| Hamilton County |
| Damaine Mitchell, 19, wanted one last joint before having to quit |
A marijuana defendant rocked an Ohio court when he asked if he could have one last joint while haggling over the amount of time he would be forced to give up smoking cannabis.
Damaine Mitchell, 19, of Westwood, Ohio, asked Hamilton County Common Pleas judge Melba Marsh to let him have a final joint before he had to quit getting high, but the judge was having absolutely none of it, reports Kimball Perry at Cincinnati.com.
Mitchell was in court on Wednesday, charged with trafficking marijuana. He stands accused of selling weed on June 12 the the parking lot of a store in Westwood, and his “crime” carries a sentence of up to 1.5 years in prison.
The defendant didn’t even try to hide his love for marijuana. When Judge Marsh said she’d offer him a deal which would prevent him from having to go to jail and would erase the “crime” from his record — in return for him giving up smoking pot for a certain time period — he found it tough to wrap his head around the idea.
“That’s going to be hard for me to do, to be honest with you,” Mitchell admitted.
The judge told Mitchell he’d have to stop smoking weed until April, when he’d be drug tested to see if he’d stuck to his end of the deal.
“That’s going to be a challenge,” Mitchell said. “I like smoking weed. I have been smoking weed since I was 10 years old.”
Judge Marsh then began to gradually shorten the period of weed abstinence. First, she asked if Mitchell would stop smoking pot until Easter. Then she offered him Valentine’s Day. “I won’t want to,” the defendant replied.
The negotiations continued. New Year’s Day? Christmas? Thanksgiving?? Even though that offer meant the goal was only days away (November 22), Mitchell said, “If I put my mind to it I can (but) I won’t want to.”
Eventually, the defendant agreed to try to stop smoking weed, but only on one condition.
“I know this is probably not the right question to ask (but) can I get a little time at least (to) get one more joint in?” he asked the judge.
Mitchell was told he definitely could not burn another joint. “No. You can’t have one more joint for old times’ sake,” Judge Marsh said. She then ordered him to return to court on Monday after a trespassing charge is dealt with in another court.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever had a request for marijuana while they’re serving time in jail,” the judge said.
