Teen who asked judge for a joint says he’ll ‘cut back’ on pot

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An Ohio teen who sparked headlines from coast to coast when he asked a judge if he could have one last joint before going to jail was convicted Monday of marijuana possession, but acquitted on an additional charge of distribution.

During Monday’s courtroom hearing, Damaine Mitchell, 19, told Ohio Judge Melba Marsh that he needs “to cut back on smoking marijuana,” according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

“Cut back?” the judge reportedly asked. “Stop,” he replied. “I need to stop. I need treatment.”

The judge also asked if Mitchell was working in the jail’s kitchen to earn a reduced sentence. “I was just wondering if you were making brownies or something,” she reportedly said, drawing laughs from the audience.

Mitchell was arrested in June in possession of a single marijuana cigarette. Although he’s now clear of any marijuana charges due to his time already served, the teen is still in jail for trespassing after being arrested on his grandmother’s property. He was reportedly kicked out of her home for refusing to quit smoking marijuana.

Although marijuana withdrawal symptoms are relatively minor compared to harder drugs like cocaine or heroin, long-term users can expect to feel irritable, have trouble sleeping, and may experience sweating and weight loss as a result of quitting. Despite the drug itself being less toxic than aspirin, tar from smoke inhalation is known to cause bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer and other respiratory ailments.
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