Jury Sends Man Home Despite 80 Pounds of Weed
February 13th, 2009 by Silvio
Loren J. Swift, 59, was arrested Oct. 26, 2007 for possession. Authorities found 25 pounds of dried marijuana, and another 50 pounds in plants. Swift then spent 49 days in jail, before posting a $10,000 bail. Since the Vietnam veteran already has a conviction for possession, and due to the amount of ganja the police found in his La Salle County home, it should be safe to assume he won’t get away lightly this time.
The evidence against Swift was massive. The pictures of his garden presented during the trial showed an immense amount of marijuana plants. Plus 25 pounds of weed, which isn’t just a weeks supply either. Swift however, claimed that this more than abundant amount was indeed for personal use only. The Veteran used marijuana to self-medicate his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD,) a condition he developed after his time on an aircraft carrier off shores of Vietnam in the 70s.
Apparently the jurors couldn’t bring themselves to convict Swift, even though he was clearly guilty in the eyes of the law. The minimum sentence for his crime would be six years. So on Jan. 29, 2009 @ 1:30 pm, the jury came back with their verdict: not guilty. This is no scene from a movie, this actually happened and the jury is within the law by doing so.
To quote Alexander Hamilton in 1804:
Jurors should acquit, even against the judge’s instruction… if exercising their judgment with discretion and honesty, they have a clear conviction the charge of the court is wrong.
So, what does that mean? Can everybody go and grow weed now? Or do you have to be a veteran? Not quite there yet, my friend. The jury nullification clearly shows however, that more and more people, everyday people, do not agree with current marijuana laws.
Let’s hope these voices continue to grow, louder.
