True. The part that really bothers me is that when they spotted the pot from the air, couldn't they have checked to see if he was a licensed grower? Even after they went into the home I am sure the owner told them he was a licensed grower. It should have stopped right there!!! I guess that is if they even told the owner why they were there???

With incidents like this going on, you have to wonder how soon real police cars will say "to punish and enslave," like Decepticon Barricade does in his Police car form.

It's been that time for 20 years in my opinion.

Civil asset forfeiture is always wrong, regardless of the alacrity of the criminal. If someone is convicted of a crime then the gov can file a lawsuit to confiscate any ill-gotten gains. Nothing except evidence should ever be seized before conviction and you need a warrant for that.

Right, because even when everything's in the sh!tter at least we can sit back and enjoy a jelly baby!

I understand seizing the assets and property of major criminals but when someone is never charged for a crime, everything should be returned!!!

you would think that with the 0 administration pissing off the police they might react against some of these bad laws but they don't because they too like to have power over the masses in their communities. everyone one of them likes that.

Precisely. This is exactly the type of tyranny that the Founding Fathers objected to from the British government.

This is clearly a denial of due process, and if the courts don't overturn it, it may be time for "When in the course..."

Too bad we don't have The Doctor around, eh?

"almost zero legal recourse" -- Aww, come on! There's a well defined, totally corrupt procedure where you beg the ones who stole your property to recognize that it's innocent of any crime and that they should return it to you.

Since we all have so much common sense you ought to be able to leave the hearing with your property in you hands, eh?

If I was KING (and my reign would probably last less than a day before my untimely demise), I would get rid of all crony capitalistic laws, such as the illegality of all drugs (including medical prescriptions), illegality of alcohol, and many others. I dont know whether it would be the cartels or the government who would kill me, but undoubtedly one or the other

once again we have a law that is being interpreted by those who are the enforcers of the law even though their interpretation is wrong it is not easy to correct them. so we have police officers who have 3rd grade intelligence. and they are the ones we have to be concerned with.

The Michigan seizure laws are just flat unconstitutional. In this case he claims he was growing pot legally. But, the police can seize any property they "think" might have been acquired with funds from any illegal drug activity. They do not have to prove it or even convince a judge they had reasonable evidence to suspect it. AND, they never have to return anything seize under the belief that it was associated with any illegal drug activity. All they have to say is they thought it was so.

In a truly free society police would have no reason to enforce drug laws. What citizens choose to put in there own bodies is not the governments concern.

I don't think we live in the USA anymore.
Authorities stealing stealing stuff from people without due process is a disturbing growing trend. (Without due process, I call such deplorable acts stealing--not confiscation).
Lately I've become aware that. if the IRS merely suspects that you may have obtained income illegally, those federal level thieves can seize your savings.
There is no criminal charge. Just a written tough luck notice. And this is happening repeatedly.
I recently read an opinion that Big Brother is desperate to keep up with its gargantuan spending. Such is how I'd opine.

Why? Because he was growing pot - legally? That's just recourse for confiscation of property?

If he were even _accused_ of committing a crime, I can see the stops on his accounts, etc., pending trial. But this throws innocent until proven guilty completely out the window. That is what concerns me. Using this mentality, the police can go after anyone they want, confiscate their property, and there is no legal recourse whatsoever. That's SS/KGB - not the United States of America.

That is frigging crazy. How in the world are they getting away with crap like this. People like this, the cigarette seller in New York and countless others are destroyed over what would appeared at best to be petty crimes and the looters in Furgeson get to destroy with no repercussions. Disgusting!