[Anyone] Fwd: StoptheDrugWar.org (Thanks, Uncle Bill)

[anubis at laplaza.org]

> > Disabled Iraq Vet Loses Home Because of Marijuana Arrest
> > 
> > Posted in Chronicle Blog by Scott Morgan on Mon, 02/23/2009 - 11:09pm
> > 
> > Scott West lost his legs fighting in the Iraq War and now he's lost his home thanks to the war on 
> drugs:
> > 
> > Â Â Â  Newlyweds Scott and Samantha West drove their SUV through the gate of the exclusive 
housing community, winding upward to an empty cul-de-sac that offers commanding views of the 
> surrounding valleys.
> > 
> > Â Â Â  For months, the young couple visited this site and dreamed of their bright future, ever since a 
> charity that serves wounded veterans announced last year it was building a house for Scott at no 
> charge.
> >     …
> > Â Â Â  In January, just two days after the couple had returned from their honeymoon, the charity took 
> back its gift after learning that Scott West had been arrested on marijuana charges in 2007 and 
> pleaded guilty in December to a felony of possession with intent to distribute. [St. Louis Post-
> Dispatch]
> > 
> > West maintains (believably, in my opinion) that the marijuana was for personal use and he's 
never sold any. His lawyer convinced him that he'd be better off pleading guilty than fighting the 
charges, so that's what he did. My guess is that large doses of marijuana were helping him cope with 
the pain of getting his damn legs blown off in Iraq.
> > 
> > Of course, the war on marijuana is predictably evil, but what about the charity that took West's 
> house away? They didn't have to do that. Surely, they have a strong explanation:
> > 
> >  Homes for Our Troops founder John Gonsalves did not respond to several requests for an 
interview.
> > 
> > Oh. Well, I'm not terribly surprised that they couldn’t find the words to defend passing judgment 
> on wounded soldiers for which medicines they use to cope with their condition.
> > 
> > Someone should start a charity that gives free homes to medical marijuana patients who get 
their lives destroyed by the drug war.
> > 
> > StoptheDrugWar.org • 1623 Connecticut Ave., NW, 3rd Floor, Washington DC 20009
> > Phone (202) 293-8340 Fax (202) 293-8344 drcnet at drcnet.org • Privacy Policy