Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quoteShare via Email Print this Page Daily Quotes Archives2001-07-16 Jul 16, 2001Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way to the common feelings of mankind.~ Edward GibbonThe growth of drug-related crime is a far greater evil to society as a whole than drug taking. Even so, because we have been seduced by the idea that governments should legislate for our own good, very few people can see how dangerously absurd the present policy is.~ John Casey Jul 13, 2001I say that you cannot administer a wicked law impartially. You can only destroy. You can only punish. I warn you that a wicked law, like cholera, destroys everyone it touches — its upholders as well as its defiers.~ Jerome LawrenceIt seems as if the Department [of Justice] sees the value of the Bill of Rights as no more than obstacles to be overcome.~ Prof. Sanford H. Kadish Jul 12, 2001Drug offenses ... may be regarded as the prototypes of non-victim crimes today. The private nature of the sale and use of these drugs has led the police to resort to methods of detection and surveillance that intrude upon our privacy, including illegal search, eavesdropping, and entrapment. Indeed, the successful prosecution of such cases often requires police infringement of the constitutional protections that safeguard the privacy of individuals.~ John KaplanWe simply do not catch a high enough percentage of users to make the law a real threat, although we do catch enough to seriously overburden our legal system.~ John Kaplan Jul 11, 2001When I sell liquor, it's called bootlegging; when my patrons serve it on Lake Shore Drive, it's called hospitality.~ Al CaponeAs a first-time drug law offender, I was sentenced to 27 non-parolable years in prison. The amount of time was based on liquid waste found in the garage and unprocessed chemicals. There were no drugs.~ David A. Nichols Jul 10, 2001After 20 years on the bench I have concluded that federal drug laws are a disaster. It is time to get the government out of drug enforcement.~ Judge Whitman KnappBecause law enforcement resources have been concentrated on the street drug trade in minority communities, drug arrests of minorities increased at 10 times the rate of increase for whites.~ Los Angeles Times Previous week's quotes Next week's quotes Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print