Aaron Sandusky Has Spent 7 Years in Prison for Selling Medical Marijuana

Obama denied him clemency. Will Trump set him free?

Aaron Sandusky has spent nearly seven years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute cannabis. He's one of about 20,000 federal or state inmates behind bars for an activity that is legal in one form or another in 33 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

A bill is working its way through the Senate that might help people like Sandusky by expunging their records. Some advocates believe that President Donald Trump is close to granting clemency to some of these men and women―including Sandusky.

When Sandusky opened a marijuana dispensary in 2009, medical cannabis had been legal for 13 years in California. But in 2011, the feds carried out a series of federal raids on medical marijuana clinics in California, despite earlier assurances from President Barack Obama and his attorney general that they wouldn't target operators that were legal under state law.

Sandusky had located his operation in the town of Upland, one of a handful of municipalities that was attempting to use the zoning code to keep the industry away. Sandusky alleges that in 2011 the then-mayor, John Pomierski, demanded a $20,000 bribe to allow him to continue operating.

Sandusky ended up cooperating with the FBI, which later arrested and charged Pomierski with bribery and extortion.

After Pomierski was indicted, Upland continued the fight to force Sandusky to close his dispensary. So he sued in state court and won.

But cannabis is still a schedule one narcotic. According to Sandusky, city officials retaliated by sending a formal request to the U.S. attorney to shut down his operations. On November 1, 2011, federal agents raided Sandusky's businesses.

The federal government charged him with six counts of drug trafficking. Sandusky's employees all took plea deals. His business partner testified against him in return for a lighter sentence.

Sandusky declined a plea deal offer that would have turned him into an informant.

"I said, 'I'm not going to go set people up so these guys can take them down,'" says Sandusky. "These people are following state law."

Sandusky's attorney was planning to argue entrapment on the grounds that the Obama administration had publicly stated that it wouldn't prosecute marijuana operators. The judge prohibited that line of defense, and Sandusky was convicted and sentenced to the mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. During sentencing, Judge Percy Anderson accused him of having lost his "way about what's right and what's wrong."

"Aaron, maybe more than anyone, should receive clemency because his case is so disturbing," says Amy Povah.

Povah did nine years in prison on a drug charge before receiving clemency from Bill Clinton in 2000. Now she runs the the nonprofit CAN-DO Foundation, which seeks clemency for all nonviolent drug offenders. Sandusky is one of 22 "pot prisoners" who CAN-DO is currently working to free.

"Corporations are making millions [from cannabis], and and we're even getting into the billions," says Povah. "I think [it's] almost a human rights violation to continue to punish people for marijuana offenses."

Povah says she's visited the Trump White House several times and met with Jared Kushner, who heads up the president's criminal justice reform team. She believes Kushner is open to reforming the clemency process and freeing more marijuana offenders.

"I am predicting that the cannabis people who are honest about this will see that [Trump is] the one that can get this done," says Dana Rohrabacher, a former U.S. congressman, a marijuana legalization advocate, and a Trump supporter.

He co-authored the 2014 Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, which prohibits the federal government from expending resources to raid and prosecute anyone operating a marijuana-related business under state law. Rohrabacher thinks that under his law, Sandusky should be released immediately, though the courts don't see it that way.

"They should be let out of jail and they should be given their freedom, clemency, and maybe even an apology," says Rohrabacher.

Sandusky is set for early release from prison this November, when he'll be transferred to a halfway house in California and then out on probation in early 2020.

Even though Sandusky will be out soon, he knows he'll be facing consequences long after his release and continues to seek a court appeal overturning his sentence or a full pardon and expungement for operating a business within the bounds of California law.


Source: https://reason.com/video/aaron-sandu...cal-marijuana/


RMS

Well posted.

I, as a Non-US citizen, still fail to understand the USA laws regarding Cannabis in state legal states.

Maybe it's my lack of the English language or it's my lack of general intelligence or the Cannabis laws in the USA are just schizophrenic.

Cvh said:

I, as a Non-US citizen, still fail to understand the USA laws regarding Cannabis in state legal states.

Maybe it's my lack of the English language or it's my lack of general intelligence or the Cannabis laws in the USA are just schizophrenic.

Click to expand...

which may say something about the USA itself.


If "Red Flag" laws were applied to nations as well as persons, would the US gov. be allowed to own weapons ?

