POT SENTENCES ARE OUT OF PROPORTION TO THE 'CRIME'

Regarding your Oct. 6 article: "Vero man sentenced to 30 years in
prison for marijuana charges":

Sending David L. Bennett to prison for 30 years for a "marijuana
crime" shows the utter immorality of drug prohibition. Such a cruel
sentence clearly violates the biblical standard of justice: Exodus
21:23 "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand,
foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise"
(also see Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21).

Before punishment could be administered under Bible law there had to
be a victim and the punishment had to match the injury done by the
crime. Since no teeth were knocked out and no maiming injuries or
murder occurred, indeed, since no provable injury at all was involved
in Bennett's "marijuana crime," a 30-year prison sentence is a sin
against man and a blasphemy against God.

The pretexts for "marijuana crimes" are utter nonsense:

o "The primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the
degenerate races."

o "Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users
insanity, criminality and death."

o "Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of
mankind."

o "(Smoking) one (marijuana) cigarette might develop a homicidal
mania, probably to kill his brother" (see U.S. government lies used to
outlaw marijuana: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxact/t3.htm).

I would like to hear Circuit Judge Dan L. Vaughn or any other official
explain how the lies about marijuana justify any prison sentence at
all let alone a 30-year term.

Proverbs 19: 9: The false witness will not be free from punishment,
and he that launches forth mere lies will perish.

Punishing people who have done no harm to their fellow man because of
absurd fictions is a crime against humanity.

RALPH GIVENS

San Diego