Them's the breaks, they often to say at the judiciary level. On the other hand, some laws are just meant to be broken, especially those that fall under the suspicious glare of traffic cops and such. Take heed to this bizarro situation in Illinois: a man being was sentenced to 4 years in prison for ordering 42 pounds of chocolate-covered cannabinoid. In this instance, the injustice lies in the extenuating factors associated with the state legislature of Illinois, and not the act itself.
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Thomas Franzen purchased the goods to relieve the symptoms of his painstaking illness, testicular cancer. That's at least what he told a grand jury. Unfortunately, prosecutors begged to differ. They found Franzen to be fitting of the "drug dealer" profile, due to the large cache of cocaine and other forms of marijuana in his lodging. And yet, they feel they've done Franzen a solid by reducing what could have been a 12-year bid. The search of Franzen's home took place sometime after his arrest.
"In recognition of the seriousness of Mr. Franzen's medical condition, our office reduced a 12-year mandatory minimum sentence to 4 years, of which he is required to serve only 2 years," State Attorney Joe McMahon said in a written statement. "We did this in spite of evidence that proves that Mr. Franzen is a drug dealer."
Here's the kicker: the recreational use of marijuana and its purchase within state lines (at licensed bureaus) is no longer prohibited in the state of Illinois. Unfortunately, Franzen didn't purchase the goods in-state. Blame it on Federalism all you want, it stands to reason that ordering 42 pounds of product is what the good folks at Costco refer to as wholesale living.
