Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Williamson County Sheriff's Office,Drop_of_cannabis_oil
pot 
weed
brownieFresh brownies baked with marijuana --- Image by © Lew Robertson/Corbis 
A 19-year-old could serve a life sentence in prison because he made pot brownies with hash oil instead of solid marijuana. 

Texas teen Jacob Lavoro may be charged with a first degree felony because he decided to use hash oil in a brownie recipe. The state is permitted to use the entire weight of the brownies including the butter, milk, sugar and cocoa to calculate the weight of the drugs.

Round Rock, Texas officials confiscated 1.5 pounds of brownies and Lavoro, who would have been charged with a misdemeanor had he used solid weed instead of hash oil, could serve anywhere from 5 years to life in prison.

Lavoro's lawyer Jack Holmes told KUTV.com that Lavoro's punishment is too harsh and is 'higher than the punishment range for sexual assault or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. It's kind of crazy.'

'I’ve been doing this 22 years as a lawyer and I've got 10 years as a police officer and I’ve never seen anything like this before,' he said.

'They’ve weighed baked goods in this case. It ought to be a misdemeanor.'
Jacob's father Joe Lavoro told reporters that his son did something illegal and should absolutely be punished but that his punishment should equal the crime.

"Five years to life? I'm sorry, I'm a law abiding citizen. I'm a conservative. I love my country. I'm a Vietnam veteran, but I'll be damned ... this is wrong, this is damn wrong!' he told KEYE-TV.

'If [Jacob] did something wrong he should be punished but to the extent that makes sense. This is illogical. I'm really upset, and I'm frightened, I'm frightened for my son.'
Jacob, a former high school football player has an entirely clean record prior to his current charge.

Homes pointed out to reporters that Lavoro is in the same county that 'withheld evidence in the Morton case, where a man spent 25 years in prison and he was completely innocent ... so you have to keep that in mind too.'
Holmes says he will fight for Jacob to get a more lenient sentence.


KEY VOCABULARY

1.hash oil-- is a form of cannabis 




                                                                                                                                  


2.felony-- serious crime that can be punished by one or more years in prison
3.misdemeanor--a crime considered to be one of the less serious types of crime
4.aggravated--to make a bad situation worse
5.assault--a violent attack
6.lenient--merciful, or tolerant

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

1.Have you ever seen a crime? Have you ever witnessed a crime?
2.Is juvenile crime a problem in your country?
3.Are you afraid of becoming a victim of crime?
4.Have you ever thought of fighting crime by becoming a police officer?
5.Which developed countries do you think have the most crime?Why do you think these countries have more crime?
6.How is the crime rate in your country?
7.Should young people go to prison if they commit serious crimes?
8.Do you think the punishment always fits the crime?
9.Do you have any crime prevention tips?
10.When can you say, “It’s a crime to do nothing”?


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