Does The Mississippi Narcotics Team Have ANYTHING To Do?

[TeaCup]

So, on Thursday a pretty terrible thing happened to me and my best guy friend Andrew. Something so exetremely blown out of proportion and insane that it really hit me hard. And when you throw in the fact we're both barely sixteen... it's asinine.

Yes, I smoke the ganja. I know that's illegal and most people don't approve of it, but I was raised to experiment and to make my own opinion about things like this. In my mothers own terms, "If your responsible about it, go for it'. And all it ever really came to is coming home after school and smoking and chillaxin with my friend Andrew in my backyard.


So, let me get on to the story. Thursday after school we drove to meet a friend of our's at his neighborhood's basketball court. He seems kinda freaked out so we're trying to calm him down and he hands me a baggie of pills asking me what they are. I truthfully told him I had no idea, and I pocketed them forgetting to hand them back. He then handed Andrew a book and said he had to run home real quick. So, we get back in the car and Andrew hands me the book. I open it and I literally gasped. It was hollowed out and full of TEN GRAMS of high quality weed. I try to keep Andrew calm and we drive around rather than sit suspiciously on public property.


Our 'friend' calls and we drive back to meet him. We keep begging him to take back the book of weed and he keeps saying 'no, no. someone's coming to get it right now' which led Andrew to freak out even more. A red truck pulls up and our 'friend' pulls out some of the weed from Andrew's car and gets in the truck and hands it to the guy.


Then two black escalades pull out of a driveway, and four cop cars come zooming up. Atleast 12 cops (between us it goes from 12 cops to 16 cops) jump out with guns pointed at us. Andrew drops to the ground. My knees buckle and I'm so scared I'm forced to the ground by a cop. The two guys in the truck are forced onto the ground as well. We were soon handcuffed and Andrew admitted to having a knife (it was an old hunting knife, I do live in the south. everyone carries one) and they confiscated it and searched his car. They found the book of weed, and my bong. I also admitted having the pills on me and they were taken from me. After they tried to scare us by 'roughing' us up we're taken into the police station.


They un handcuff Andrew and I and put us in the break room since we're youths. I'm holding Andrew's hand trying to soothe him when the they tell our 'friend' he's being charged with his third felony and he will be tried as an adult since he's 17. They explain he'll face up to 30 years in jail or a million dollar fine. They then tell Andrew he's facing a youth felony for holding weed during a drug deal, which they consider 'dealing'. He freaks out talking about how his life is over (which it isnt, youth felonies disapear when you turn 18. your record is pretty much clean) and I tried to take hold of the situation telling the police that it was basically 'forced on us'. We didnt even know what it was until we were in the car and the guy was gone.


They then turn to me. "So we hear your the girl to smoke dope with, huh?" I then smiled and replied, "They seemed to think I was a novelty, sir." The cops all laughed and a nice black cop who knew my mom comes over and fills out my youth charges sheet. They were going to charge me with Narcotic Possession, but they couldn't idenitfy the pills (I'm going to assume our 'friend' got ripped off and bought placebo's of some type) so they couldn't charge me yet.


The police then tell me they had audio and video of everything and the HEAD OF THE MISSISSIPPI NARCOTICS DEPARTMENT strolls in and starts screaming and trying to scare Andrew. I for the most part am left alone while I watch my bestfriend being treated like crap. Andre'ws mom shows up and the police explain they've taken her car and she wont get it back until she pays up. She starts crying and spazzing so I'm removed from the room.


My parents show up and talk to the head of narcotics. Its going well and he releases me to their custody after telling me Andrew's going to Yazoo County Detention Center. I manage to shake the Head's hand and we leave. My parents then gave me their typical, "fight the power, man!!!' speech and we go home. I proceeded to cry once I got into the house.


Am I the only one who thinks that this whole thing was a bit insane? Why the hell are the Narcotics Sargents worried about 16 year old stoners, rather than all the people selling herion? Is it not a waste of jail space to send children to jail for smoking weed while murderers and rapists run free? In Mississippi a rapist got out of jail after a year and a half while the other guy busted with us might face 30 and he's only 17!


