I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Damon W. Root | March 23, 2009

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is famously hostile towards American judges citing foreign law. I doubt he'll make an exception here:

Medicinal purposes are one thing, but marijuana received an unexpected recreational endorsement when Italy's highest court ruled that an Italian shepherd's smoking habit could be justified because he only had sheep for company.

The 45-year-old shepherd was caught with marijuana in his car as he was setting off for an extended period with his flock in the mountains of Alto Adige, in the far north of the country. Police found 38 grams (about 1.3 ounces) in the car, and the shepherd, identified only as Giorgio D., was convicted of possession. But upholding an appeal against the verdict, the Court of Cassation ruled that the shepherd was justified in possessing this small quantity of the drug on account of "the long and solitary period" he was about to spend "in the countryside and the mountains, due to the migration of his flock of sheep".

[Via the great Fortean Times]

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|3.24.09 @ 9:47AM|#

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is famously hostile towards American judges citing foreign law.

As he should be. Foreign law is irrelevant to the task of interpreting and applying American law.

If they want to to Europeanize American law, they should quit the bench, get elected to Congress, and pass some bills.

|3.24.09 @ 7:41PM|#

Hate to break it to you folks but we are currently using the Uniform Commercial code, an almost identical system as Britain's.

It hails from the Maritime laws that used to rule the high sea's.

Very little in this world is truly American.

Why do you think police and judges can ignore the Constitution?

The lower courts are not subject to Constitutional laws, rather corporate statutes.

The good news is, if you don't work for the gov. or contract with them, you can claim common law.

Be a common wealth citizen, immune to statutes.

Peace

|3.23.09 @ 5:17PM|#

Shouldn't you have titled this "Tokeback Mountain"?

Flex Nasty B.I.G.|3.23.09 @ 5:22PM|#

Ha. I guess it's better that he was caught with weed than a bottle of lube.

Paul|3.23.09 @ 5:27PM|#

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is famously hostile towards American judges citing foreign law.

Well, I mean, wouldn't you be?

I'd be pretty terrified if judges started saying "Hey, the do this there, so why not here?"

SpongePaul|3.23.09 @ 5:32PM|#

0ok now if i can get the us court to say the same thing, hey irts just me and my dog at night. its lonesome, i need to smoke, lol

|3.23.09 @ 5:56PM|#

SpongePaul, see the thread on Toby the Beagle. Learn from it.

peanut butter is your friend

Hey look. I yield to no one in my desire to liberate cannabis from the iron shackles of oppression. However, we should never cite the circus freak side show that is the Italian legal system.

Scalia is an incompetent, prejudiced pig who should be fired! How can we remove this tyrant of a judge?

|3.23.09 @ 6:05PM|#

It should be a defense for schoolteachers as well. And store clerks, package delivery professionals, waitstaff, bookkeepers, engineers, programmers, ...

jj|3.23.09 @ 6:13PM|#

brother ben: laugh out loud!

The medic|3.23.09 @ 7:54PM|#

Italy...where the men are stoned..and the sheep envious!

Alice Bowie|3.23.09 @ 8:44PM|#

Keep Dope Alive !!!

jtuf|3.23.09 @ 8:48PM|#

So this shepherd is Italy's Marlboro man.

|3.23.09 @ 10:23PM|#

Reminds me of this story from Romania...

Jeff Balla|3.24.09 @ 2:20AM|#

So spending a couple months (maybe?) in the mountains with a flock of sheep is punishment enough?

Shepherd|3.24.09 @ 8:53AM|#

Ewe sure look cute, my little lambsy-wambsy....

highnumber|3.24.09 @ 10:06AM|#

Shouldn't the title be "I'm So Lonesome I Get High"?

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