Conine

Ugh.

Time for me to join a club I wasn't looking forward to. Recently had my first run in with the law concerning marijuana.

I'll just start the story from where the deputy sheriff showed up.

Three of us, all 18+, were standing around smoking cigarettes. (Tobacco!) We had parked my car off to the side of the road in a subdivision around where the other two with me lived. There was a trail there that we walked down. Skip ahead to where the sheriff shows up.

He walks up, on his approach asks us what we are doing and why are we here. To which the others replied that we were having a cigarette and that we come on this trail all the time. He asks, "Are you guys smoking marijuana?" One of them replies, "No, cigarettes."

Then he approaches me and says, "You don't have any weapons on you, do you?" I tell him I don't. He starts patting my pockets and hits my pipe. Then it's "Oh, what's this?" Then he reaches in and pulls it and a bag of MJ with about a gram in it out. Frisks the other two, finds nothing worth mentioning other than a pocket knife. (the owner informed him) Keep in mind that I've said nothing else at this point, when he walked up we were doing nothing but having a cig, and I wasn't asked to consent to the search. (probable cause for smoking cigarettes?)

To speed up a LONG ASS story, I get a summons for marijuana possession and paraph, the other two get posession summons. From what I could piece together out of a rather oddly told story by the deputy, a complaint was called in by a neighbor that we had parked across the street from them.

Needless to say, based on what I've ever read from Niteshift, I was highly disapointed that three first-time offenders were written up over a very small amount of weed and a pipe. Then I remembered what he said about how some cops will do it anyway, and the other cops would be annoyed with guys taking up so much time bothering over a little pot. Well, I guess it's just my great luck that I got such an individual.

Other details aside, I know it's lawyer time. Here's my question - you knew I had to have one, right? This all took place about an hour away from where I live. Clearly, I'll have to make the drive over to deal with the summons. But as far as lawyers go, I'm trying to decide if it's more appropriate to find one where the incident took place, or where I live. It's clearly a big hassle to try and make a trip there to talk to a lawyer, but I don't know if getting one where I live makes sense.

I've resolved to swear off of the good plant, at least until this is all behind me. I've got enough problems to deal with now without worrying about adding to the list. The arraignment isn't for another three months, so it'll be a long sober summer.

So here's your latest victim of the War on Drugs. Let's chat.

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Freedom is the right to choose the habits that bind you.
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