I'm a bit of an emotional wreck after all this still, and I really just felt the need to explain my situation. I'll be fine and even if I do get charged its my first offense ever and I'll just be on probation. It's Andrew's first offense too, but he's sent to Detention Center and is facing a felony! None of it seems to make any sense to me, and I'm doing all I can researching the local laws trying to find out a way to save him.


Sorry for the asinine babbing, and thanks for reading, dollfaces.

 

[eulchen]

that is awful.

theres not much of an advise i can give or discuss the legal/police situations since i dont know anything about it where you live, but it seems pretty harsh.

 

[Shimmer]

It sucks, but they were doing their jobs...enforcing the law regarding controlled substances. :/


Keep in mind, they're cracking down on situations like yours because it's considered a gateway into harder stuff.

Get an attorney.

 

[TeaCup]

Yeah, I know they're doing they're job, but still.. I'll be getting an attorney if they charge me with anything.

It just pisses me off that they let the kids dealing coke and herion at my school off with a warning who already have felonies, why the treat us harshly and unfairly. Inconsistincy to an insanity.

 

[lipstickandhate]

I always like when a story is preceded by " I know what I was doing was totally illegal but." Not much I can say other than that the police were doing their job. Perhaps you or your parents don't morally agree with the law (in fact, I don't either) but that doesn't mean you should be immune from prosecution when you knowingly break it.

Also, your parents aren't doing you any favors by giving you the burned-out-hippie fight the man, up the system message. You are now part of the system, welcome. Get a lawyer. Now- don't wait to be charged. Your parents care so much about your well-being that they encourage you to experiment in self-expression by dabbling in illegal substances, they can pay to help you when you're caught doing so.

Don't listen to the police regarding charging, felony v. misdemeanor, the impacts a conviction would have on your life, listen to a criminal defense attorney. Please.

 

[Janice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lipstickandhate ...You are now part of the system, welcome. ...

This is SO true, unfortunately.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lipstickandhate Don't listen to the police regarding charging, felony v. misdemeanor, the impacts a conviction would have on your life, listen to a criminal defense attorney. Please.

Solid advice.

 

[kimmy]

youth felonies do not disappear once you turn eighteen. in a general background check, those records are sealed so they won't be seen but in a department of justice background check (which most businesses are requiring new hires to submit to now) can open those sealed records.

the cops were doing their jobs, and for all you know the men in the red truck were some hardcore dealers, maybe even murderers. you don't know what the police know, i promise you...no matter how much you hear from your friends, the police have more information than you know. those guys spend hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of hours collecting intel and getting information...they don't make a move until they know they have a solid case.

as far as andrew being charged with a felony, he was in possession ten grams of marijuana, and i believe that anything after one and half grams is a felony, so there's your explanation. though he will (or should be, at least) charged with a felony, his prison term (if any) will probably be very light. you weren't in possession of the marijuana, which is why you aren't going to be facing a felony and which is why you aren't being detained.

and the narcs are worried about teens because, like shimmer said, they're seeing it as a gateway. yeah, at sixteen you're just "smoking the ganja," but at thirty, you're breaking into houses and stealing money to support the habit.

 

[lipstickandhate]

Two words: "constructive possession."

 

[Simply Elegant]

Wow I knew they were more serious than here, but I didn't think it was that bad. Here we'd just get told to take it to a private place and do it there. No warning or anything.

Just because teens are smoking up a bit doesn't mean they're going to become hardcore drug addicts. That's pretty much just a slippery slope. Lots of people just "mature" out of it.

Hire a lawyer if it gets really serious is all I can say.

 

[SparklingWaves]

Pot is linked to organized crime. People get killed over trading pot to the U.S. Also, there's a really popular thing with dealers of lacing the pot with highly addictive substances. Dealers are not your friends. They want an income. They can put anything in your book and they do. They get a kick out of selling trash.

A person with pot and pills may be having arms on hand as well. How is a cop to tell you are a dealer or a buyer? It doesn't matter. You still may be armed and Andrew did have a weapon. Not everyone in the South carries a knive, pot, and pills. I suspect that drinking will be next on the menu if not already. You put drinking, pills, and pot together and it can spell death. Put a person behind the seat of a car on all that stuff and they can kill someone. Also, you could die from an overdose.

