Medical marijuana: 10 years for Cheeba Chews in Japan? Western states aren't much kinder
Yesterday, 9News broke the story of Colorado School of Mines student Tim Wilson.
9News
The 25-year-old is facing up to ten years in prison in Japan because a friend back here in Colorado sent him a care package containing some pot cookies and Cheeba Chews.
Wilson, who is studying abroad, has denied knowing that his friend was going to send him him the cookies, but Japanese officials point to an e-mail Wilson sent to the unnamed Mines student saying it "would be a good idea" to send marijuana overseas. I can imagine Wilson would want to add some fun to his otherwise dreary life studying and helping the country with earthquake relief efforts.
Despite never receiving the package or having it in his possession, he was arrested and has been in Japanese custody since August. According to Wilson's father, the trial has been delayed three times already and the earliest estimate on a start time is now for sometime January.
Since the 9News story ran, Cheeba Chews posted a link to it on their facebook page with the note: "We in no way advocate shipping Chews out of state, but no one should face 10 years for 4 Chews."
I agree. But while ten years sounds like something that only a foreign country would impose for possession (if you can call it that), the reality is that Colorado is pretty much an island of cannabis tolerance in the otherwise pot-unfriendly Rocky Mountain West. Several of the states around us have punishments as bad, if not worse than what Wilson is facing in Japan.
Below, check out the penalties you could face for possession and distribution in Colorado and in our neighboring states according to the folks at NORML:
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