Wasn't he involved in diddiling boys at Penn State

Headbandf1 said:

Wasn't he involved in diddiling boys at Penn State

Click to expand...

Same last name, different person.

You're thinking of Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State football coach.

RMS

St. Phatty said:

which may say something about the USA itself.


If "Red Flag" laws were applied to nations as well as persons, would the US gov. be allowed to own weapons ?

Click to expand...

nope, and the whole damn lot would be under a psych hold waiting for rooms to open up. too bad those assholes have been CLOSING psych hospitals etc. "no room for you, stay in jail!" (said in fish nazi voice, lol)

not surprising, wake me up when a president has the courage to do the right thing instead of take it laying down in the name of personal safety, out of fear and for the corporations.
because there hasn't been a single one strong enough to do the right thing or be honest in the past 20 years and probably longer. Factor in shadow government making all the decisions and shaping society and it doesn't seem like people will ever stray away from capitalism due to the culture built around the disease that has accumulated due to the inherent selfish lazy and dominating nature that IS the definition of what built america, a nation built on slaves and ruined by slavemasters. Assured destruction of nature due to the imbiding of ignorance and control bred into one in almost every mind that ever played an active or passive role in slavery in the past that also exists in the present due to the continuuation of the tradition that is hurting others for personal gain, breeding obedience into the working class. When you roll both of those mentalities into one you get an extremely stupid selfish individual and is extremely dangerous all of which has culminated in a the cult of personality that is the status quo in america and also presently has their hand in deciding the fate of the future, a terrible thing to contemplate and a mentality the tenaciously ignorant engage to it's fullest. What is happening in america is a direct result of the aftermath that is human slavery, manipulation selfishness and cowardice. The only solution is to be honest and do your best to map out what the exact right thing to do is in every situation the the best of your ability. The only hope is that the good critical thinkers stay alive long enough and endure this retardation to see it die off... eventually.

America is also a nation built on killing natives.

I'm not left or right wing because i think when you take sides you ignore the inherent problems associated with not evaluating every issue independently. I notice with people that adhere to one party in it's totality and to its extremes make mortal mistakes because they don't understand who it benefits and that they only choose the views of an extreme because they are doing it out of fear, wanting to fit in. And those types of people are extremely easy to manipulate. I'm talking joe biden, obama, kamala harris, trump, mitch mcconnel supporters. Most of those candidates are backed by the corporations regardless of any affiliation, they align themselves with corporations and they all believe in the same thing and are very weak individuals only ever running for office for personal interest which in turn makes them very easy to control. Regardless of their useless talent which is controlling and lying to the mentally impaired, which usually consists of passionate repetitive rederick a small monkey could interpret effectively. All just a lie to keep things the same, the way people have been used as servants for the corporations hasn't changed in the last hundred years with no plans of stopping regardless of the limitations put on earth by nature and regardless on anyones health but the first person perspective of a selfish weak perpetrator. When people only exist to serve the corporations any sense of beauty and unique sustainable quality in the things we use day to day from food to entertainment all lose their purpose and a majority of people grow up serving the same shit sandwhiches they were fed as kids all in the name of survival. An absolute hell and nightmare for anyone that has a heart or an acute sense of taste.

Factor in the systematic dumbing down on a multi generational level and the extremely extensive brainwashing that is TV and a majority of congolemerate social media all done in the name of a few sociopathic salesmen at the cost of the hard working kind and gentle folks and thats a wrap for america, maybe even the world if these issues are never brought to the attention of the people that ACTUALLY make the decisions and they aren't too pre occupied are attached them to actually address them before it's too late.

Truth seekers and truth tellers never die because they were the only ones to ever live and their seed will live on for eternity.
Long live life. Fight for freedom and never lie.

half-truth seekers and tellers, definitely die

I'd like to have a personal conversation with any and all alien species that have a high enough influence on the fate of mankind to stop the impending apocalypse that is the perpetuation of habits that fuel planetary destruction and to establish a platform of truth on earth and elsewhere in existence in the name of health, beauty and honesty. Don't talk to the government of earth come to me directly it's obvious they are incapable of telling the truth or caring about the health of its people

Cvh said:

I, as a Non-US citizen, still fail to understand the USA laws regarding Cannabis in state legal states.

