Drug info - US Airman Busted for Methylone-- and Mushrooms

[enquirewithin]

This was not really a bust for using methylone as such, but is not good news!
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[top]Airman to be jailed for drug charges

Stars and Stripes, Pacific edition, Saturday, November 10, 2007

estripes dot com/article.asp?section=104&article=57654&archive=true

An airman first class was sentenced to seven months and a bad-conduct discharge after he pleaded guilty to drug-related charges at a Kadena Air Base, according a base release Thursday.

Airman 1st Class Jon-Austin Ray, with 18th Component Maintenance Squadron, also was reduced to airman basic.

Ray pleaded guilty to possessing and using methylone, trying to grow hallucinogenic mushrooms, conspiring to grow hallucinogenic mushrooms and fraudulently enlisting, according to Kadena officials.

The maximum punishment Ray could have received was reduction to E-1, confinement for one year, forfeiture of two-thirds pay and allowances and a bad conduct discharge.

[Alfa]

Even though the analog status of methylone in the USA was already very clear, we can now safely say that methylone is illegal in the US.

[sterling77]

Could you elaborate on this? You mean due to or shown by this event?

[trptamene]

I think it shows precedent, but in the US the military often has its own rules/guidelines.

IMHO, in the US, precedents set in military trials probably should not carry over to civilian cases, I think a good lawyer would pounce on this if someone was prosecuted due to precedent set in the military.

He was also growing shrooms, I wonder if his punishment would have been more lenient had he not had the methylone? I kind of doubt it.

[Alfa]

Before this event it was illegal in theory. The prosecution of this airman for methylone shows it is also illegal in practice.

[trptamene]

In theory? As in the analogue act?

Hmm...I see it pharmacologically. Chemically, the ketone really tears up the argument. Or are there similar ketones that are specifically illegal that I don't know about.

[sterling77]

Strange how they mention methylone with absolutely no background info, as if everyone knows what it is. I would expect at least, "...methylone, an analogue of ecstacy,..."

[trptamene]

Hmmm...the fraudulently enlisting is kinda wishy washy too....are they saying he enlisted with the sole purpose of growing shrooms in the military?

[enquirewithin]

Originally Posted by trptamene

Hmmm...the fraudulently enlisting is kinda wishy washy too....are they saying he enlisted with the sole purpose of growing shrooms in the military?

I suppose this was a military court, which might not make a legal precedent, but I wouldn't bet on that.

Presumably the man lied to get enlisted, along with a lot of other military people!

[jux]

he probably lied about prior drug use or something when he enlisted and it came up during the investigation (maybe he broke down and confessed).

that would by my guess for the fraudulent enlistment charge.

[snapper]

SWIM does not think this makes methylone illegal. SWIM would expect the charges stemmed from the mushrooms and the methylone was mentioned incidentally - the militairy court documents would be necessary for clarification. However, in a civilian US court it would be infinitely easier to prosecute for an already scheduled substance than one that would need to be tried without precedent.

[trptamene]

^^ I think this is the correct thought process here. I am sure they were more interested in some pretty shrooms than a small baggie of some random internet powder.

[Nacumen]

Originally Posted by Alfa

Even though the analog status of methylone in the USA was already very clear, we can now safely say that methylone is illegal in the US.

I don't think so. He may be guilty of possessing methylone, but it's only because he admitted to using it. Because he admitted to using it, his possession of it was considered 'intended for human consumption'.


So in this case, the methylone was illegal. Otherwise, it is still legal to import/export/buy/sell/trade/possess if it is not intended for human consumption.