Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence

This story helps point out some of the absolute insanity of what we’re doing…

On Nov. 2, the 16-year-old senior at Southwest High School in Fort Worth consented to have her car searched in the campus parking lot after a drug-sniffing dog indicated that it smelled something.
School officials searched the car and say they found a marijuana seed in the driver’s seat and a small piece of a plant on the floorboard.

That’s right — a seed and a small piece of plant. It was enough to get this honor student sentenced to 25 days of alternate school.
Interestingly, while just about everyone thinks she was innocent of actually possessing pot, her best defense comes from her father — a policeman who is likely the unwitting source of the seed and stem — probably tracked in from his work. Of course, she has her father to go to bat for her — most students don’t have that advantage.
There are several points that come from this story…

1. Any kind of sanction for anyone for a quantity of drugs that small is completely stupid and morally reprehensible.
2. There’s every likelihood that the dog was lying (or just trying to please its owner). A seed and a piece of plant inside a car is not enough to get a dog’s reaction (if it was, that would be damning in another way).
3. Never give permission to search. Ever. For any reason. Even if you have nothing to hide. There’s just no way to know if somebody else tracked something into your car. And you’ll have a tougher time explaining it than Ms. Gaworski.