Pot Dealer in UK Gets Sentenced to Write 10-Page Essay

[at0m]

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/pot-dealer-in-uk-gets-sentenced-to-write-10-page-essay--161750168.html

Convicted UK pot dealer Terry Bennett, 32, was just sentenced to the grown-up version of writing “I will not chew gum in class” on the chalkboard 100 times. He must pen a 5,000-word essay about the dangers of cannabis by April 4—or spend a year in jail.

“It was a shock to be given such an unusual punishment. It’s been ages since I last wrote an essay,” Bennett, who was caught with just over two pounds of marijuana and admitted his intent to sell it, told the UK newspaper the Mirror.

“I think it’s good in a way because it gives me a chance to express my opinion about the crime that I’ve committed,” he added in a video interview with SWNS. “And it also gives me more of an understanding of why the crime’s illegal, because I’m having to actually do the research.”

Bennett’s original sentence from Bristol Judge Julian Lambert, given in January 2012, was for a one-year suspended prison sentence with 240 hours of community service. But a shoulder injury Bennett got while snowboarding, he eventually explained to the judge, made that impossible. Last week Lambert came back with the alternative essay-writing sentence, which also comes with a four-month daily curfew of 8pm to 8am.

“I asked the judge if I could write a balanced argument for and against cannabis, but he said that since it’s illegal, I should only write about the bad things,” said Bennett. “I’m just going to write about certain dangers caused by cannabis that people might not necessarily know.”

The former plumber and father of two kids left high school at 16 and lives in Gloucestershire with his mother. Speaking with various UK news outlets, he seemed rather excited about the assignment, saying he’d gotten right to work with online research.

“I’ve always loved writing, and used to write stories from when I was 11, but this is the first time I’ve ever had to write a proper essay,” Bennett told the SWNS. “I didn’t realize just how much work it would be to get my point across properly.”

He said he plans to take a slightly different tack than the judge may be expecting.

“I'm going to approach it from a different angle, writing about the dangers that come about because it is illegal, rather than the nature of weed itself,” he explained to the Telegraph. He shared points he planned to cover in his 10-page thesis, including the concepts that pot can cause psychotic episodes, that money generated around the selling of the drug is not taxable, and that smoking the stuff can cause cancers. Then, he stressed, there are the social dangers.

“Weed often causes more problems because of the social inertia and stigma that surrounds it,” the blooming writer noted. “It would be good if there was no stigma attached to people who want help with weed.”

[PhoenixSon]

bit harsh

probably the judge had smoked a huge spliff beforehand or/and he was sick of all these people making a living from a plant that has been around for ages and has been smoked throughout most cultures.

5000 word essay and a 2 pound doantion of pot to the coppers, punishment enough i reckon.

[Scarecrow]

i don't know how i feel about this :l

it's probably good that he's being given the chance to share his opinion, but this:

“I asked the judge if I could write a balanced argument for and against cannabis, but he said that since it’s illegal, I should only write about the bad things”

makes me sad.

[lhb2444]

I'd rather his sentence than having to write the 5,000 word essay im writing for uni on the ethical dilemmas facing IT professionals & software developers

At least writing about cannabis would be a hell of lot more interesting, plus I'd be able to conduct first hand research haha

[planthelper]

i'm lucky to have spent a few years in the uk, everybody smokes pot over there, from down the royalety, up to the homeless on the street.

small amounts of possession is ok, but two pounds is a rather large amount, so he is quite lucky.

let's hope ozzie judges will follow suit.

Edited March 30, 2013 by planthelper

[Distracted]

I don't know why pot is illegal, writing 5000 words about it would be very hard for me.

[Scarecrow]

I don't know why pot is illegal, writing 5000 words about it would be very hard for me.

i've found this website to be pretty informative:

http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

My 5000 worlds would be spent on

*The dangerous implications of crossing the law

* the dangerous implications of selling to drug dealers and deranged drug users

* the dangers and implications of being uncovered for tax fraud

* the dangers and implications of being an habituated person with access to pot

More likely though it'd end up 10k of words lol

D00d

[whitewind]

There could be an introduction explaining briefly that while marijuana has it's good points, with a paragraph about medicinal use and recreational value, there are also dangers which the authorities have deemed overwhelming to it's usefulness and these are outlined below.

5000 words might seem a lot but there is plenty of cut and paste from the interwebs!