Maybe it's my lack of the English language or it's my lack of general intelligence or the Cannabis laws in the USA are just schizophrenic.

Click to expand...

The United States is not a country, it is a mafia crime network. Basically anything goes but stepping on toes. Grow good weed, get raided, because your competition won't make any sales with their garbage.

Headbandf1 said:

Wasn't he involved in diddiling boys at Penn State

Click to expand...

lol

Drewsif said:

The United States is not a country, it is a mafia crime network. Basically anything goes but stepping on toes. Grow good weed, get raided, because your competition won't make any sales with their garbage.

Click to expand...

not only are you right, but there is also a monopoly on spirituality there are secret facilities set up to scramble your brains and abduct the people for anyone who uses their internal or qi energy in a way that can't be monetized or controlled.

All in the name of money and fear.

Money because it is set up in so that only the loyal minions of most modern religion in america are the only ones to recieve any form of ancient knowledge and having an open discussion about it on a massive scale would detract from their racquet and the money they recieve from donations. Also any sense of spirituality that can't be controlled to benefit capitalism is kept secret for reasons of having a workforce that can be benefited from monetarily

This is a relationship religion, government and corporations mutually benefit from due to the similarities in their deviant personalities. I don't speak for all religions but most of the popular and creepy ones that operate in america operate this way such as Christianity, mormonism, jehovah witnesses and scientology and im sure there are other elsewhere that operate like this too but I personally don't believe because i don't have enough evidence built in this lifetime to make a commitment to such falsities especially when i see who they are aligned with and the manner in which they operate. Im sure there are some traditions and people that don't mean any harm but to know for an absolute truth that what any of them are saying is an absolute truth is something that should be studied, then it should be established as science not some charity case you throw money at to secure sanctuary in the afterlife.

And fear because some people enjoy causing pain by neutering the minds of others by using fear as a modality to do so even when qi energy is something that is absolutely necessary for people to evolve with organically. The body is merely an extension of this energy and when you jeapordize the structural integrity of the instrument that sustains your life you are stuck living a life with broken parts. Not something anyone with half a brain would accept willingly and deffinately something i would fight for to the death if i knew who or where to strike to do the most benefit.

The world is a much less happy place when we form un-natural relationships with direct human ai interface and there isn't an open conversation or study about what the human body is truly capable of or any sense of etiquette about how our energies should be expressed in interpersonal relationships or an entity established out of fairness and not one sided control.

All of this is purposely hidden for an entity whose sole purpose is to benefit from limited expression monetarily and so the mediocre and worthless can feel special by destroying anyone or anything of value because having talent and being valuable make them look weak by comparison, would make them realize they were wrong for fitting in and they aren't willing to do the work that would qualify them in their own minds aswell as in the minds of people who would hold them to a higher standard as being of any value to society. So they go out of there way to look for ways destroy people of value to protect themselves out of reeling self preservation.

This is nothing more than another disease born through time established by those that have something to gain from hurting others and the type of weakness and laziness it would take to not see something wrong with this type of control or a willingess to actively promote it for reasons to benefit from.

The number one argument for the destruction of people that display this mentality is that they do not truly enjoy their lives. The amount of joy you see from someone who is highly talented and does it for the thrill of doing something with love is much more than people who gossip to destroy out of hate insecurity and jealousy. Special people give love while those that try to limit expression only seek to destroy it. If they do enjoy their lives and it means lying abducting and scrambling others brains to do so then they shouldn't exist regardlessly.

I wonder what people would do to or think about the people that hide such truths or play an active role in facilities like this.

Most of all what the people that seek to lie fear the most is having an open conversation about what they are doing, because they know they would immediately be stopped by force from the good and kind people of the world.

I know i would fight to the death not only for the good hearted peoples physical health but also for the freedom or their minds. Not only is internal energy something to live for it is something to die for.

I respect the fact he turned snitch on the extortionist mayor but then would not turn C.I. for DEA.

Falsely promoting individuals who adhere to the mindset of obedience selfishness and stupidity aswell as all their bad habits promotes among those more intelligent than them that it is now no longer a trait looked down upon that has been bred into slaves for servitude and worthlessness but a mentality you should adhere to for self benefit and survival. In the end this type of systematic brainwashing gets the people to continue the cycle of indoctrination with little to no input from those that pull the strings making their job no more than the censoring of truth. Something that can easily be taken care of by itself if rewarded to the right people with the right stimulus.

