Breaking Real Bad: Inside the Sam Hurd Drug Case

[EZ22]

Paint me naive or stupid but I never understood why people need to do drugs except for medical reasons.

I hear you brah.

 

[skidadl]

He smoked a lot of weed and then he pretended to be a big timer. Huge mistake but not enough for a bunch of prison time.

The dude just seems really naive and clueless to me.

I think he pretty much is the nice guy that everyone thought that he was.

 

[Cotton]

Attorney: Hurd case a lesson to NFL

By Tom Orsborn

November 15, 2013

DALLAS — An attorney for Brackenridge High graduate Sam Hurd believes his client's stunning fall from grace should be viewed as a cautionary tale for the NFL and its players who use marijuana.

Hurd was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison for his role in trying to establish a cocaine and marijuana trafficking network.


In his plea to U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis for mercy, Hurd blamed his “severe addiction to marijuana” for his life unraveling.

“Everything that has happened in this case is a result of my addiction and the obsession to get more marijuana,” Hurd said. “My judgment was clouded by my drug use.”

Attorney Michael McCrum agreed.

“That shows you the power of a marijuana addiction,” McCrum said. “A lot of states are legalizing it. We are thinking of legalizing it more and more. But this shows where marijuana can take you — to make bad decisions. This case is a testament to it.”

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Hurd said he smoked marijuana and distributed it to dozens of teammates during his five seasons with the Cowboys, a stint that ended when he signed with the Chicago Bears after the 2010 season.

“(I smoked) all day, every day, and I didn't want to hear anyone trying to tell me I had a problem,” Hurd said.

McCrum suggested the NFL should heed Hurd's comments.


“If you look at Sam saying at least half of the players are using marijuana, yeah, I think (the NFL) has a heck of a problem,” McCum said. “They only test for marijuana before the season starts ... that's a huge mistake.”

Players in the league's substance abuse program are subject to frequent testing. But if a player is not in the program, he takes a random drug screen prior to the season during a three-month window from May through July.

That means all players have to do to beat the testing is clean out their system before May and abstain until the end of July.

“Our substance-abuse program advisors have been recommending to our office and the NFLPA for the past five or so years that the April-August restriction on the annual drug screen be eliminated,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said Thursday in an email. “Instead, they propose there be an annual test for each player that could be given at any time in a calendar year, plus the ability to conduct one additional random test per year at any time.

“The union has declined to agree to make that change.”

The names of three of Hurd's ex-Dallas teammates came up more than a few times during his sentencing: fellow San Antonian Quincy Butler, Tashard Choice and Patrick Watkins. Butler and Watkins also were mentioned in the SI article.

“The article indicates (they) were with (Hurd) on trips involving marijuana,” McCrum said.

________________________________

This is not helping the cause at all. Severe marijuana addiction. GTFO

 

[NoDak]

This is not helping the cause at all. Severe marijuana addiction. GTFO

Is marijuana addictive?

Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction; that is, people have difficulty controlling their drug use and cannot stop even though it interferes with many aspects of their lives. It is estimated that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it.10 The number goes up to about 1 in 6 in those who start using young (in their teens) and to 25-50 percent among daily users.11,12 Moreover, a study of over 300 fraternal and identical twin pairs found that the twin who had used marijuana before the age of 17 had elevated rates of other drug use and drug problems later on, compared with their twin who did not use before age 17.13

According to the 2010 NSDUH, marijuana accounted for 4.5 million of the estimated 7.1 million Americans dependent on or abusing illicit drugs.1 In 2009, approximately 18 percent of people aged 12 and older entering drug abuse treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse; 61 percent of persons under 15 reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse.14

Marijuana addiction is also linked to a withdrawal syndrome similar to that of nicotine withdrawal, which can make it hard to quit. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeping difficulties, craving, and anxiety. They also show increased aggression on psychological tests, peaking approximately 1 week after they last used the drug.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/marijuana-addictive

Even though the physiological effects of cannabis withdrawal are generally mild, it is not correct to conclude that marijuana is not addictive, because being addicted to something is more than simply being physically dependent on a drug and experiencing physiological effects if the drug is stopped suddenly. “Addiction” refers to behaviors that are compulsive, partially out of control or worse, and often escalating in severity and intensity.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/almost-addicted/201311/is-marijuana-addictive

 

[Deuce]

This is not helping the cause at all. Severe marijuana addiction. GTFO

People use that in court all the time because a lot of judges will hand down diversion programs and inpatient rehab as a substitute for a lot of jail time. His problem was he isn't trying to avoid county jail. He's got Federal Prison on his ass. There's no avoiding that.

 

[BipolarFuk]

Did one of the "government is the boogieman" guys just use a .gov website to prove a point?

 

[Smitty]

I believe marijuana is addictive like fast food is addictive.

 

[Cotton]

I have smoked a SHIT TON of pot in my day. I don't give one rat's ass what some researcher or govt tool has to say about it. I know, for a fact, that it is not addictive. Not in the physical sense at least, and that's all that really matters when it comes to conversations about true addiction.

 

[NoDak]

The point was, ANYTHING can be addictive. From a mental standpoint, anyway. And that was exactly what was being pointed out in that last link.

But either way. Rage on, bro.