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Outside View: Drug war double standards
By Paul Armentano
A UPI Outside view commentary

WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- Allegations in Rolling Stone magazine that Jenna and Barbara Bush enjoy an occasional toke should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the proclivities of 21-year-olds, especially those as notoriously predisposed to partying as the "first twins....

...Take California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. He co-sponsored legislation mandating the death penalty for "drug kingpins," but pleaded for mercy when his son Todd was convicted for smuggling 400 pounds of pot. The seven-term Republican, known for his career-long vitriol against "soft on crime" judges, found himself begging a federal judge to waive his son's five-year mandatory sentence. Fortunately for the San Diego Republican, the judge was "soft" enough to give Todd 30 months in prison -- half the federal "mandatory" minimum.

Similar treatment was given to Dan Burton II, son of the 11-time Indiana congressman. He was arrested several times for marijuana and firearms felonies in the mid-1990s but never received more than community service and probation. Prosecutors jumped through hoops to keep Burton's kid out of jail, including underestimating the total weight of the 30 plants he was caught with as only 25 grams, thus reducing his charge to a misdemeanor....