Take a look at extremely basic forms of art being promoted on all levels from rap music, country music, reality tv shows, extremely graphic pornography, promotion of homosexuality aswell as food and above all not only an exile of all things noteworthy and honorable but hatred for their existence. Ask yourself if what your are consuming has any speck of talent or potential, is an exemplary or atleast an acceptable product to be produced en masse and who has what to gain from you taking part in it to the best of your ability to determine worth and value. Capitalism should'nt exist especially when the things you spend money on aren't valuable for the amount of money you spend on them but what purpose use and emotional value they hold to you. Thats something that can be given freely to those who truly enjoy their lives and provide quality work on a standard that is equal for all no matter how extravagant or magnificent. It would take a very insecure person to feel good about themselves and to establish their self esteem based on a system that values themselves over another in regards to items the other can't have or afford. Especially when money is not a concentrated form of achievement and reward for what you have done for others and society but instead a form of how much you can decieve promote and manipulate others into giving or making for you.

Through these types of extremely intensive measures the dumb get dumber the smart get dumber and by an ironic twist of fate through reverse trickle down effect the elite get dumber by way of cultural osmosis.

There is no way the earth itself won't self destruct if these basic immature mentalities are never put into check and those with real talent and potential aren't promoted and aren't actively hidden for purposes of control.

The only ones left making any progress and evolution are the ones smart enough to spot them on their bullshit and live their lives with honor no matter how hard it is or what it calls from them.

An argument can be made to all lifeforms with a higher perspective and influence on earth that whatever the current world government of earth is trying to convince you of what is best for earth is a lie and has only taken place in the dark without the consent of craftsman and honor only to make it seem like it is what the majority of what earth wants only after manipulation stupidity and selfishness are purposely promoted through intensive thought control processes and the selective deletion and inhibition of truth has taken place.

Lets take a look at two tribes. One tribe is complacent enjoying their lives and minding their own business living their life with honor and happiness. Tribe number two only thinks about themselves and will actively hurt tribe number one to satisfy whatever childish urge that crosses their mind anything from rape theft and murder, so they do. Regardless of whether they kill the men and rape the women or kill all of tribe number one. Over time goodness and happiness is more likely to be destroyed and replaced by selfishness and greed due to the destructive and dominating animal nature that it is despite it providing less happiness, craftsmanship and health over the course of time. The more negativity and selfishness are rewarded and done nothing about the more it will deviate into failure, death and destruction on all levels.

Especially when sentience has evolved to the point of rationality and doing what is most beneficial for the good and happy people in tandem with health and our human biology as a whole then the possibility for salvation and peace can't be ignored.

When the truth is actively hidden for the lesser of these two mentalities to benefit from and a chance not given to the kind, happy and honorable then there is no way anyone who knows better should listen or believe them. The voice of the good have been censored and the kind and honorable robbed of happiness.

This will end one way or another. Let us hope it is for the latter.

By having laws and infrastucture that are so absurd to the point of randomizing who gets in trouble and punishing people for something that is trivial and arbitrary upto and including marijuana is a similar tactic slavemasters used to use to keep their slaves in check, by randomly selecting one slave and murdering them in front of their peers they instituted a never ending fear to which could then be benefited from by forcing them to follow the rules by a never ending threat of spontaneous death.

It is a victimless crime to smoke marijuana. Affects no ones health accept your own when used responsibly and is far safer than alcohol. But that is besides the point. What types of corruption they accept and promote in and amongst themselves has nothing to do with the reasons why the working class is actively persecuted for reasons of a similar, to a lesser and even in an eithical world to a purposeless degree.

Police who know better play a direct role in not only the enslavement of themselves but the enslavement of the people they are sworn to protect by enforcing these rules, Some of the police I have hope because many of them were armed service members and are hopefully driven by atleast by a small sliver of honor. As for the career politicians who write laws for protection and money they should be killed for being too weak to do whats right for the majority and replacing the much more important cumulative safety of the whole of society with their much smaller meaningless existence on earth especially if they can't stand up to corruption do whats right and stop playing an active role in benefiting from or doing nothing about this hysteria.

The greatest strength a leader can have is the fear of hurting someone who doesn't deserve it