Ask yourself what reality are you trying to escape by using these mind altering substances. Many teens suffer from undiagnosed anxiety and depression and turn to these substances to self medicate.

Are these substances worth going to jail and always being paranoid of the cops? Are these substances worth the possible health risks? Look up the current 2007 research about pot and health hazards to the mind and body. Also, there is information about how it effects your hormones. You don't need that. You are still developing.

Why alter your mind or body with this illegal drug. Additionally, if someone is encouraging you to do this, they are not your friend either. Get rid of them and the stuff. It's not worth it.

Your health and future are on the line here. Don't let a person or a drug get in the way of that.

Cops treat this seriously, because they can have a gun or knife pulled out on them over this drug. They can loose their life. Yes, it is a serious matter and it is treated as such.

If I sound strick, it's because I am. Clean body = clean mind. You need your mind right now more than ever to make clear decisions that will affect the rest of your precious life. I care and that's why I wrote this. Get off that stuff now. Flush it down the toilet where it belongs.

See the trees, sky, and listen to music as it really is and not through the control switches of the drug playing with your precious central nervous system.

Think about it. When you are on pot, pills, or drinks, etc, it has control of you and not the other way around and you never know what ride it is going to take you on.

 

[SparklingWaves]

I want to dedicate a song to you. Look this up. It's called, "I want to make the world turn around" by Steve Miller Band. I think it's on the Young Hearts album. Yes, it's older, but the words have power.

You are young and have the power to make the world to turn around. Peace to you.

 

[kblakes]

Get an attorney and don't believe anything the cops say. They will screw you over unless you have your attorney to protect you. I have had way too much experience with them screwing over friends.

 

[SparklingWaves]

Yes, that's good advice. Seek legal counsel as well.

 

[purrtykitty]

not to be harsh, but if you knew what you were doing was wrong, then perhaps you should face the consequences. it was really only a matter of time before you were caught. it's great that your parents raised you to be independent, but maybe you should use this as an opportunity to act like an adult and show how mature you really are. you might want to think about getting into a drug diversion program or something like that. it will go a long way when you're up in front of the judge. they may suspend your sentence because of the time you put in.

 

[banjobama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lipstickandhate I always like when a story is preceded by " I know what I was doing was totally illegal but." Not much I can say other than that the police were doing their job. Perhaps you or your parents don't morally agree with the law (in fact, I don't either) but that doesn't mean you should be immune from prosecution when you knowingly break it. Also, your parents aren't doing you any favors by giving you the burned-out-hippie fight the man, up the system message. You are now part of the system, welcome. Get a lawyer. Now- don't wait to be charged. Your parents care so much about your well-being that they encourage you to experiment in self-expression by dabbling in illegal substances, they can pay to help you when you're caught doing so. Don't listen to the police regarding charging, felony v. misdemeanor, the impacts a conviction would have on your life, listen to a criminal defense attorney. Please.

I could not agree more!

 

[kimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simply Elegant Just because teens are smoking up a bit doesn't mean they're going to become hardcore drug addicts.

not per se...but teens who don't see the harm in what they're doing run a very high risk of becoming hardcore addicts, dealers or drug runners later on in life. alot of city, county and state governments are cracking down on teen drug use for that exact reason.

there's no way to tell at sixteen if a person is going to become addicted to harsher substances, the only way to know is when it actually happens. if the cops can keep that day from coming, i say more power to them. nip the problem in the bud, you know?

 

[SparklingWaves]

One other thing, like you want to hear more from me. ;0

When I was a teen there was tremendous pressure to do drugs. It was all around me and I didn't even know it was going on. I don't know the terms they are using today. The guys and girls that didn't do it were considered "uncool". They started out with the pot. They went onto drinking, smoking hash, dropping LSD, and last I knew they went to cocaine. I can tell you what happen to these once "good kids." Several went on to be alcoholics. One went mental from LSD & PCP being put in their pot. Some committed suicide. Some went into prostitution. Some are still using last I heard and look 10 years older than their stated age. A few went into the service, but came out with alcohol problems. Some overdosed later as adults. Only a few went on to stop and go to college. Two died from drug related auto accidents. One died from cancer. I have run into many of them and they act like their still teens in their head. They still "party" or get "f*** up". Whatever the term they like to use for what they are doing.

