Marijuana Laws in VI?

Depends on the police's mood that day. There are occasionally big busts on it.

An, occasionally, you'll see a guy driving down the road smoking, sitting in the park smoking, or on the beach smoking....ya just never know what kind of mood a cop will be in....

sundevil: There are a lot of laws here with lax or inconsistent enforcement. It does give a great deal of power to the person who can enforce on a whim.

The MJ laws in the VI are archaic and oppressive and are destroying the islands youth who get caught with even a dime bag more than once. They can be charged as a felon. There is no provision for Medical Marijuana, which is crazy because it's use in certain diseases it's benefits are scientifically proven. The normal site has method to contact your elected officials. Where I last resided we changed the law by referendum and a management and distribution program is working. NORML helped.
There are 2 bills pending in Congress. One will legalize Med MJ programs that exist. The other would decriminalize the use and possession and cultivation. Donna Christian should be aware of you opinion on that legislation.

Heres something from CNN on decriminalization & medical use bills...Barney Frank, Mass. congressman has a pretty good point. Why are Federal agents wasting their time, when 42% of the USA is inhaling? Id guess its higher % here in the usvi than on the mainland, the cultural influence plays a part.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLH-Q41PJA

42%??? I doubt that.

Excuse while I light my spliff.
Good God I got to take a lift.
From reality one must spilt.
That why I'm sticking with this rift.
Take it easy. EASY SKANKING. Takin it easy.
BM

And always carry a hundred. It can always get you out of trouble.

Its legal as long as you purchase it from a police officer.

LOL, Jay....funny.....I like that one, actually got an out-loud giggle from me!!!! Thanks!

I remember when there was more grass than gas at the gas stations.
Legalize it
Don't Critize it
PT

42% stateside?? Someone was smoking that came up with that figure.

I'm not really interested in making the jail time for it easier. It hasn't done anything good for the community. While I'm on my soapbox, I think they should bring the drinking age up too. Never understood why its 18 here.

so it sounds to me like if your not an asshole about it and not selling it their pretty cool about it? also last time I was down there I heard about a place called the "gas and grass" is that a real thing?

Ya know the whole drinking at 18 thing. It should stay right where it is at. The states need to lower theirs to 18 also. I was brought up around alcohol and you learn to respect it sooner then waiting until 21 to legally be allowed to touch the stuff.

My idea because damnit they deserve it...If they wont lower the drinking age to 18 for everyone then it needs to happen for anyone that can present an active duty or reserve duty military ID. If you can show the ID and you can show the responsibilty of defending some peoples dumb aZZZs in this country then they should be able to drink. LEGALLY! So its not giving everyone the right only the ones that gave up something else first. MAKES SENSE!

Thanks

Joe

so it sounds to me like if your not an asshole about it and not selling it their pretty cool about it? also last time I was down there I heard about a place called the "gas and grass" is that a real thing?

If you're planning on moving here it might be smart to obey the laws. There can be varying degrees of enforcement depending on who you are.

. There can be varying degrees of enforcement depending on who you are.

Please elaborate.

You won't be related to any cop or a cop's girlfriend. You're a statesider....

Being a statesider you will always get the harsher end of the stick. Majority of crime on the islands is related to drugs. While you may feel you're only hurting yourself by doing drugs here you are totally wrong, you are helping to keep an awful system alive on the islands. Please don't come.

Interesting times:

Marijuana ballot initiatives

http://www.mpp.org/library/2008-ballot-initiatives.html

Thanks for that link no0ne.

I don't smoke really unless its handed to me, and I certainly don't use hard drugs. However I strongly believe that all drugs should be legal. My body is mine and what I put in it is my business. I have to disagree with Betty, blaming someone who chooses to put marijuana in their body for this "awful system" is presumptuous. This "awful system" is created by a violent government preventing a free people from putting what they want in their bodies. To use violence (everything the government does it ultimately backs up with violence) to restrict personal freedom that affects no one else is immoral.

