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Buzzby

No Prison, But Paint Job In Marijuana Case
Boston Globe | 07/01/2006

LITCHFIELD, Conn. -- A Winsted man accused of growing marijuana plants in his home has avoided prison time, but he must do a paint job.

Christopher Seekins, 26, was sentenced Friday on charges stemming from a drug bust last fall when police say they found more than 100 marijuana plants growing inside his house on High Street.

After his arrest, Seekins painted images of the distinctive green leaf of marijuana on his Victorian-style house, each accompanied by the word "hemp."

Town officials say they received several complaints because Seekins' home is visible from Winsted's main thoroughfare. As part of his sentence, Seekins has to remove the images of marijuana leaves painted on the house.

Seekins represented himself in court, maintaining the plants police found were for research.

He accepted a plea deal that carried a suspended two-year jail sentence and three years of probation, pleading guilty to one count of cultivating marijuana.

Bantam Superior Court Judge Heidi G. Winslow ordered the contraband police found in his house to be destroyed including he plants, a variety of smoking pipes, rolling papers and marijuana seedlings.

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stoneygreenbud

I believe in some parts of the U.S. "(more than a hundred plants)" would quickly get the feds attention.

I wonder what would have happened if he only had 3 plants and maybe 2
seedlings

1 year jail (suspended)....6 months probation....clean out the garage and mow the lawn

Stoney

replica

The paint job seems very reasonable. It's one thing to smoke, it's another to rub it in people's faces.

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sleep please

Moderation is a smoker's best friend

More Rights, Please.

Buzzby

He should have as much right to voice his opinions by painting cannabis leaves on his house as you or I have to voice our opinions on these pages. I believe it's a First Amendment issue and that a sentence which includes squelching dissent should be invalid.

This sentence says, basically, "Shut up or we'll lock you up!" I don't think that's justifiable under the Constitution.

It's great that they didn't lock him up for cultivating 100 plants. I don't really understand why Judge Winslow did that. OTOH, such generosity should not be predicated on the suppression of dissent.

Nibes

while it should be protected under the first amendment it's still very very stupid. it's as though he's thumbing his nose at the feds. how can one expect to make their paint-job a marijuana billboard and not immediately be viewed suspiciously by the police?

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nibes
sometimes we live no particular way but our own, sometimes we visit your country and live in your home, sometimes we ride on your horses, sometimes we walk alone, sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own -- grateful dead, eyes of the world

 

Buzzby

He didn't paint the leaves on his house until after he was busted. At that point he had nothing to worry about. The police can be as suspicious as they want to be, but if no crime is being committed what can they do about it?

Nibes

oh. sorry, i didn't realize that.