Marijuana has unfortunately become a life sentence to too many Americans, who are now rotting away in jail over a plant. Among those are the DeLisi brothers, arrested in 1980 after creating one of the largest marijuana smuggling operations in the country. Our colleagues at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times take a look at the DeLisis as well as numerous other Americans locked up for life for ganja in their cover story this week:
“Reformers say the long sentences handed out to relatively harmless pot dealers during the War on Drugs should be revisited. In the 1980s, when crack cocaine ravaged the nation, lawmakers introduced mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, and tough prosecutors tacked on conspiracy charges that could add decades of prison time. Now, however, 23 states plus Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana, and polls indicate that 80 percent of Floridians will follow suit by voting for a constitutional amendment in the November 4 election. Why are taxpayers still footing the multimillion-dollar bill to incarcerate guys peddling a substance we’ve come to think of as medicine?”
Do yourself a favor and head over to the New Times for the whole story.