Below is a request from a NORML member and recently retired prison employee from Illinois seeking a presidential pardon for a man sentenced ten years ago as a teenager to thirty years for a first time marijuana offense.
One of the reasons the walls of Cannabis Prohibition are coming down faster and faster these days is because of citizens like George from Oakford, who can no longer stand idly by and be witness to the waste and cruelty of incarcerating citizens for so-called marijuana-related ‘crimes’.
George’s signature is first, mine is second…will you please join us in asking President Obama to pardon Jason Spyres after he has served 10 years for a ‘crime’, that some day soon will no longer be a crime.
Thanks in advance for caring and sharing,
-Allen St. Pierre
Executive Director
NORML
Washington, D.C.
—— Forwarded Message
From: George A.
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:50:05 -0500
Subject: Need Help?
Hi: I am a NORML member and wanted to ask you to circulate a White House Petition that only needs 150 signatures(online) to become searchable (under marijuana or cannabis). It is:
I would appreciate your response or suggestions. It is in regard to an Illinois inmate who got locked up for 30 years, of which he has served about 10 years, for a first time marijuana offense. He was first locked up as a teenager. I worked as a Correctional Officer around this inmate and know that he does not deserve to be locked up for so long. I retired in 09 and can now help this young man fight for his deserved freedom. Please help if you can.
George A.
Oakford, IL
200 signatures so far. Yay.
Nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, should be serving any time in prison for marijuana. The level of injustice is staggering. Somehow, I don’t believe that plea for clemency will be heard by President Obama.
Obama needs to sit down, kick back, and fire up a doobie. He is thus far seriously lacking in essential cannabinoids, readily apparent from the cognitive dissonance he exhibits when ‘marijuana’ or ‘cannabis’ are brought up at political events. Or empathy. Where is that moment of clarity to smack him on the back of his head, with the thought that “there but by the grace of fortune might I be, with a single youthful indiscretion that might have lead to my arrest.”
Reality sucks dry shite. President Obama has made his ‘political’ bed, and is now bitten by blood-sucking conservative ‘fleas’. If he wins re-election, it will only be by way of a miracle in the form of a largely despicable political opponent — or the magic bit-flipping of easily hacked electronic voting machines.
This makes no sense. The President of the United States has no power to pardon someone convicted of a state crime. The governor of Illinois is the proper person to ask to pardon Mr. Spyres.
A 30 year sentence is the most unjust punishment for such a small crime. These laws must change. The time has come for prohibition to stop. this man has served his time and should be set free.
I signed the petition and I hope Jason is set free.
W T F man, seriously wtf, ppl that rape and kill kids dont even get anywhere near as much as this….. POST THIS EVERYWHERE, need more sigs…..cmon ppl, spam the beejesus out of this link….
This is another ‘crime against humanity’.
We should be mailing liberals with the pleaof “HUMAN RIGHTS”..
How can we be throwing people in jail for ingesting a plant they find enjoyable?
We should be mailing conservatives with the plea of “WASTE OF MONEY!” How can you claim tobe fiscally conservative while spending all of this money on a futle attempt to prohibit a plant?
But,what about the children?. the little innocent babies…I mean the ones that grow up to feed the Prison-Industrial-Complex by “Design”.All part of the Plan”. Jesus Christ.. Their lives are serving a noble purpose..after all We own shares and stocks that generate Interest off of their futures…What else our they going to do?..haha..most of the jobs have been outsourced to India for Christ Sakes… Their lives have been predetermined for our benifit. let them get 3 meals in a cage.
WINNING! ( Sarcasm)
I find myself extremely curious as to the exact charge for which he was convicted. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge supporter of cannabis reform. But a fair amount of detail seems to be missing from this article.
please spread this video around and show the truth about this little plant… and let help get this wrongly convicted guy along with M. Emery and others out of jail .. http://youtu.be/BnAGOoxb6zM
vinceremos. free Leonard Peltier! pot ‘crimes, were invented by the people for the people of the people. just not anyone you know…’criminalization’ of carrots is more reasonable, they kill more people each year than pot EVER
The fact is the prison system is a business just like a burger stand if they don t have prisoners they dont generate income. SO IF YOU OWN A PRISON YOU WILL LOBBY FOR LAWS THAT INCARCERATE PEOPLE TO PROTECT YOUR INCOME REGARDLESS OF THE SENSELESS SOCIAL PAIN!!!!! THE FACT IS DENMARK HAD TO CLOSE PRISON DOWN FOR LACK OF PRISONERS!!!! IF THEY LEGALIZED THIS HARMLESS PLANT THAT HAS NEVER KILLED ANYBODY EVER THEY WOULD LOSE THERE INCOME!!!! PROFITEERING CRIMINAL LAWS SHOULD BE ABOLISHED AND RECOGNIZED FOR WHAT THEY ARE!!!! IF ANY THING EXCESSIVE USE OF MARIJUANA BY SOME INDIVIDUALS IS A SOCIAL ISSUE NOT A CRIMINAL ISSUE!!!!!!
