What year is it again?
Country music superstar Jamey Johnson was arrested over the weekend in Williamson County, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. After being pulled over for speeding, officers claim that they detected the smell of marijuana and later found some pre-rolled joints after searching his car.
Johnson was ultimately booked and released on a $5,000 bond. But after learning more about the charges, many (including me) were left scratching their heads.
As it turns out, prosecutors charged Johnson with one count of possession with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell a controlled substance. And the specific subsection of the law cited in his charges gave us even more information.
Johnson was charged with a violation of Tennessee Code 39-17-417 (G)(1). Subsection (G)(1) of the code deals with marijuana possession, and states that possession of between half an ounce to 10 pounds of marijuana is a Class E felony punishable by up to one to six years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
So basically, he had somewhere between half an ounce and TEN POUNDS. That’s a huge difference…
But it wasn’t only that massive range of weed that caught people’s eyes. It was the absolutely insane punishment, and the fact that it’s a felony to begin with, that has folks outraged.
Now, to be clear, a sentence of “one to six years” in Tennessee doesn’t mean that he’s likely to serve six years behind bars. That’s simply the maximum he could be sentenced to if he were found guilty. And this seems like the kind of case that prosecutors would be quick to plead down to a misdemeanor, give him probation and put the whole thing behind them – because it shines a light on how absolutely insane it is for possession of half an ounce of weed to be a FELONY punishable by UP TO SIX YEARS in prison.
In the year of our Lord 2024, marijuana is fully legal in 24 states. That means that in nearly half of the states, you can buy it, possess it, smoke it, whatever, without having to do anything but prove you’re of age. No medical marijuana card necessary, it’s just legal.
In 38 of 50 states, it’s legal for medical use, meaning you just have to get a doctor to say that you need it – and that’s obviously not hard to do. Nobody who wants one is getting turned down for a medical marijuana card. That’s easy money for the state, and for doctors.
But in the remaining 12 states, including Tennessee, weed is still illegal for any purpose – and apparently can still land you some ridiculous felony charges.
And everybody online can’t help but point out how ridiculous it is:
Felony and marijuana should never be used in the same sentence. Shameful
— The Patrick James Gang (@PatrickJamesGNG) November 19, 2024
What a joke
— ☧Ｊａｙ🏴☠️ (@Orangeman89) November 19, 2024
Why are people still getting arrested for this? @GovBillLee https://t.co/Tdxk4ew1UE
— Kasey King (@kaseyking1036) November 19, 2024
So what — the man wants to smoke some reefer. Felony charges? Joke. https://t.co/hLRx4Ex9tY
— Matt Fitz (@OcmulgeeGa) November 19, 2024
Over on Instagram, the comments are largely the same:
“For marijuana…… sorry what year is it???”
“This is insane”
“Ridiculous. Free Jamey Johnson”
“6 years of prison for marijuana as a felony? Come the fuck on, how is that even on the table”
“Bullshit. Legalize it!”
“This makes me fucking sick.”
“Insane weed is still illegal”
And our friend Dillon Weldon even addressed the absurdity of it over on TikTok:
@dillon.weldon Free our man, Jamey! #jameyjohnson #arrest #freejameyjohnson #countrymusic #foryou #fyp
Of course in the recent presidential election, both candidates expressed support for the decriminalization of marijuana, with now-President Elect Donald Trump saying it was “time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use.”
The tides have obviously shifted surrounding marijuana use and possession, though some states have been slower than others to respond – and unfortunately for Jamey Johnson, Tennessee is one of them. But if any good can come out of this, maybe it will show just how ridiculous the outdated laws really are.
