University of Virginia Library

Mandatory Penalties

Dr. John Buckman, who has
been involved with research on LSD
since 1956, said in his letter: "It is
disturbing to find that the vast
majority of even professional
people, including lawyers, are quite
unaware of the nature of the
penalties which are mandatory in
cases of drug abuse."

Dr. Buckman said it was necessary
to educate all people of
mandatory jail sentences in cases of
narcotic drug abuse, where a
civilian court judge cannot use
discretion but has to sentence
persons to jail. He added that he
hoped his statement would be more
valuable to the University community
than any warning of punitive
measure by the administration.

Because of a governmental crackdown
on both the harvesting and
trafficking of the weed in Mexico,
there are many heads who have
formally proclaimed the death of
grass. Yet while the market is
indeed sparse, the reason most
smokers give is that this year's
harvest has not yet arrived from
Mexico and that all the grass from
last Spring's crop has been smoked.