I’ll sign yours if you sign mine! http:wh.gov/gv5 I only have 20 signatures. It says: close 50% of our overseas military bases and bring these Americans home. They have jobs but will need housing. And Thank You to those 19 that did sign. Also, NORML, I am still waiting for my T-shirt!
I readily signed this petition. I would also like to encourage all of you to sign this one. It regards the Canadian seed seller who was targeted by the American prohibitionists for selling marijuana seeds to Americans. He is no less than a political prisoner who is serving 5 years in an American prison because he spoke out against the drug war and donated a lot of money to help out the legalization cause. He definately deserves our support!
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/pardon-marc-emery/z7QQdhq7
I signed it. More details would have been nice, but I know some states are crazily-cruel when it comes to punishment for marijuanna like Oklahoma 1 joint can get you a life sentence so I don’t doubt that this guy got screwed over. President should have ability to pardon him though, I mean the fed laws override the state ones anyways so would assume the President overrides that states Governor just as easily.
If ya’ll don’t mind taking a look at a petition I created, left link down below. If you like it sign it, if not keep up the pro-weed/pro-common sense debate.
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/redirect-all-money-going-aid-other-countries-apply-it-instead-stimulate-our-economy-revamping/8pTmFzy1
Oh and the vote count was at 959 last I saw it
What do the judges that give out sentences like these tell themselves to sleep at night?
According to what I could find from the fourth district of Illinois (http://www.state.il.us/court/opinions/AppellateCourt/2005/4thDistrict/September/Html/4030883.htm), this gentleman was convicted of (I) cannabis trafficking (over 5000 grams), (II) possession with intent to deliver, and (III) possession. The evidence provided by the prosecution proved that he’s and interstate trafficker. (He was shipping pot from Cali to Ill) This is a far cry from growing a plant and smoking a joint on your couch. Frankly, I am surprised that NORML would choose to back this. We talk about legalization taking the marijuana out of the unregulated black market, AKA drug dealers, who will sell without discretion to fuel criminal activity. This is exactly what we’re talking about. It is this guy and people like him that gives us casual tokers a bad name.
[Editor’s note: So you support taxpayers paying for a person who sold marijuana to rot in prison for 30 years? You call yourself a ‘casual toker’…where do you think cannabis comes from for most cannabis consumers…the cannabis fairy? Someone has to grow, transport and sell the cannabis from CA, Mexico, WA, OR, Canada, etc…
Bottomline: Cannabis consumers, cultivators and sellers should not be arrested, and certainly not be sent to prison for a day, a year, or three decades!]
C’mon, get real …………… What about ” We the people ” ?!! Do you think he’ll listen ? Obama talks about crimes against their own people in other Countries but never talks about the crimes that this Country commits against their own people .
I signed the petition, and, while I was there, I sent an email to the President to let Spyres go. It must have been difficult for George to watch this young man over the years. It is sad he had to wait until he was safely retired before he felt he could support an unjustly convicted fellow citizen without retribution from his employer.
Hey, everybody please help keep up the fight for our freedom & injustices by contributing with whatever monetary donations you can to, NORML .
( i have )They’ve really been working hard & doing an excellent job as we all are .
I played the mustached Cop in this film . There’s a lot more to it than this . This is only a preview .
and then in, November i play a radical citizan in two different scenes in, Clint Eastwood’s new film, J. Edgar . Hope you’ll watch & enjoy.It was a pleasure working with, Clint Eastwood and Don Coscarelli as it is with all those such as yourself who not only post here but continue to fight for our freedoms & rights .
posted the above link and not Anonymous .
geesh – it only took two days but I finally got a login at whitehouse.gov
site is as lame as our spineless president who I voted for
I’m so disgusted with this country
norml is the one hope I have any more to regain some sanity
So just a random thought.. the money we spent on this guy plus all the other inmates + exporting marc emery from Canada total for every year. If we just through that at students who can’t afford a college or a good college to give them this millions or billions of dollars to put the next generation of students through college and actually help improve this countries debt.
But instead of that they want to just continue down the road of ignorance.
We need one of those polls to be about abolishing private prisons as they are “harmful to society.”
Wow. We really do live in the dark ages. See you guys in NY.
