Vacationing US national busted with weed
Winston Brininstool
Thirty-one year old Winston Wesley Brininstool, a U.S. national backpacking through Belize, interrupted his vacation when he was intercepted with a small amount of weed. He was charged by Belize City police with possession of three point six grams of marijuana. On Tuesday afternoon, while crossing the Swing Bridge a police officer on duty observed Brininstool acting suspiciously. When he was approached the tourist attempted to avoid the officer and in a subsequent search, the drug was found in his pants pocket. Brininstool was detained overnight at the Queen Street Police Station and appeared before Magistrate Kathleen Lewis this morning to answer charges of possession of a controlled drug. Brininstool pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined three hundred and five dollars which he was able to meet. Winston Brininstool, a male nurse residing in Michigan, was touring Belize with his wife and was on their way to San Pedro when he was busted with marijuana.
When they bust the drug lords responsible for transiting cocaine from South America through Belize to North America, then I will be impressed.
For gawd sakes, legalize the herb, and get rid a coke head dem!
Belize could benefit big time from a marijuana industry.
Poor guy got harassed for .6 grams a weed. I feel sorry fuh dih man. Could’ve spent that money with his gyal on a nice hotel stay in San Pedro.
Really! .6 grams punishable by a $350 fine is ridiculous!
It’s unfortunate that while many countries in Europe have very liberal policies with marijuana possession and consumption, as well as a growing number of states in USA, Latin America and the Caribbean continues to have these stupid laws.
I really admire the steps other places are taking to decriminalize marijuana possession. In Ohio (USA, where states can form their own policies on marijuana possession under the Federal system), Ohio enacted the most liberal decriminalization in the USA making possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana punishable by only a $100 fine ($200BZ)!!!
But the International Narcotics Control Board of the United Nations (more specifically, the independent and quasi-judicial control organ monitoring the implementation of the United Nations drug control conventions) has an important influence on drug policy, particularly in the developing world. We can’t really blame them, as we do have a thriving cocaine industry in our region and the Board sees decriminalizing marijuana as undermining national and international efforts to combat the abuse of and illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs.
When Mexico decriminalized marijuana last year (2009) the UN was quick to condemn the move, saying that Mexico is not cooperating with the “War Against Drugs.” By decriminalizing marijuana, Mexico was just doing just that! Allowing their forces to focus on the cocaine cartel. Even influential politicians in South America, including the president of Colombia have pushed toward decriminalization measures on marijuana but the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board continues to keep us behind!
I guess if we were to ignore the Board, they would screw us over in other areas, like in funding and grants …
Really sucks, but I hope someday, people can smoke their .6 grams of weed in PEACE!
Michigan has Legalized the use of Herb for medical use. (2009)
He probably had a license to carry it there, too bad.
Belize should focus on legit business not extorting toursists.
Look at the smile on his face. It’s hilarious, a police officer actually pin point a suspicious act near swing bridge. Hmm!! That officer need to be arresting everybody passing by. Where are the police officers when tourists are getting mugg, extorted or rape? I am not saying that tourist should be walking around with weed; I am saying that tourist should not be able to purchase weed freely.
Anything less than an ounce (27grams) should be decriminalized.
Belize! legalize the damn weed and tax it, you need the money.