Is Tommy Chong In Jail Because Of His Celebrity?

[goofyfish]

Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong and That 70's Show fame) was sentenced to 9 months in a federal prison for "conspiring to sell bongs and other drug paraphernalia over the Internet."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Houghton argued that Chong grew wealthy glamorizing drug use and trivializing law enforcement in his films and said Chong used his characters to promote his business.

Chong's attorneys argued that he should be sentenced no more harshly than any of the other defendants thus far in the national drug-paraphernalia investigation. They wanted him to be sentenced to no more than six months' house arrest and six months' probation. (Full text here)

Either the First Amendment was repealed when I wasn't looking, or someone ought to tell Ms. Houghton that becoming wealthy by making movies that "glamoriz[ed] drug use and trivializing law enforcement" is still legal in the United States. Celebrity is evidently a valid reason for targeting people for prosecution. Look at Martha Stewart -- anyone else in her situation would have been handed a quick plea and a fine, if anything. Prosecutors see celebrity as giving more bang for the buck.

Does publicity = prevention?

John Ashcroft and company must be really bored for something to do if he's resorting to chasing such penny-ante issues.

:m: Peace.

 

[jps]

Chong likely is getting harsher treatment due to his celebrity, but
whats particularly outragous about this crack-down, which was not confined to Chong, was that many of the businesses and individuals that have been shut down or jailed had been operating for along time in the open legally.
The DEA changed its definition of paraphenelia and then arrested people without warning. This would be analagous to being pulled over and charged with a felony as a result of a failure to adhere to some regulation that the DMV made up and then decided to crack down on violations of, without notifiying people that it existed.

 

[zanket]

The argument "Chong grew wealthy glamorizing drug use and trivializing law enforcement in his films" is grounds for appeal in a non-Ashcroft era. Certainly celebrities are targeted as high-profile examples to other would-be criminals. That may not be fair, but it's probably always been true.

 

[NEMESIS]

This is yet another example of outrageous behavior by this regime and its totalitarian view of the world. You either are a Spartan and member of this unholy crusade or you are not. The lines have been drawn.

I would be interested to know that in this case (since it is a drug case) whether Chong's net worth can be cannibalized or seized. I believe any monies made due to the sale of drugs can legally be appropriated.

The fact that there was a conviction on the most feeble or cases leads me to believe that the American public is fast asleep. Someone needs to give it a sharp kick right in its collective gluteus maximus.


:m: