Broadcom billionaire Henry Nicholas and pal on drugs rap cough up $1m to avoid the clink

Re: It’s good to be white. And rich.

I was wondering that. The easy though hopefully wrong conclusion is that he avoided gaol by having a spare mil lying around but I would like to think that the same offer would be made to someone of less means by being, well, means-tested. But part of me thinks that's a rather naïve assumption.

Re: It’s good to be white. And rich.

Who is that woman standing for President in California who admits to taking marijuana in college but refused to release low-level drug offenders from prison?

You can't even blame the Republicans for this mindset because she's (supposedly) a Democrat.

Re: It’s good to be white. And rich...not in Cal

Sorry to burst your self righteous rant but in the post Prop 47/57 world not only would your "Poor Black Dude " not get arrested / charged but the same dud can keep on stealing up to $1000 a time without anything happening either. Come to San Francisco and watch it in action. Streets full of junkies who no longer have to be in rehab programs as part of their probation, because they are almost all petty criminals, and stores being brazenly shoplifted several times a day. The Walgreens on Potrero Ave by SF General Hospital is a good place to see this happen. Every day.

Your opinion is obviously based on what you see in the media and not on what actually happens in the real world.

As for the rich dude. Just a typical street junkie with a couple of billion. So usually a sociopath and often a psychopath. Call that an opinion based on decades of almost daily observation.

Re: It’s good to be white. And rich.

We lock up people who have sexually explicit pictures of children as pedophiles, without further evidence of any actual contact with (or abuse of) minors, on the basis that possessing pictures is supporting abuse. I've no problem with that (providing any investigation shows that there was intent by the accused to download). It's a societal flaw we need to address, even though we may never eliminate it.

On that basis, that stash may only have affected him directly but, in buying it, he was financing the drug market and, therefore, supporting dealers. Being rich, it's quite possible he paid a higher price as well.

Re: It’s good to be white. And rich.

It’s good to be white. And rich.

What's colour got to do with it ? Money talks no matter what colour you are, no virtue signalling required, only hard cash.

Re: i'd throw him in jail and let joe random go free

Thats entirely true and I agree with you.

Mexico’s agony at the hands of the drug lords’ an example of where my position’s full of shit.

Not being sarcastic. The harder the drugs, the more society has a vested interest to criminalize dealers. Who are supported by “innocent” users.

Whatever else the arguments are, you have a valid point.

(is being nice to people who disagree with you on the net a superpower?)

Re: i'd throw him in jail and let joe random go free

Yes and no: the problem really comes down to tptb's obsession with prohibition which is often more of a moral matter than a solution to an actual problem. As usual, lots of collateral damage, both organised crime and petty crime shoot up (argh, that was unintentional, sorry), people are unnecessarily criminalised, people who actually need drugs for legit medical reasons either can't have them at all or have to endure stupidly restrictive policies.

I understand the concern that "but they're dangerous!" even apart from the likelihood of illicit supplies being adulterated, but an enormous number of prescription drugs that aren't restricted are dangerous-er. Again, it seems to be a result of that moral fear that someone, somewhere may be getting some sort of illicit enjoyment, and the costs of waging a War On Drugs don't apparently don't matter when they're being borne by someone else, especially when that someone else is another country.

Re: i'd throw him in jail and let joe random go free

Not only is he "knowingly supporting the production, distribution, misery and mayhem that the trade in illegal drugs brings" he is also ....

providing business for lawyers.

Ever notice that if crime was drastically reduced, nay eliminated, there'd be a huge drop in the number of lawyers required and their revenue?

If only we could now progress onto properly sentencing the bastards!

Re: So it's their room, but they don't own the drugs?

Clearly they were just unlucky to accidentally end up with someone else's luggage being delivered to their room.

And the balloon of laughing gas was, umm, a novelty balloon they found in the room that, ummm, accidently popped very close to Mrs Fargo causing her to pass out. I'm surprised she isn't suing the hotel for providing faulty balloons that are clearly dangerous...

Re: Money Talks

I think one particular hotel is going to find a drop in their rich bastard clientele.

They won't like a tell-tale.

Re: why do drugs = crime?

I don't share your optimistic view. The other purpose of prohibition is to keep the market in the hands of those with links to the power and prevent any competition. Unfortunately in a world where we see unfair competition and monopolistic giants popping out everywhere the need for prohibition is dwindling. Getting rid of prohibition won't make such a big change.

Re: why do drugs = crime?

Simply because the price for drugs is massively inflated by the prohibition

you've never had to live in middlesbrough. Cheapest drugs in the land, absolute shithole with zombies everywhere asking for 20p or just being content with flogging your stolen TV for a fiver because they can get a decent hit of heroin for a quid

i love your romanticised view of drugs but try living where it actually affects people who don't choose to do drugs