Hello, I also signed this one, what a shame. I agree with Don, we should all sign the one for Marc Emery and for anyone who is suffering this continued injustice of prohibition. I know one day we will win, and then we can ask for an apology for the millions of lives ruined and the criminals created where there was just a person smoking herb. It has sucked for years, but it looks like some progress is being made. Thank you all.
U.S. condemns Iranian pastor’s conviction
Washington (CNN) – The White House Thursday condemned the conviction of an Iranian pastor, who may be executed in Tehran for refusing to recant his religious beliefs and convert from Christianity to Islam.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani “has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for people,” a White House spokesman said in a statement. “That the Iranian authorities would try to force him to renounce that faith violates the religious values they claim to defend, crosses all bounds of decency and breaches Iran’s own international obligations.”
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent advisory group appointed by the president and Congress to monitor religious freedom around the world, Wednesday expressed “deep concern” for Nadarkhani, the head of a network of Christian house churches in Iran.
After four days of an appeals trial for apostasy, Nadarkhani refused to recant his beliefs, the commission said. Chairman Leonard Leo said the pastor “is being asked to recant a faith he has always had. Once again, the Iranian regime has demonstrated that it practices hypocritical barbarian practices.”
………and what other Country comes to mind when it comes to hypocritical barbarian practices such as what is mentioned here, Mr. President ?
just print out all these comments and show the mayor of that state and get a petition going there… start protesting for it also
Please sign my petition to eliminate the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the “Drug Czar”. I really believe that the ONDCP is pretty much at the root of the problem.
You can view and sign the petition here:
http://wh.gov/4kR
Here’s some more information about this petition:
Eliminate the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The legislation that congress used to create the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also known as the Drug Czar’s office, requires that the ONDCP reject any attempts to reform laws for any substances on the List of Controlled Substances.
Because of this restriction, the ONDCP has shown time and again that it is willing to lie and distort facts in order to fulfill that mandate. This behavior by the ONDCP is un-American and immoral, and should not be allowed in a free and democratic society.
This petition requests that the ONDCP be eliminated.
What gets me is the fact that we keep using words and it’s getting us no where,They keep giving us the run around.30 yrs in jail for marijuana? They’re no better then hitler and should be treated as such.Are words going to get people their lives back after spending decades in prision getting stepped on by the real hardcore prisoners or even losing their lives there? No they’re not.It’s time to take a stand,A real stand.Pot crimes aren’t the only injustices going around at the moment,Half the damn laws they make are an injustice.
Why can’t people just live as long as they’re not directly harming anyone else?
On a related note, here’s a petition at We the People I’m trying to help promote:
Eliminate or Reform Departments whose Officers are Required by Law to Lie to the American People.
http://wh.gov/gKN
This one isn’t yet publicly visible or searchable at the site because it hasn’t passed the 150 signature threshold. Only 26 more–it’s almost there. Help out if you find it worthy of signing, and please spread the word.
This petition looks to pressure President Obama from another angle than “legalize marijuana.” This one looks to inform people about the undue power the ONDCP has in trying to stymie any legalization efforts of a Schedule I substance, regardless of what science shows. That’s just wrong.
Hopefully this petition will appeal to people who may not specifically support MJ legalization but are fed up with corrupt and arrogant government. The MJ legalization petitions are going heroic–this one aims to be their sidekick.
There are many other petitions there on varying subjects worthy of consideration. Please check them out, and be sure to visit the site every day–it takes only 5-10 minutes to catch up on new petitions. Some may be related to petitions you’ve already signed and need support.
Thanks for your time.
Our gov’t is a bunch of losers. If all the cops and politicians who smoke weed would got busted, we woulden’t have any cops or politicians. It’s sacrilage and hypocracy to allow the people (cops) to bust civilians for something they are guilty of. It’s just not fair to society.
Ill gladly. Sign I’ve been on probation nearly 15years for possession when child molesters get slapped on hand to do it again The STATE OF TEXAS WILL NEVER STOP ME FROM ENJOYING A FAT ASS BOWL AFTER A HARD DAYS WORK
Did he have previous offenses? If yes; were they violent? I’ll sign but I don’t know if this cat had a violent past. I don’t want any heavy sh&# going down if/when he gets released knowing I was part of it.
Being a victim of violance, these cases still shock me. When I was 25 a gas station attendant kidnapped me, falsely imprisoned me, attempted to rape and kill me. I escaped. He was sent to jail for 12 years and was on the street in seven. That is a harsh reality when you know that he had only been out of prison for a few months on a prior similar case. I think it is a travesty that a teenage could face a term of 30 years for something so ridiculous. I GUESS OUR GOVERNMENT PREFERS TO RELEASE VIOLENT OFFENDERS OVER TEENAGERS WHO NEVER TRIED TO KILL OR RAPE SOMEONE. I SIGNED THE PETITION AND WILL BE ASKING MY FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME.
