Fairly or not, rock concerts have a reputation as a hotbed of illegal drug activity, and this reputation may cause law enforcement to crack down excessively hard on suspected drug use at these events. Authorities in Licking County, Ohio, arrested four people on drug charges at a Gathering of the Juggalo concert in July of last year, one of whom was a Florida man charged with two counts of aggravated drug trafficking. In November, the man pleaded guilty to the fourth-degree felony charges, and a judge recently sentenced him to jail time and community control, also known as probation.
The man apologized before the court when given the opportunity, calling himself a fool for engaging in stupid actions in the name of fun. A pre-sentencing investigation discovered a number of substances in the man’s system, including ketamine, cocaine and hashish. The defense attorney claimed that the man uses medical marijuana as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, producing a number of documents to that effect, and argued that that is why tests detected THC in his system.
The judge, however, remained unconvinced by this argument, noting that the documentation came from a Florida spine and joint doctor and that treating a patient for a mental health condition would likely be outside the realm of the physician’s expertise. Ultimately, the judge handed down a sentence of 60 days in jail followed by community control for three years.
There were three concertgoers arrested on drug trafficking charges the night of the concert. The other two received sentences of community control and community service. There was no connection between their cases and the Florida man’s case. Those arrested on suspicion of trafficking or other drug crimes may wish to engage the services of an attorney.