[MyTurn2Raise]

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Do you carry around a lot of biterness for the ordeal? Do you view it as a mistake you made or just bad luck and a crappy system?

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depends upon the day.... a bit of everything

I am still quite upset that I received such a punishment for what I perceived was a light crime. There were much more effective ways to deal with me, but I was a resume builder for a state's attorney.

Bitter, but I don't dwell on it. Whenever the parole boards asks me about it, I tell them that I honestly thought the punishment was unfair and a bit draconian (then again, what convict doesn't think that about their punishment). It's a sunk cost at this point, though. Dwelling on it doesn't change things.

I definitely made a mistake and was not living life in a way approved of by my peers. I don't regret my drug use, but I do regret how big it had become. I like to think that most people, given my specific case, wouldn't have been so harsh. A few years probation would've changed my behavior just as much as prison. Instead, my mind got totally crushed for 8 or so months. I still don't feel I've regained some of the confidence I had. However, I do have quite a perspective on things.

Today and before the arrest, I've been a pro-legalization warrior. However, because I know the risks inherent in drug use and chose to use them doesn't mean I can disregard the rules society passes. What gives me the right to be superior? I'd like to see a more 'enlightened' drug policy, but it still doesn't change the fact that I knowingly was breaking the law.

I will say that I thought the drug I was using would have similar punishments as marijuana. That turned out to be a very bad assumption.