I was always an odd ball. I didn't like what was going around me and as I got older I got more forceful about them pushing that trash in my face. I would tell them that I am not doing stuff to make you feel comfortable about what you are doing to yourself. I literally almost got into fights, because they would start pushing me around physically to do that stuff. I was ready to take them down. I hated the pressure. I wanted to go to movies, dates, places, but all these folks wanted to do was get wasted and crash out. I was like what's fun in that. It was so ridiculous looking at them just sitting there staring in space. Some of the parents were into it too. All of the parents that were doing drugs are dead now. None their parents made it to 55. It was awful. I felt like I was in Hell.

In High School, I worked as soon as I could. Then, I was on my way to getting away from that. It was awful. The business world calls for you to be self displined, so those folks couldn't "hang" with it. I was glad to be away from all that.

Remember they want you to do it, so they feel better about doing it. When you don't do it, they try to make you feel uncomfortable. It's actually, because they feel uncomfortable about what they are doing.

I wish that I could get you away from all this and protect you. You don't realize how precious you are. In just a few years, you aren't a teen anymore. The teen years are only 13 - 19 and then it's gone forever. Why waste it by being wasted?

I know. I need to shut up.

 

[ratmist]

Personally, I see nothing wrong with marijuana. I think it sucks you got caught, but you're lucky that you have the chance to escape a permanent record. Until the drug is made legal, you always run the risk of being caught. If you disagree with the law, get involved with credible organisations that are pushing to make it legal.

As for ideas about gateway drugs, etc., there's all sorts of arguments there, and I don't think that's the point of your post. I'm a very liberal person, so I don't see how society gains anything by putting drug users, recreational or habitual, into prisons. I've read some of the medical reports on the idea of it being a 'gateway' drug, the physical harm and benefits of the drug, and in short, it's quite fuzzy because there isn't enough research. I have a feeling that if you'd posted as a chronic rheumatoid arthritic person, or someone suffering from cancer, there'd be nothing but abject sympathy for your position. Since you've admitted it's teenage-recreational, some people seem really judgemental. *shrug* Whatchoo gonna do?

As for 'bad drug dealer' isms, I'd like to offer a nice story about a really nice one. A friend of mine had his pot dealer on beeper. He'd come by and drop it off at the doorstep and had the gentlest smile. Nicest dealer you could ever know. Never pushed, never skeezy, always a complete gentleman, and was extremely professional. If they made it legal here, he'd could open a business like an Amsterdam cafe, make a good living, pay his taxes, and be considered a model citizen. He got caught during a delivery run to several addresses and had over 20 grams on him. I think they put him in jail because it exceeded the amount he could carry and get away with a small Class C misdemeanor. Some of the cops were apparently quite upset to do it, because they knew him, liked him, and knew he was harmless. Sad.

 

[wolfsong]

SparklingWaves: your input is always valued! Thanks for sharing that - it definitely rings true with me. Also alcohol + dope = aggression/violence (i have the pleasure of having both an alcoholic and a druggie for a father...). Its one of the main reasons i dont want cannabis legalized in the UK - theres enough abuse here as there is.

 

[kimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratmist As for 'bad drug dealer' isms, I'd like to offer a nice story about a really nice one. A friend of mine had his pot dealer on beeper. He'd come by and drop it off at the doorstep and had the gentlest smile. Nicest dealer you could ever know. Never pushed, never skeezy, always a complete gentleman, and was extremely professional. If they made it legal here, he'd could open a business like an Amsterdam cafe, make a good living, pay his taxes, and be considered a model citizen. He got caught during a delivery run to several addresses and had over 20 grams on him. I think they put him in jail because it exceeded the amount he could carry and get away with a small Class C misdemeanor. Some of the cops were apparently quite upset to do it, because they knew him, liked him, and knew he was harmless. Sad.

then he's the odd one out, good for him.