a public defender

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I don’t normally post about national politics or federal legislation, but I happened to see this post at TalkLeft about Rep. Sensenbrenner’s proposed drug bill. This is very very scary. You know me, I don’t often employ hyperbole, so check it out. An excerpt:

How about three strikes for drug offenders - life no parole for a
third drug or violent felony. Remember that in most states, simple
possession of even a gram of cocaine, meth, lsd or heroin is a felony.
Federally, growing even one marijuana plant is a felony. Relatively
small amounts of mariuana offenses are still a felony in many states.

More: Your 21 year old gives a joint his 17 year old sister. He gets
a 10 year mandatory minimum sentence - for a first violation. With a
prior felony drug conviction, it’s life in prison, no parole.

The way I read the bill, under the section called "Drug trafficking in
the presence of children," this is a possible scenario: You run out of
your Ambien or your pain pills. You ask a friend to bring one over. If
you live with kids, even if they aren’t home, it’s a ten year mandatory
minimum. Now reverse it. Your friend is out of pills, you bring her
one. She has kids at home. She gets a mandatory ten year sentence, you
get away with five.

Damn.

Prof. Berman also has some views and links on it.