Back to the ot, this is another example of outlaws vs inlaws.
Every generation has the outlaws; the hell be damned, hell be served, lovin the hate fire breathing rebels. They almost always get busted.
And every generation has the inlaws; either the been-there-done-that or the evil-as-sin crowd. These are the people guarding all the doors and holding all the keys. They have the capital and the juice to get things done politically and they use it.
The two groups will never be happy together, even though they are at times one and the same, and one usually becomes the other over time.
As a society we don't like sinners running sinful enterprises. We don't allow felons to work in the gambling, liquor, or financial trades. This is just an extension of those prejudices.
So I guess we are talking to what degree do you want to grant amnesty? Surely someone busted for simple possession shouldn't carry a felony conviction. But what about the knee busting, cap popping dealers? Are they different from the 20 unit mule?
It's not plain and simple me thinks.......