Besides that moral argument, from a practical standpoint, the affects that the war on drugs has had is far worse than the affects of the drugs themselves. If drugs were legal and sold in stores we would not have turf wars and street violence. This is one of the easiest points to back up, we experimented with alchohol prohibition and it led to a situation very much like what we have with drug prohibition. Once alchohol prohibition ended the violent criminal bootleggers disappeared (or moved on to the still illegal drugs) and society was much safer. Drugs are exactly the same (alchohol is a drug).

Another thing that drives me nuts is when kids experiment with drugs but because the are forced to buy them on the black market with no brand names to trust they often accidentally overdose and die. It's happened to many here on the island. It is very sad, and while I think putting something in your body that you don't know the potency of is extremely stupid, I also think the politicians shoulder some of the blame for putting people in that position when they want to exercise their inalienable right to use their body as they see fit as defined in our declaration of independence (pursuit of happiness).

There is far too much money to be made and power over individuals to usurp via the war on drugs which is why the violent, fear mongering politicians have continued to work very hard to perpetuate this failed endeavor. And it definitely is a failed endeavor.

As for drugs in the VI, they are everywhere, just as they are in the states (again, failed endeavor). I wouldn't wave them around in the face of LEO's but I also think that your chances of getting busted here, especially for a small amount of weed would be lower than most other places in the US. They can barely get convictions on high profile open-shut murder cases, I seriously doubt you'd end up in jail for mere posession if you had a decent lawyer. That said, I have heard a story of a guy who was growing plants in his house when it caught fire leading to their discovery and got 2 years in jail.

Sean

"I also think that your chances of getting busted here, especially for a small amount of weed would be lower than most other places"

" I seriously doubt you'd end up in jail "

Sorry, Sean. Lousy advice. 😉

Betty I must strongly disagree with you on the fact at MJ causes crime other than the money involved by it being only sold on the black market. I do not believe that all drugs such as cocaine, meth , heroin and other hard drugs should be legal . These substances cause people to become violent or have horrible heath consequences. Most LEO's that I know do not find MJ to be harmful to society and only enforce the laws because its their job and they have to weather the believe in them or not. Also the economic benefit of legalizing and regulating MJ would be huge from the tax revenues, to the money saved by not having law enforcement doing this and not having to pay for non-violent drug users in jail. MJ doesn't create violent people it make sleepy and hungry people. And on a side note I believe that there should be laws regulating driving while on MJ just like there are DUI laws.

Isn't that why there are DUI laws rather than DWI (driving while intoxicated?) It's neither here nor there since it IS against the law.

There are laws" DWI is Driving while intoxicated", "DUI Driving under the influence "(of a controlled substance). Some of the Posters can tell you how nice the Jails are in the USVI. I agree with Betty, stay where you are! It costs the tax payers enough to feed and house all the happy people we have now, in our correctional facilities. Try Cancun.

I guarantee I know as many LEOs as you and I have never heard one agree with your statement. I think this is more like your 42% statistic. MJ may not typically cause any violent crime but for those addicted to it their lives become a waste of air. I've yet to met a pot head I wanted to have any kind of conversation with, it doesn't just make you sleepy and hungry it turns you into an idiot. And for the record no I don't want to talk to a drunk either. But the long term effect of MJ are not pretty, unless you need it for real medical reasons there are no good benefits to it. I can't believe I'm arguing with an addict.

Since you don't live here you don't seem to grasp the huge effect drugs has had on these very small islands. Its nothing like the states. There has been nothing good to come of them here.

People like you always talk about legalizing it but it never happen because I don't believe a bunch of addicts will ever be motivated enough to get the laws changed. Until you do its illegal and I don't want you here. It causes nothing but crime and grief here. Its not good for anyone why in the world to you want to make it legal??

The law is the law. If you break it you pay the fine. If you don't like, work to change it. But don't cry if you break it and have to pay because you don't think its fair.