office says it is reviewing the procedures and protocol of the Tallahassee police.Rachel’s case also has raised new questions about state and federal laws related to marijuana possession.
“I’m calling her a criminal,� Tallahassee police chief Dennis Jones told 20/20, who maintains that both drug dealers and drug users are considered criminals to his department.
Under Florida law, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana is a felony.
Rachel was also found in possession of two ecstasy pills, a felony under Florida law no matter the quantity because it “has a high potential for abuse and has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.�
The Tallahassee police chief says Rachel was suspected of selling drugs and she was rightly treated as a criminal.
… Watch the story Friday on “20/20″ at 10 p.m. ET.






I admit, I shed a tear.


~Sincerely yours in Reform,
JDR

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Colorado
www.JohnDoeRadio.com www.WeedWatch.com

www.SaferChoice.org www.THCMedia.com

damn missed it wish I seen it earlier

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This is a very sad story. It just goes to show how ignorent the police are and how far they are willing to go to get a bust. This is a perfect example of why bud should be legal. Pot Smokers Are Not Criminals!

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Don't bother asking me if we should load another bowl. The anwser is and always will be YES

ABC News


Link to the 20/20 webcast.


The police wanted her to buy Cocaine, and a gun. They lost track of her and her hidden mic was out of reach. She was then killed with the gun she was supposed to buy....




This makes me angrier than angry. No words.

__________________
Colorado
www.JohnDoeRadio.com www.WeedWatch.com

www.SaferChoice.org www.THCMedia.com

That is more then disgusting. Wow, how ignorant are the people that are 'policing' and controlling our society?! Isn't there bigger things to worry about then peaceful tokers, who want nothing but peace... and to chill.
That is so sad... wow. The shit they would put a young girl in, how scary that would have been. In situations with hard drugs and weapons... they should be locked up for that!

Peace.

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Toke Up

That's ridiculous. Pot smokers don't hurt people, they just wanna chill out. criminals? NO

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yeah. i just got done listening to marijuana radio talking about that...

apparently she had 13 grand to buy 2 lbs of coke and like... 1500 ecstacy pills?
yeah, retarted. she was just chillin, and suddenly she got shot.

Marijuana Radio might have got it wrong. But close.

The assumption is she was compromised obviously. She was moved to another location after the police dropped her off, kidnapped. The police lost track of her and the signal to her wireless mic, and it is assumed that the murderers checked her for bugs, for some reason or another, and then shot her with the gun she was going to buy.

She herself had exctasy to sell to people, and 20g of weed when busted by the cops. She was then supposed to buy 1,500 pills of ecstasy, 2 ounces of cocaine or crack cocaine and a gun.


Either way its horrible.

__________________
Colorado
www.JohnDoeRadio.com www.WeedWatch.com

www.SaferChoice.org www.THCMedia.com

Howdy JDR,

Thanx for bringing this to our attention and I agree with ya,that this should make everyone very angry,especially parents and if this was my daughter,I'd make it my personal mission to bring down every cop and politician that was a part of this.

The Hoffmans should bring in the ACLU into this,as the ACLU charges the county in which they bring suits,even if they don't win, the possibility of crashing the county budget will git the politicians scrambling and heads will roll.

Have a good one ...

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God Bless Those Who Choose To Protect Our Freedom !

The actual 20/20 Report.



ABC News






PLEASE Watch, and thank you in advance.

__________________
Colorado
www.JohnDoeRadio.com www.WeedWatch.com

www.SaferChoice.org www.THCMedia.com

Howdy JDR,

Thanx for the link to the whole report,,I'm so angry right now,I have tears in my eyes and I could chew a 60 penny nail into a handful of tacks..

This kind of tactic by the cops has to end - period !

The cops knew exactly who these guys were and allowed them to continue to operate,just so they could ratchet up the charges against them and put the final nail in their hides,when they probably already had more than enuff to put em away for a long time. Cops often allow 'known' drug houses to continue to operate and sell hard drugs to children and hard-core users,because they want to gather 'evidence' and because it generates more money to charge a slew of users after they leave a 'known' drug house.

There should have been at least one cop that should have thought of Rachel as being like one of his own children,instead-they looked upon her as a piece of human trash,even though she had yet to be convicted of a single charge ! I cannot imagine the pain I would feel if the cops did this to my 28 year old daughter..I would make it my life-long mission to change the laws and bring down everyone involved in the operation..to any narcs reading this..that ain't a threat-it's a promise !

Have a good one ...

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__________________
God Bless Those Who Choose To Protect Our Freedom !

Made me cry too.

__________________
Colorado
www.JohnDoeRadio.com www.WeedWatch.com

www.SaferChoice.org www.THCMedia.com

I just got linked to the 20/20 report by a frien, this is disgusting.

I posted it on a local edm/rave forum and the first response, under ONE MINUTE (aka obviously didn't even LOOK at the video) was "THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF SHE WASN'T CAUGHT BREAKING THE LAW"


Yea because selling a small amount of pot to your friends means YOU DESERVE TO BE SHOT because the police are negligent. I don't even know how to respond to that guy.

This truly is a tear wrenching story. I cannot believe the actions of the police -- or should I say lack of?

Not only was this a behind the door 'deal', for her to try and instigate buying drugs from KNOWN DANGEROUS DRUG DEALERS AND ARMS DEALERS, but it was negligent on their part to allow her to do this with no training.

This is fucking ridiculous, when I sees shit like this it just pisses me off. Usually I am a calm, cool, collected person but these police won't get any charge, no fines, no investigation, it'll be case closed, "she was a criminal, a drug user".