Magistrate to Marijuana Smoker: Try Marlboros

March 3, 2011

In Magistrates Court this morning [Mar.3] 49-year-old Susanne Jones pleaded guilty to possessing 2.4 grams of cannabis outside the Young Men’s Social Club at 8:40pm on 17 September 2010.

The arresting Officer’s statement read into evidence was that Police found that her clothes smelled of cannabis smoke. That after being stopped, cautioned, and searched, Police had found a plastic packet containing plant material in her left back pants pocket.

When asked what the material was, she is said to have replied: “It’s herb. It’s mine. I’m guilty.”

Questioned by Magistrate Archie Warner, she admitted that she was forty-nine years old and that this was her first appearance in Court. Asked if she had been smoking all this time, she replied that she was a longtime smoker of marijuana. Asked if or when she planned on stopping, she replied: “As soon as possible.”

Magistrate Warner urged her to give up the habit, and taking her record into consideration he gave Ms Jones a Conditional Discharge for twelve months. The Magistrate’s parting comment was: “Try Marlboros.”

Read More About

Category: All, Court Reports, Crime, News

Comments (22)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. SaveMeFromThisBS says:

    Try Marlboros? Really? This aint the Judge Judy show…keep your comments to yourself.

  2. crazytalk says:

    Why wasn’t she gievn a $1,500 fine like every tourist who gets caught for the same thing?

    Combine this with the guy fined $500 for five ‘spliffs’ a couple of days ago and it looks at best inconsistent.

    In fact, you could call it discriminatory against tourists.

    • Speechless says:

      Tourists (at least those caught at the ports of entry) are usually charged with possession AND importation. They usully plead guilty to importation and the possession is dropped. Importation is a more serious offence, hence the bigger fines.

    • itwasn'tme says:

      don’t you realize the even the judges/magistrates see small amounts for personal use is not worth turning an otherwise good person into a criminal? If you are over 18 and have not daisy-chained other offences (assault,gun,etc)with the weed pocession then let them off.

      same for tourists. customs should stay off the boats unless they have knowledge of a major shipment onboard.

      BTW II don’t smoke

      • crazytalk says:

        It’s technically true that tourists have the extra charge of ‘importation’ but it creates a distinction without a difference.

        “Itwasn’tme”, I guess I’m concerned that a ‘local’ youth can be caught with 6 bags of marijuana, and get a slap on the wrist (actually happened, June 2010). A tourist has a minute amount of the same thing, and it’s an auto $1,500 fine.

        It is not equal treatment, despite them being functionally similar transgressions.

    • jason says:

      because tourist import it to the island, which is worst then possession, DAH..u people on these forums are just plain dumb sometimes.

  3. Ray says:

    Why in the world would you tell someone to give up one drug for another? You might as well tell her to go jump in a pile of asbetos. That shows you that this person has no regard for her health. Come on people.

  4. aald says:

    that is the worst advice i have ever heard
    malboro’s, just cigarettes in general, are death sticks.
    if he had to give his 2 cents, why not just “stop smoking.”

  5. Legalize It says:

    Legalize it…

  6. Just Yell says:

    That way very considerate of the magistrate… And I think all cases should be considered likewise if a person has no previous convictions of criminal activity.

    • BermyGuy says:

      How is sarcasm considered considerate ? I bet that if there were others in the court they were given a laugh by the comment but i also bet that if the shoe was on the other foot and the defendent would have made a sarcastic remark to the magistrate a contempt of court warning would been in the magistrate’s mind. Guilty or Not Sarcasm was not needed. ” Just my 2 cents worth “.

  7. liars says:

    this is racist crap! again and again with racial crap…when will these people stop persecuting us? We set them free, we encouraged wealth for all people that work hard. This lsland went down the tubes 13 years ago people, wake up Bermuda

    • Grizz says:

      I am lost…how is this racist?

    • truth be told says:

      Your remarks are racist…..these people???…we set them free????? U need to wake up and realize that times have change.

    • Bermudian at heart says:

      Are you serious! ‘ We set them free’ meaning you enslaved us in the first place. Judges have given plenty of condidtional discharges to people of all races! Get a grip and stop trying to portray that you are victims of racial inequality. Tourists that have been caught for importation are white and black. I believe that if a Bermudian got caught with importation of drugs in Bermuda, no matter how small the amount is, they will be given a harsher punishment than a $1500 fine.

      P.S. How do you encourage wealth for all when you all kept you wealth from enslaving us and then set us free without no money at all. That leaves us at a big disadvantage, don’t you think?

      • crazytalk says:

        “Bermudian at heart”, you appear to be assuming that all Bermudians caught with drugs are black, and all tourists caught with them are white. Obviously, that is not true. I didn’t call it ‘racial inequality’ at all; I said tourists are not treated the same as locals. You’re looking for a racial angle in all sorts of places where it doesn’t exist.

        The point is that it is needlessly harsh, and serves no social purpose, to pursue tourists in this way, while locals are routinely given conditional discharges.
        And the distinction is that ‘importation’ is more serious than ‘posession’ is a weak argument. I could counter that with the fact that ‘dealing’ is more serious…yet there are lots of examples where (local) people dealing drugs have been given conditional discharges.

        • Bermudian at heart says:

          Crazy talk, I was not refering your statement when stating racial inequalty. It is very obvious that this was my response to ‘liars’. How can you say that when importation is more of an international issue since that drug was trafficked from another jurisdiction. Another fact is that all thes drug dealers supply comes from importation. If you know anything about bermuda’s drug culture it is evident that Bermuda grown or manufactured drug is nearly impossible to come by. And can you please state how this jurisdiction can give a tourist a conditional discharge. Are you stating that we should revoke their travel documentation for the length of their conditional discharge. Be real.

  8. Taurus says:

    Smoking Marlboros is no solution!! Not very good advice!!

  9. Bermuda Jim says:

    The nicotine from 1 cigarette if distilled and injected will send you into the afterlife.

  10. will says:

    yes good job and great advice mr. judge…replace a harmless substance with one that is proven to cause death time and time again, my hat is off to you
    didn’t think stupidity like that exists any more

  11. Nonya Bidness says:

    You aint never heard of anyone dying from weed. But people die from cigarettes and alcohol all the time. Its all legal though. Tynelol is perfectly legal but I bet if u take 13 of them things it’ll be your last headache