| Kansas City Democrat Jeremy LaFaver. |
Missouri State Rep. Jeremy LaFaver is apologizing to nobody in particular after being arrested over the weekend in Columbia, Missouri with a pipe and an ounce of marijuana. While his instant reaction was to beg forgiveness, we think he should have taken the opportunity to announce that he enjoys cannabis and that it’s high time Missouri change their laws.
Of course, the Kansas City Democrat wants to remain a politician, so of course that would never happen.
Police say they stopped LaFaver around 3 p.m. Saturday after running his plates and seeing that he had failed to respond to an expired license tag and provide insurance during a previous stop in Moniteau County. During the stop police say that they smelled cannabis and subsequently found 1.2 ounce of herb and a pipe in the car.
For his part, LaFaver owned up to the herb immediately and yesterday began the very public apologies:
“I made a serious mistake, I apologize for it, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my behavior,” he wrote. “I want to stress that I was not operating under the influence. I deeply regret the embarrassment I have caused my family and the people of the 25th District by this incident.I want to assure my constituents that I have received no special considerations, nor do I expect to be treated any differently than any other citizen in my situation.”
The freshman representative could be facing up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines if convicted of marijuana possession under 35 grams. Possession of paraphernalia carries an identical misdemeanor charge with an additional $1,000 in fines and the possibility of a year incarcerated.
Of course, he probably won’t face any of that jail time. Despite his claims that he “received no special consideration”, the fact is that he probably has the money to defend himself in court and get his charges lessened – unlike hundreds of his constituents who are arrested and jailed each year for cannabis possession.