Fear an wonder.
It sucks they hit him with the max 30 years. But this guy was stupid about it. It wasn’t his first time offense either. A month earlier he got busted with 1/2 pound. So he was already going to court when he had 38 pounds shipped to his house. That’s an easy way to piss off a judge and get a max sentence.
That being said it’s only a plant legalize it already. So people don’t have to go to jail for stupid stuff like this. I hope this kid gets a pardon, he’s served way too much time already.
I hear Newt Gingrich made his 21st century “contract with America”. In this, he apparently said if he is voted president, he will sign 150 executive orders. One of which he said he will get rid of all the czars….really?
So, I would like everyone to contact Newt and ask him if that means getting rid of the drug czar as well. Bet he backs out….or lies.
Hers the story.
http://news.yahoo.com/newt-gingrich-detail-contract-america-143300860.html
Heres his site.
http://www.newt.org/get-involved-now
I hear Newt Gingrich made his 21st century “contract with America”. In this, he apparently said if he is voted president, he will sign 150 executive orders. One of which he said he will get rid of all the czars….really?
So, I would like everyone to contact Newt and ask him if that means getting rid of the drug czar as well. Bet he backs out….or lies.
Hers the story.
http://news.yahoo.com/newt-gingrich-detail-contract-america-143300860.html
Heres his site.
http://www.newt.org/get-involved-now
Nothing else has worked.Why did alcohol prohibition end? RAW VIOLENCE?
WTF seriously 30 years for a damn plant…I hear u about what this guys past was…. BUT 30 fucking YEARS if he was sentanced at 18 he would be 50…. HOW the FUCK is that even tolerated.
We should throw the Judge in there for the remainin 20 that sentenced him. Who is this Judge? Call to have him pulled from bench if he isnt already. Its judges like that that think they can “SET AN EXAMPLE”! The crime should fit the punishment!
Peace,
S i R
Brothers and sisters I agree with you on principle that it is ridiculous. But before you go signing a petition please think about the following:
1.The man and his family seem to be professional drug traffickers. This is based on language in the court papers.
2.Among the charges were possession of a pipe bomb. That is not a weapon of defense that is a weapon of assassination and intimidation.
3.They have photos of him at a large grow site with weapons.
This man appears to be an organized and professional criminal.
I agree that 30 years seems harsh but what I can say, right or wrong, is that cops, prosecutors and judges will make deals to “throw the book” at someone who they believe represents a great danger. This can be because of previous crimes that person has committed, but not been able to have been prosecuted for. (For example if your only witness is a low level criminal)
I am not saying this is right. I am not saying that this man should be in jail. All I am saying is that please, please look into this yourself and feel well informed when you demand action on anything. We don’t know all the facts.
Just like most of you I would prefer the complete legalization of this plant and the public be informed the truth about why it has been prohibited. But also, like most of you, I don’t want professional criminals organizing and threatening my or your community.
Thank you.
BTW, how much herb did the guy getting a life sentence have in his possession at the arrest? 2 lbs. Yep, life for 2 lbs right here in the US.
His only other charges on his record are for violating probation for other marijuana offenses and that’s it. They also took $1500 sitting with a college application on his nightstand(but still the prosecution labeled him a “career criminal”). Dealing became his only option due to prohibition(ever try getting a job with a drug conviction or while on probation for drugs…), so in that sense yep he was a career criminal forged by prohibition as his only option.
Also, I’m the Texas Finance Director for Gary Johnson for President 2012. He was asked on national TV is he would pardon all non-violent drug offenders. His answer, “YES, that has to be part of the solution.” This was on Stossel asked by an audience member. A staunch advocate for legalization he needs your support. We are trying to make sure your voice is heard. The bigger the numbers the more people pay attention. Let’s get Gov. Johnson’s numbers up by midnight so we can finish the fiscal quarter with a bang.
You can feel free to e-mail me any questions about the issues and Gov. Johnson’s stance on them. If I did not agree with him 100%, I wouldn’t have taken the job.
Thank you,
Charles Lupton
Texas Finance Director
Gary Johnson for President 2012
E-mail listed here: http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/state-contacts/texas-contacts
“We the people…” must take a stand and support liberty before it’s gone.
Please help me in supporting liberty by giving a generous donation. You can click my name on my post to donate.
