First off, I want to say thank you guys. I am not a very active poster on this forum as you can tell from my post count, but I have always read here. A lot of other board that I used to frequent have very negative posters, but you guys are awesome I truely appreciate all the kind words and advice.
Anyways, in case you guys are wondering.. here is a little background of what exactly happened to me.
I'm 18 years old and live in South Carolina, I graduated from High School June 1st. I have been smoking weed for about two years. After graduating summer, I decided that I would enjoy the rest of my summer before I went to college. I decided to get a job at Dollar General, so that my parents would be proud or whatever that I was making my own cash, and so that I could make some cash to spend on the things that I love to do which of course include: Girls, weed, and my car.
The first day that I went into my job, I worked at the location at which I was hired. The next day when I came into work I was told to drive to Duncan, South Carolina which is about 20 minutes from where I live. At the time I did not know this for some reason, but Duncan is the number 1 small town in the united states that gives the most traffic tickets. Apparently everyone in my whole town knew this, and sadly I did not.
I had been working in the Duncan location for about three weeks with my friend Josh. I decided to go last on my one hour break that day. During my break I was very low on gas and decided to get home quickly so that I would have time to do some errands and get gas.
I lit a blunt, turned on the radio and was just chillin hard. About a lil more than half way threw my blunt I look back to see the blue lights flashin. I was very scared and freaking out because I was hot boxing the car. I also knew that I had a glass peice in my dash.
I reached and grabbed the peice and threw it under my drivers seat, rolled down the window and pulled over. The officer walked up to tell me that I was speeding. Originally, then went back to write me a ticket, I turned on the air and was getting rid of the smell pretty good.
The officer returned, and began explaining the ticket to me. To my dismay I had left a empty box of white owls in the back seat and he saw them, he then began sniffing in my car and asked if I had marijuana... the blunt box was apparently probable cause, so I was searched. My glass peice was found. ( I ate the original blunt).
I faced the charges of: Simple poss, Speeding, and Drug parahnelia. I sat in jail for 15 hours until I was able to see the judge and get out on bond.
What really wrecks me the most about my situation is my parents never knew, and I have always been the best child in the family of the four they have. My older brother is 21 he has five kids, has used very hard drugs. My older sister is always in and out of jail and does meth. My younger sister drinks alot at 15 and started doing things earlier than I did.
What I guess I'm trying to say here is I have always been the best kid in the family. The one that my family thought would never get in trouble. I took my arrest with a grain of salt, but it is very emotional draining to know that I let my parents down in such a manner, I don't want to be like my other brothers and sisters, I'm a good guy, I have great ambition and I want to make something of myself, I want to be good for myself but more so for my parent's so they can sleep at night knowing that they have atleast raised one good child.
The thing is I really don't think smoking is that bad, as a matter a fact it changed my life very posotively. I caught my girlfriend making out with another dude and it caused me to become a little depressed (not to sound soft) I remember the first nite I hit the blunt, I loved it it made the stress and depression go away and it helped keep everything that was going wrong better and it also helped me get threw school without being in a bad mood because of what was happening in my personal life. During the time that I have smoked weed I also had another girl friend who I found was cheating on me. When I'm not smoking I am angry and it give me time to think about all the things that are happening to me.
I realize that I slipped up like a idiot and got caught by the police, but I sincerly am saddened that I am being punished in such a manner for smoking a blunt. The way I look at it I was working, and getting ready to go to college, really all I could do.
As result of getting in trouble with the law I lost my job. Since I did not come back to the store after my break, a store associate also saw me get arrested while going to the bank to make a deposit.
So basically: I have lost alot of pride. Also my father smokes, and was shocked that I ever did because I always used to look at it in a negative form.
It makes me really sad that in this day and age, we cannot smoke a plant and do as we wish.
I now have to go to pre-trial intervention where I will have to:
- Go on a prison tour
- Take 35 hours of a anti-drug class, and talk about my problem and what I did wrong.
- 40 hours of community service
- I also have to pay my tickets off too, and pay around 400 dollars to get my record destroyed
- I will be subject to drug test.
Ever since getting caught I have consistanly kept smoking weed, but as my PTI rolls closer I am going to stop, because I have too.
Today August 14th 2007 I am going to smoke weed all day, August 15th 2007 is the mark of six months of sobriety. At this time I cannot drink, smoke, or do anything. I'm very afraid that at some point I will become depressed, and VERY ANGRY. When I don't smoke I'm so irriatble, like I will bite your head off not meaning too.
I plan on going to the gym to get rid of some-time, work with my dad, and going to college. Three of my other friends have also decided to take this time to stop with me.
The fact that I have to stop and pay to get this off my record is kind of primitive in my opinion. I am also subject to getting my drivers liscense taken for six months, but after completion of PTI... I'm not sure if this will stand.
I hope in six months.. I will want to smoke again, and will not think of it as something bad, or something that I shouldn't do.
I would like to again, thank you all for the kind words and thoughts. Smoke one for me.
Thanks guys
cobb
