Illegal Drug Possession Protest

[JAC]

Hello fellow freedom advocates,

I wish to inform you all of my plan to protest current drug laws and what you can do to help.

I am going to possess a quantity of cannabis at a given time and place in a public location and I require volunteers to aid me by recording this protest as video and audio tapers.  I want there to be as many people around me as possible during the duration of the protest, holding cameras, camcorders, cell phones, and audio and visual recording devices so that the protest will undoubtedly and definitely be recorded for public viewing as well as public education.

At a pre-disclosed public location I will meet all those willing to aid in the fight for freedom and, at said location, I will extend my hand outwards, holding only a small quantity of cannabis - too small to be legally recognized as evidence of intent to sell, but, none-the-less, enough to be in violation of current law.

Prior to said protest I will announce to the media my plan to peacefully and publicly demonstrate the moral bankruptcy of the current laws concerning cannabis.  I will also send press releases to local law enforcement agencies regarding the protest, so that they can decide for themselves whether to enforce the law and arrest me at the public location.

I do not smoke pot and I have no intent to smoke the pot that I will be in possession of.  I will simply hold it in my hand for all to see as I stand in the park, with fellow freedom lovers surrounding me for moral and legal support, waiting for the law enforcement officials to come arrest me or fine me.

Anyone who wishes to join me in this protest may do so by aiding in the recording of it, as suggested above, or you may also possess a small amount of cannabis and hold it in your hand.  The idea is to be open and honest about our possession and challenge the bureaucrats to make the next move.

Please express here your intent to help and how you wish to do so; or provide some ideas on how this can be properly executed so as to best challenge the laws of the government in a peaceful and non-violent fashion.  Thank you.

[Kat Kanning]

Wow.

[dalebert]

I need to know at least the general area before I can say and I have no idea where you live. Are you in NH? I would film it and blog it. Do it in a more central location, like Manchester or Concord, and you'd probably have the best turnout.

If anyone else is planning to participate by openly possessing some themselves, kudos. I would strongly suggest that if you haven't looked into the possible legal repercussions of possession and aren't prepared to deal with the potential consequences, don't. Also, do not at any point take it from JAC, not even just to get a better look at it or something or you may in fact face those repercussions anyway.

If this results in an arrest, I'm quite confident it will qualify you for your own set of brass balls.

[Kat Kanning]

I don't think there's any 'if' about being arrested doing this.

[(V)]

Find a leaf instead of dried, much more visual.

[Mike Barskey]

If you are in NH, I will be there to support you and video your protest/demonstration. Good idea, and brave, too, since I agree that you are likely to be arrested for this (though I am no authority).

I would hope that you make very clear to the media and police and public that "I do not smoke pot and I have no intent to smoke the pot that I will be in possession of.  I will simply hold it in my hand for all to see as I stand in the park...waiting for the law enforcement officials to come arrest me or fine me...to demonstrate the moral bankruptcy of the current laws concerning cannabis."

[doobie]

If in NH and on a weekend, I can probably show up

[FTL_Ian]

Cool.  Where and when?

On a related note, you may be interested in the open marijuana litter pickup:
http://forum.freekeene.com/index.php?topic=132.0

[Josh]

Pardon my skepticism for a moment:

Are there potentially any 'Conspiracy' charges that might go along with this?

Entirely hypothetical, but let's assume the poster is an agent of the men with guns, and decides to plan this. Is there any way the men with guns can then arrest/fine/etc anyone that decides to assist in documenting the action?

Also, just so everyone is aware, the feds do not treat this the same as state/local police departments. If the feds show up, you're looking at a felony with a mandatory minimum cage sentence. You will not be allowed to legally possess a firearm again.

Just food for thought.


EDIT: If anyone has conflicting information, please share it. The above is my understanding having worked in the marijuana reform field for some time.

[dalebert]

Are there potentially any 'Conspiracy' charges that might go along with this?

Entirely hypothetical, but let's assume the poster is an agent of the men with guns, and decides to plan this. Is there any way the men with guns can then arrest/fine/etc anyone that decides to assist in documenting the action?

Not a bad question to ask. I had similar thoughts when I suggested that no one touch it or take it from him unless they were ready to participate and probably get arrested.

Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to put anything past the feds at this point after attending both Kat and Lauren's trials, which were CLASSIC first amendment cases. Should have been open and shut not guilty. Instead, I had the sinking feeling from the moment I walked into the room that we were watching a Salem witch trial and everything had already been decided.

That said, I can't imagine what they would cook up to charge people just for documenting the act just as any other representative of the media might. As I said, don't freakin' touch the stuph. Don't accept it from him. The only thing I can think of that we may need to look into is if there is some charge for not reporting someone you know to be in possession. It's a reach, but that's about all I can think of. If so, he's doing this publicly and wants to be noticed anyway. We could, every single one of us, call the police and "turn him in". "There's a guy here who appears to be in possession of an illegal substance. I'm being a good citizen and NARKING HIM OUT!" Haha. Problem solved.

Anyway, I'm going to have trouble taking this seriously until we at least have a location. This is his 9th post, after all.

[FTL_Ian]

Josh, I appreciate your concern, but let's be clear.  The govt people at any level at any time can "charge" you with whatever they want.  If they want you, they can get you.  I think people who are doing disobedience know that there's a possibility of being thrown in cages and they accept that as a potential outcome.  Some even hope for it.

If you are engaging in visible activism, even of the political realm, your chances of being targeted by the Blue Light Gang increase.  However, having significant numbers seems to be a mitigating factor, though the feds can always transfer their cases to other states...

Finally, it's unlikely the feds will get involved on a possession case, unless you are possessing pounds of pot that they can steal.

[AntonLee]

if this guy is for real (and not hiding behind some tin) he's got some major nuts.  I liked the idea of the leaf as well, it's more visual.

[dalebert]

Finally, it's unlikely the feds will get involved on a possession case, unless you are possessing pounds of pot that they can steal.

But what if they consider you, or more accurately if they consider your speech, to be a threat?

[Josh]

If I were a fed, and wanted to prove my worth, what better way then getting a bunch of liberty activists with drug charges?

That's the only point I was trying to make. I'm all for peaceful resistance in any form, but I don't want to see good activists rot in a federal cage.

[FTL_Ian]

Finally, it's unlikely the feds will get involved on a possession case, unless you are possessing pounds of pot that they can steal.

But what if they consider you, or more accurately if they consider your speech, to be a threat?

Possible, of course.  Only one way to find out.  


Hopefully they will learn that arresting activists in NH becomes a greater threat to their legitimacy.