this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
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John Morales, the actor who played the crime-fighting cartoon character McGruff the Crime Dog, was sentenced to 16 years in prison stemming from a 2011 arrest in which police seized 1,000 marijuana plants, 27 weapons – including a grenade launcher – and 9,000 rounds of ammunition from his home.

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[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 55 points 5 days ago (5 children)

But what "crime" did he commit? Sounds like he was just a prepper that wanted to get high.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 98 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (4 children)

sentenced to 16 years in prison stemming from a 2011 arrest in which police seized 1,000 marijuana plants, 27 weapons – including a grenade launcher – and 9,000 rounds of ammunition from his home, reports CBS Houston.

What is the crime officer? Enjoying a meal? A succulent weapons grade explosive meal?

Also, note that the arrest predates Texas marijuana decriminalization

[–] Pacrat173@lemmy.ml 44 points 5 days ago (2 children)

GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GRENADE LAUNCHER

[–] rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

And you, sir, are you waiting to receive my limp plants?

[–] popekingjoe@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

GENTLEMEN, THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST!

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Hol' up, it says a grenade launcher, which is actually legal to own, it doesn't say he had illegal HE grenades. Important distinction.

The problem is "weed" and even if legal "weed+guns" wasn't until 2023 (and even still kinda a grey area but basically illegal).

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

it doesn’t say he had illegal HE grenades

It says he was convicted, sentenced, and imprisoned.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Yes, but unless I missed it, not for having "grenades."

It also just so happens that at the time of his conviction (well kinda sorta still, actually) it was illegal to have weed and guns at the same time. That and anywhere weed is legal even now, 1,000 plants is well above the commonly single digit limit on plants unless he has a commercial growers permit of some sort (but then, he could probably still have the guns/launcher actually).

police seized:

1,000 marijuana plants,

The illegal part

27 weapons – including a grenade launcher –

All legal if no weed

and 9,000 rounds of ammunition from his home

Also legal, and no grenades mentioned.

Free my man he didn't do shit.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yes, but unless I missed it

You almost certainly did.

It also just so happens that at the time of his conviction (well kinda sorta still, actually) it was illegal to have weed and guns at the same time.

That too, certainly. Probably could have been convicted of more if the DA and the Judge had been extra sadistic.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 days ago

Check again. Find me anything anywhere that says he has high explosive rounds for the launcher. I'll wait, because you can't, because he didn't.

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Although don’t many decriminalization or legalization laws also have an upper limit on how many plants you can grow for personal use? I could still see some intent to distribute charge with 1000 plants

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I still don't see a victim of crime here. All I see is a victim of unjust laws

[–] drzoidberg@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

God forbid someone pick up a horticulture hobby.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Although don’t many decriminalization or legalization laws also have an upper limit on how many plants you can grow for personal use?

So, technically yes. But Texas decriminalization came out of a court case around what constituted medical marijuana under a 2019 law. In this case, the issue was a court ruling in which cops had to prove a certain Delta-9 THC level in a product in order to seek prosecution. And the process for determining that value was so expensive and unreliable that enforcing the law was functionally impossible.

Subsequently, a number of major municipalities and DAs basically gave up on prosecuting these cases, leading to de facto legalization.

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Makes sense. FWIW I’m not defending the law, just seeking all the info

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Sounds like a good semeritan to me

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 20 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Having guns? In Texas?? THE CRIMINAL SWINE!

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Having weed, in Texas, when it was a big deal.

[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

So terrible dangerous of him...(Clutches pearls) Someone might have gotten high off all that devil's lettuce!!

[–] b000rg@midwest.social 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Until 2023, it was federally illegal to possess any illegal drugs along with a firearm, and drug users were barred from buying firearms.

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Fortunately marijuana isnt a drug

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago (4 children)

You know, I don't think I've ever seen someone take this position. Pro/anti legalization yes, but never "it's not a drug" (it's a feature).

You're wrong, but at least you're novelly wrong!

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

How is weed a drug, but alcohol and tobacco aren't? If it's illegal to possess a firearm with weed, why isn't it illegal with liquor or cigarettes?

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

What? Alcohol and tobacco are both drugs - as with caffeine, they are not illegal ones, but they very much are still drugs. Not sure where you're getting the idea they're not.

And the second part, racism probably? (though posession of a firearm while intoxicated is usually an exacerbating (not the right term sorry) circumstance)

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)
[–] SaltSong@startrek.website 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That's an untenable position. I mean, Cocaine is a plant, too.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Chewing on a coca leaf really isn't the same as processing the plant into cocaine. By the logic of the comedian, buds are plants but concentrates are drugs. 😌

[–] SaltSong@startrek.website 3 points 4 days ago

And in both cases, missing the point. Categorize based on the chemistry, not the source of the chemical.

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I'd love to have "cocaine light" available, maybe not chewing the leaves but in some form or another, that is less intense than the well known powder. Basically just a step above coffee, would be amazing for my long work days.

[–] trungulox@lemm.ee 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You can just put actual cocaine in stuff.

Like. Coca Cola with cocaine in it is actually fucking delicious. Seriously, delicious. You can tell right away that’s the way it’s meant to be.

[–] tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I've never actually done coke, would that add a subtle numbing effect on the mouth? It sounds 100x better than snorting it, I could see it being massively popular if not illegal.

[–] trungulox@lemm.ee 2 points 4 days ago

There is indeed a slight numbing effect. You don’t really get a proper coke high off it either unless you dump a shitload of it in. It’s more of a subtle energizing effect, very different from snorting it.

Though I’d imagine you could just dump a shitload of blow into the Coca Cola and get high as balls. Not sure how it all works when ingested orally.

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Mate de coca! Very pleasant tea, great treatment for altitude sickness. Fun fact, the largest importer of coca leaves is Coke, as it's rumored to be one of the ingredients in coca cola.
...
Cough.

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Well shucks, I suppose I should preface everything new I encounter with "to me" going forward, since that can't be expected to be implied through grammar alone...

[–] tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

There's a famous quote from Schwarzenegger as CA governor where he said "It's not a drug, it's a leaf."

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 days ago

Well, it's not the leaves, it's the buds.

Unless you like headaches.

But also

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug

A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect.

Now, while I may consider it essential to my diet, it very clearly fits the definition of a drug. But so does LSD and Psylocybin, not all drugs are bad.

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

It's not novel at all wtf

I think the majority of humanity would agree that cannabis is not a drug

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I've got no idea if you're trolling or not. But on the chance that you're not, drugs are either synthesized or bio-derived.

In pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance, typically of known structure, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect.

I suppose an argument could be made that under that definition cannabis is a plant and THC/CBD are the drugs, but that's dubiously semantic at best since the consumption of cannabis is what produces the effect.

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

By that definition, water is a drug

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Yes, your point being?

[–] eletes@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago

1000 plants is definitely a grow op and the weapons were to protect it

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 days ago

Good luck justifying that you need 1000 plants for your personal consumption