And another celebrity (why is she a celebrity again?) is busted for drugs… Paris Hilton is charged with felony drug possession. She should be looking at time behind bars but will probably be given probation —again. In Las Vegas, Nevada, a felony cocaine possession carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
The arresting officer wrote that, "As she began to open [the purse], I saw a small bindle of what I believed to be cocaine in a clear baggy begin to fall from the purse and into my hand".
Does anything else really need to be said?
Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure Ms. Hilton knows better than to do drugs while driving down Las Vegas boulevard. But in the end, does she really care? Well, she probably didn't at the time of the arrest but I'm sure she does now. Same old story. Too much time by someone with too much money.
Between Lindsey Lohan disregarding court orders and Mel Gibson threatening an ex girlfriend, isn't it time to start holding people responsible for their wrongful conduct? Isn't it time that some type of example takes place? Do you agree that regardless of who you are, it's not OK to break the law and place others in harm's way?
The fact of the matter is that illegal drug use in America is substantially contributing to our social and health costs to society. Annually, almost $67 billion is spent on drug related illness, death, and crime. In fact, Americans pay nearly $1,000 annually to cover the expense of unnecessary health care, extra law enforcement, auto accidents, crime, and lost productivity resulting from substance abuse.
We need to stand up and start holding people accountable one case at a time. If that means jail then so be it. If it means rehabilitation and education to fight addiction, then fine. A combination of both would probably be a deterrent to most.
Please feel free to contact me re your questions or needed legal commentary.