this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
483 points (100.0% liked)

Today I Learned

22782 readers
255 users here now

What did you learn today? Share it with us!

We learn something new every day. This is a community dedicated to informing each other and helping to spread knowledge.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must begin with TIL. Linking to a source of info is optional, but highly recommended as it helps to spark discussion.

** Posts must be about an actual fact that you have learned, but it doesn't matter if you learned it today. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.**



Rule 2- Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Posts and comments which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding non-TIL posts.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-TIL posts using the [META] tag on your post title.



Rule 7- You can't harass or disturb other members.

If you vocally harass or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.

For further explanation, clarification and feedback about this rule, you may follow this link.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.

Unless included in our Whitelist for Bots, your bot will not be allowed to participate in this community. To have your bot whitelisted, please contact the moderators for a short review.



Partnered Communities

You can view our partnered communities list by following this link. To partner with our community and be included, you are free to message the moderators or comment on a pinned post.

Community Moderation

For inquiry on becoming a moderator of this community, you may comment on the pinned post of the time, or simply shoot a message to the current moderators.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

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.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 61 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 99 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks 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

[–] [email protected] 45 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GRENADE LAUNCHER

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

GENTLEMEN, THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

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

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks 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

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

God forbid someone pick up a horticulture hobby.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks 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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (4 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).

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Having guns? In Texas?? THE CRIMINAL SWINE!

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks 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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Fortunately marijuana isnt a drug

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks 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!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (6 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. 😌

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

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

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks 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...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks 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?

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

It's not novel at all wtf

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks 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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

By that definition, water is a drug

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks 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."

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks 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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

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

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

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

[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Locked up for harming no one. These are the types of people who should be getting a pardon!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

27 weapons, including a grenade launcher and 9,000 rounds of ammunition

Sure seems like he intended to

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't know about the other 27 weapons, but the grenade launcher was probably just for hunting.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Nah that's mainly for fishing, you can use it for hunting, but an RPG is way better for hunting.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Just like how everyone that owns a car plans to drive over people.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Right. Because a car's primary purpose is to drive over people. And people who have a lot of cars are more likely to plot mass murder than those who don't. Great logic.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

I didn't realize that you were the arbiter of vehicular and firearms purpose; my most sincere apologies oh great arbiter. I had no idea you were the one to decide how people use their firearms and vehicles.

And people who have a lot of cars are more likely to plot mass murder than those who don’t. Great logic.

Those people are certainly more likely to be stealing your labor, which is quickly devolving into a feudalistic system; and that will ultimately lead to poverty and death.

"Intended Purpose" and "Probability of Harm" are entirely different things. If the only purpose of a firearm was to kill someone, and considering that we have 1.5 firearms owned per person in the USA; we should have substantially higher number of firearms related deaths, wouldn't you agree -- I mean, based on "logic" right?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

How do you expect him to take a bite out of crime? I think he was just true to his word, police aren't stopping the real criminals so he just got more serious.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 2 weeks ago

They should've known; it's not like he was called McGruff the good dog.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 weeks ago

I do hope the judge looked him dead in the eyes at the sentencing and said "Bad dog" before rubbing his nose in the evidence bags.

On the positive side, he should be out after 2.13 human years. Sooner with good behavior and completion of an obedience class from a licensed training academy.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

He went undercover and got too deep.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

So the police abused another victim. Not surprising

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

you have to do the crimes, in order to be an expert on it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I just realized that if you spell 'irony' as 'ironi' then it sounds like a brand of fortified pasta.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›