It is sad to hear stories like yours Kim (post 41), my heart goes out to you. I am sorry and embarrassed as a member of the society of people who did not do a better job to protect you. Who are we, when we allow people to victimize others (or especially continue to victimize) people, but we throw away/lock away innocent people who have not victimized anyone? Please if you are out there, on the fence about these issues, stand up for better balance. Marijuana use is one of the lowest possible concerns for a “Great & Compassionate Nation”. Even on a more selfish level, I/We should not have to pay to have someone locked up who has not stolen from or assaulted someone else. This person could be helping better our society by paying their fair share of taxes. Instead we are furthering the burden on society, probably taking better care of this individual than the elderly, homeless, and children. From a spiritual sense based on compassion & fairness we are currently failing miserably. For Jason, I am also very sorry that our society has severely punished you for something that is not destructive on society.
For the people talking presidents, vote Ron Paul and he will end the drug war and such cruel and unusual punishments. This is like when they imprisoned people back in the Soviet Union.
Remove Marijuana from the Schedule 1 list of drugs in the Controlled Substances Act
Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the Controlled Substances Act, a category reserved for drugs which have “no currently accepted medical use”. Marijuana has known medical uses and therefore should not be classified as a Schedule 1 substance. The federal government should “accept” marijuana’s known medical uses and remove it from the Schedule 1 list of drugs.
http://wh.gov/4sn
lots to take in on this issue. I could go do what he did and make alot of cash. I dont want to go to jail. Instead I go to work every day. However I also dont think what he did should be a crime and it sickens me to spend billions of dollars on prisons and trashing peoples lives. I have to say bottom line dont do the crime if you cant do the time. We all break the law by toking and if I get caught is norml going to start a potition for me?
The petition is due to the nature of the unfair sentence. If you got 30 years and had already served a good portion of that, NORML wouldn’t have too. I would. I’ve stood before parole boards and contacting other groups on behalf of what I believed to be unfair sentences before.
Someone needs to free this guy and focus on the rapist, child molesters, murders, and serial killers. Shit, they are the ones that got need to be punished.
30 years for pot , that is asinine!!!!
He still needs a lot more signatures. Would it help if you reached across the aisle to MPP and Drug Policy Alliance to see if they would put the plea on their sites. I myself almost overlooked it here, and who knows how long it will be front and center here? Hopefully, till he gets enough signatures.
Seriously? I dont envy the Karma that will be visited upon those who put him there.
Thank goodness I have an opportunity to voice my sadness for this innocent man. This is injustice that no one can deny. Pardon him President Obama. Quickly please.
I had not heard of this case but free the man as there are so many!
Where were the Churches and citizens, Where Are the Churches and Citizens Now and HIS CONGRESSIONAL REP and SENATOR?
Come on people, those who ruin the World Economy do so legally while a guy has Pot and I don’t care how much Pot he had or what he was doing with it this is WRONG.
I agree with Jay that the governor of Illinois is the person to deluge with petitions. If he had a federal sentence it would be different.
Vote for Dr. Ron Paul and this injusticer will BE STOPPED DEAD in it’s tracks.
As Ive said for years,the medical avenue for legalizing marijuana is the absolute wrong avenue to go down,however Normls use of this avenue has put them way too far down a one way street..As marijuana advocates are finally realizing,”Compassionate Use Laws”hold no water with those prohibitionists who have no compassion for anyone but themselves and their own selfish interests…It is way past time for Norml and other orginizations like them to use their resources to wholeheartedly pursue total legalization for this benign plant,so that everyone including those with medical issues can enjoy the benefits of its responsible use…
I am Jason’s mom. I just found this site. Thanks for all the comments. We did not want to keep any info from anyone but there is limited room sometimes. Yeah to the ones that looked it up. He was 19 when he was arrested. Unfortunately he was very good at what he did. He was selling large amounts. He did not have weapons. Another person at the house had something they called a pipe bomb. I am for it being Legal. I believe it would solve many of our issues. I was a pot smoker for 29 years. I raised Jason to think smoking pot was fine. The problem is as long as it is illegal it is not fine. Our kids, like Jason is paying huge prices for my mistakes. Today I am in recovery and believe that 9 years is long enough to pay for this mistake. It is time for my son to come home. P.S. I know president does not grant the clemency. I have other sites asking Illinois Gov but thanks to George for starting this and raising awareness. We will shoot this over to Il Gov along with another petition on Change.org. Thanks everyone for your comments and support.
Once we get marijuana legalized, it should be a matter of course that ALL 600,000 persons convicted of marijuana “crimes” be granted pardons by the President and all Governors.
Ron Paul seems to be the only Presidential candidate in favor of legalization. Let’s stir the “pot”.
Broke 5000 signatures yesterday. Huzzah!