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motaman
old hand

Registered: 12/18/02
Posts: 6,047
Last seen: 12 days, 8 hours
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Marijuana crop brings man 10-year prison term
#5763506 - 06/18/06 07:37 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/somerset/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1150606232320180.xml&coll=1
Marijuana crop brings man 10-year prison term Sunday, June 18, 2006 BY MATTHEW J. DOWLING Star-Ledger Staff
A former Hillsborough resident who grew 293 marijuana plants through an elaborate operation in the basement of a farmhouse he rented has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
Superior Court Judge Frank Gasiorowski Friday imposed the minimum term permitted under law after he said he was swayed by an impassioned plea by Daniel McAllister, who contends he was growing the plants as part of a biological experiment and his personal use as a marijuana smoker.
"Growing pot for me was a hobby," McAllister, 48, now of Palm Springs, Fla. "I learned how to propagate pot from cells, not from seeds. Along with other vegetables, pot was the perfect vegetation for developing cells."
McAllister was working as an engineering supervisor for the Rutgers University agriculture department in October 2002 when detectives raided his house on Hillsborough Road based on a tip from an informant. He had worked at Rutgers for 22 years, but was suspended from the job and later fired after his arrest.
"I had the contacts at the university to write a paper on (the research)," McAllister told Gasiorow ski before the judge sentenced him. "I understand growing pot in New Jersey is illegal, but it was never meant to do any harm."
Gasiorowski noted there was no evidence McAllister ever sold or gave away the marijuana he grew, though McAllister admitted to smoking his crops regularly before his arrest.
"I cannot conclude that there as an unlawful purpose other than his personal use," Gasiorowski said, noting the large quantity and elaborate growing system found in the basement of McAllister's house.
McAllister said his goal was to grow as many plants as quickly as possible by extracting cells from the leaves.
"The premise of the experiment was to see how many would propagate," said McAllister, who added he also grew other flowers and vegetables on a half-acre of land that surrounded the house.
"If you are to be believed with this cell research, you did a wonderful job," Gasiorowski said. "That's an awful lot of marijuana for personal use."
Assistant Somerset County Prosecutor W. Brian Stack had requested McAllister be sentenced to 15 years in state prison with a minimum of five years without parole, in accordance with a plea agreement reached in December. He is required to serve 3.3 years of the 10-year sentence.
The prosecutor's office esti mated the seized marijuana was worth about $1 million. Hundreds of plants under grow-lights filled the basement of the Hillsborough Road house and several upstairs rooms were devoted to drying the cut marijuana.
But Gasiorowski concluded "there are very unusual elements to this case" and noted McAllister had no criminal record.
Gasiorowski, however, denied an attempt by McAllister's attor ney to allow him to remain free on bail while he files an appeal. While he told McAllister he did not be lieve he would flee to avoid his jail term, he said court rules prohibited him from stalling the start of his state prison term.
Richard Simon, the attorney for McAllister, said he planned to chal lenge at the appellate level the validity of the search warrant obtained by detectives.
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Iamthewalrus
every evening Idied and everynight I wasreborn


Registered: 03/24/04
Posts: 3,744
Loc: Ontario
Last seen: 15 years, 3 months
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Re: Marijuana crop brings man 10-year prison term [Re: motaman]
#5766875 - 06/19/06 05:05 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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this shit makes me sick
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dedjam
Electro Penguin



Registered: 12/14/05
Posts: 2,139
Loc: Moralton, Statesota
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: Marijuana crop brings man 10-year prison term [Re: Iamthewalrus]
#5767013 - 06/19/06 07:12 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Once again, when are some constitutionalists gonna step up and do something about this minimum sentencing bullshit? So bogus... I can go rape some woman and get a few years and then probation, and maybe even only have to register as a sex offender for 5 years. Yet you get busted growing a plant and you are in jail for 10 years with a pretty much ruined life.
I couldnt imagine losing 10 years of my life for growing MJ.
This country needs some SERIOUS legal reform
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SuperD
Cacti junky


Registered: 10/05/03
Posts: 6,648
Loc: The bridgesii bridge
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Re: Marijuana crop brings man 10-year prison term [Re: dedjam]
#5767190 - 06/19/06 08:18 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
This country needs some SERIOUS legal reform
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   D Manoa said: I need to stop spending all my money on plants and take up a cheaper hobby, like heroin. Looking for Rauhocereus riosaniensis seeds or live specimen(s), me if you have any for trade
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