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War on Drugs a Waste of Time?

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    Convicted marijuana dealer Peter Ninemire on his sentence and pardon from President Bill Clinton.

  • Duration 4:36
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-- -- marijuana.

He intended to sell but he got caught.

He was then sentenced to more than 24.

Years in jail and under that mandatory minimum sentence -- no chance of parole.

And yet today 44 years is not an -- sets.

Peter nine Meyer former marijuana sellers -- how can -- -- -- Because on the greatest day of my life.

Former President Bill Clinton commuted the remaining fourteen and -- half years I -- left -- -- federal mandatory minimum sentence and I became.

-- -- -- Thanks in large part of families against mandatory minimums my federal government to -- -- a lot of folks that really supported me over the years while I was imprisoned.

-- -- ten years from.

And then got out of and a few years later the president came to Kansas to make a speech that's -- Peerless -- got a chance to talk to him a Kansas NBC station covered.

President Clinton worked his way along the security -- Shaking hands and taking pictures you don't know -- the -- -- -- in the paper.

Because I'm so now you've got let's look at numbers the president got -- do we -- -- they're they're -- in the.

On the Haaretz and that was it it was a happy moment in he commuted his sentence went in the day that President Bush was inaugurated who moved.

Does -- -- regularly chow and I'd kinda given up on my commutation and I got news.

That I needed to come to the unit in the lower west unit.

I actually was afraid that may be another family member had had something terrible happened because for months previous to that my mother died while I was.

In prison.

-- -- -- drug counselor you wouldn't council other people who have come in big trouble addictions and mental health therapists licensed social worker.

All right but President Clinton commuted 36 sentences on that day you've got off because the sentencing judge Richard Rogers.

Road.

To the president about the excessive and a severe sentence there is little disagreement he said among judges and academics.

That the long term incarceration of drug offenders is ineffective.

And a huge drain on taxpayers.

And the president -- your sentence and that's great but.

There are thousands of these sentences it.

Politician he got to have a friendly judge this doesn't seem fair.

I'm I have a lot of survivor's guilt about the thousands of people that I left behind in federal prison that I people who feel are equally or more deserving.

A lot of those would be women who left behind children.

I have a nine year old daughter now I can't imagine what it would be like to be separated from her.

So you know that was part of it but also a big part of -- was families against mandatory minimums in getting.

You know this brought to president Clinton's attention.

President Clinton admits he smoked weed in it had some mandatory minimum bid around 8 o'clock -- -- he's enforcing presiding over a system that locks people like you -- it just seems really.

-- -- -- -- -- -- Thank you even heard of mandatory minimums when you got hauled off to jail now I really never.

Now it was you know -- had some other scrapes with the law but this is the first time I was looking at prison and I was looking at some people say if we build -- that -- the bad -- it's you the bad guy knows -- a mandatory minimum but most.

Criminals don't even know about it now -- actually years so caught up in the lifestyle and addiction in the whole thing you're so separated from them I mean I come from a really great family and it just took over my life started off of marijuana.

And that was primarily my drug of choice -- it just you know -- just captured that became and you know in my own prison if you well.

But the politicians argue these drugs hurt people gotta lock people up longer that'll teach him a lesson that will solve the problem -- well.

Here's the deal people need.

I needed intervention and -- really being imprisoned actually having cement accountability and stopping my cycle with my.

Drugs my associates and lifestyle.

I mean truly I needed some help there and I needed to be held accountable.

But did I need 24 and a half years I think myself and a whole lot of people half or more of the people I -- in federal prison.

Where people like myself they were good people got on the wrong track.

And just to throw away their lives which is what I felt like it was I felt like it set I was incorrigible I was non rehabilitated and I was never gonna have another chance to life if I wouldn't.

-- them luckiest guy on the planet.

Well I'm glad you got out thanks to President Clinton Peter nine -- thank you coming up.

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