[messo]

Special interest groups (like MADD) is almost extremist in their single-mindedness, pursuing utopic ideas without any regard for existing laws concerning privacy and personal freedoms.

Here in Norway, we have had the same problem with the anti-drug lobby, where police, schools and other government agencies have gotten away with obvious injustices for decades, in the name of the utopia that is a "drug free society". Only now is people and the press waking up to the fact that so much of what has been going on in the service of "the greater good", actually has been illegal and caused a lot of harm and suffering.

[borski]

It’s really unfortunate because MADD has otherwise produced good-for-the-country-and-its-citizens results, but then they go and do shit like this and make it so so hard to support them.

[throwawayHN378]

Are you sure about that? When I was a child I was prescribed Adderall for ADHD and I have been on the medication ever since. When I was 25 years old I was picking up my nephew from my sisters house and bringing him to my parents house. I had my prescription sitting in the cup holder. I drove through a DWI checkpoint and long story short I was charged with a felony DWAI for driving under the influence of Adderall.

There was no accusation that I was abusing the prescription. There was no accusation that I was no legally allowed to have the prescription. The simple fact that I was driving on Adderall, the state claimed, was impaired driving. It became felonious because my young nephew was in the car.

I lawyered up and spent 30k fighting the case but the DAs office had a “no plea” policy whereby they refuse to plea bargain any DWIs. So my only option was take it to trial ( and if you lose, spent 5 years in state prison ) or plea guilty to a felony and do probation.

Everything I just wrote to you is 100% true and stated exactly how it happened. Does that seem fair to you?

The MADD lobby has gone way too far to criminalize non criminal behavior. Thankfully employers have empathized with me and not rescinded any job offers due to the conviction, but it’s a hard pill to swallow. When I went to court I was seeing burglars, robbers, etc have their charges dropped to misdemeanors but that wasn’t an option for me. Additionally, the laws are written such that DWI cannot be sealed or expunged. I’m so bitter that I can’t even empathize with those mothers anymore. There have been times where I’m so upset about the situation and feel so wronged by the process that I actually am happy that they lost a child… as terrible as it is to say, but I have to be honest. I’m glad they’re hurting because I’m hurt

[throwaway0a5e]

If more people who got wronged like you did bought bulldozers fewer people would get wronged like you did. When there is no repercussions to the system (other than positive ones where you input money) the system has no reason to stop.

[borski]

That’s terrible - which state? I’ve never heard of driving while having taken adderall being considered a DWI.

[s1artibartfast]

What was the outcome of your trial?

[throwaway0a5e]

Once these organizations achieve "good enough to satisfy the overwhelming majority of regular people" results regular people have no reason to care further and the interest groups become staffed by extremists and promote extremism because those are the only people with desire to push further and the only people throwing money at the organization.