Here are some examples of typical sentances for various common crimes in Cali.

Possession of marijuana : $40.00 Fine & 8Hr diversion class.

Minor Possess Alcohol: 8Hr diversion, $110.00 class fees

Minor Possess Tobacco: 1Hr diversion

Curfew: 8Hrs community service

Possess crack/herion/meth: 18months diversion

Possess syringe: 18months diversion

Possess vicodin/valium/Ect w/o Rx: $41.00 Fine

Throw cigarette on ground: $100.00 fine or 8Hr community service.

Drinking in public: $243.00 Fine

What strikes me as funny about the above is a kid with a beer is in more trouble than a kid with a bag of weed.

A kid who throws a butt on the ground is in more trouble than a kid with a full pack in his pocket.

A guy drinking a beer on the sidewalk in front of his house is in more trouble than a guy smoking a joint on mainstreet. As we have decriminalized drug crimes, we have enhanced the sentances for most alcohoo related crimes. Yet we are still strangely unaggressive in prosecuting MIP violations.  We are passed the point already where an alcoholic is going to find himself in trouble more often than a drug addict.

I don't know if its still a law in CA but carrying a concealed handguns is a misdemoner where carrying a concealed knife is a felony!

True.  Carrying a concealled loaded firearm in public is a misdemeanor. Unless you are a criminal street gang memenber. there are also sentancing enhancements if the gun is not registered to you.

Carrying a concealed fixed blade knife, or even an ice pick or screwdriver, if capable of ready use as a stabbing instrument, is a felony. The district attorny's are generally more aggressive about prosecuting gun violations than knife violations though. Which may make the statutory differences moot.

Ect = Ecstacy?  I don't have the answer to the drug problem, but it seems odd to give the same fine for a Schedule I (Ecstasy), Schedule III (vicodin) and Shedule IV (valium) drug.  If Ect = Ecstacy, then you can't get a Rx for it anyway (I'm know you knew that).

I agree that the sentencing guidelines don't make a lot of sense in most cases.

Do you have to have a prescription to possess syringes in CA like you do in NY?  If so, that's screwed-up.  They're legal in SC, and I already get too hard of a time from LEO's and pharmacy employees about the ones I have to buy.z

i'm just wondering what do you need a syringe for?

Yes. Diabetics get a Rx. it's generally pretty easy to tell whose a diabetic and whose a junkie. Diabetic generally are not reusing the needles, and will have other diabetic supplies with them. Junkies will just have a dirty needle, and be unable to even tell you the difference between hypoglycemic and Hyperglycemic, while claiming to be a diabetic. My personal favorite is when they claim their diabetic friend left his used needle in my jacket, car, motel room...

ANY time you impose manditory sentencing guidelines that judges cannot deviate from you've got a clusterfunk waiting to happen.

I didn't see anything wrong with those guidelines at all except that maybe they were not harsh enough.

That's terrible, because that makes it very hard for a diabetic from a free state when traveling to obtain syringes since they wouldn't have a prescription since they normally don't need them.  I was out of town for work and got stuck an extra ten days in NY so I had to buy more insulin syringes.  It cost me $300 and half a day off of work to get them.  I (obviously) would have driven out of state or had someone mail me some if I had known how much the doctor was going to charge and that I was going to have to wait three hours in the waiting room.  It's dangerous to prevent or delay diabetics from being able to obtain insulin and syringes.  I still wonder what the lawmakers were thinking.

I used to get a hard time when buying insulin syringes and have been refused quite a few times.  That was before I figured-out that, like you said, if I took the top of off the box of syringes with the needle length and needle size info on it that I get what I need without getting questioned and/or refused.z

maybe because alcohol is more dangerous then pot???

Did you surrender common sense when you applied???


In Texas-- possesion of a stick/club in your car is illegal- shotgun?? No problem!!!

Ect = Ecstacy?  I don't have the answer to the drug problem, but it seems odd to give the same fine for a Schedule I (Ecstasy), Schedule III (vicodin) and Shedule IV (valium) drug.  If Ect = Ecstacy, then you can't get a Rx for it


I dont think that Ect means ecstacy, I think that means xanax and similar drugs.

Possesion of a flash hider: Life imprisonment w/o possibility of parole or death, depending on whether it was pre-ban or post ban.

CW