04-13-2014, 06:58 PM
Surprisingly enough I come down on a different side of things. A seller or provider of ANY product with the potential to cause harm to the user is legally responsible to some extent for the effects of that sale, whether it's a legal or illegal substance. First off, a seller of drugs is committing a crime in the act of selling; therefore he or she is an accessory before the fact to any crimes that result from the use of that item.
For example, alcohol is 100% legal and theoretically sold to adults of sound mind; yet any bar or business that knowingly sells alcohol to a clearly intoxicated patron can be held liable for that person's acts up to and including vehicular homicide, death, misadventure, etc. Seen it happen plenty of times.
Right this minute in fact a woman in town is on trial related to the case in West Webster where a nutcase set fire to his neighborhood and killed a couple first responders. Queenbee shared the story. This chick didn't shoot anybody, didn't set fire to anything, didn't have anything at all to do with the nutjob's plan to wage war on the FD.
BUT
She DID knowingly provide weapons to a felon who was not supposed to own them and evidence shows she was aware he planned to kill his sister at least. So basically simply for assisting her neighbor to acquire guns later used in a crime, she is facing serious jail time. If the dude had killed himself or others with bad drugs she got him, it would be no different.
For example, alcohol is 100% legal and theoretically sold to adults of sound mind; yet any bar or business that knowingly sells alcohol to a clearly intoxicated patron can be held liable for that person's acts up to and including vehicular homicide, death, misadventure, etc. Seen it happen plenty of times.
Right this minute in fact a woman in town is on trial related to the case in West Webster where a nutcase set fire to his neighborhood and killed a couple first responders. Queenbee shared the story. This chick didn't shoot anybody, didn't set fire to anything, didn't have anything at all to do with the nutjob's plan to wage war on the FD.
BUT
She DID knowingly provide weapons to a felon who was not supposed to own them and evidence shows she was aware he planned to kill his sister at least. So basically simply for assisting her neighbor to acquire guns later used in a crime, she is facing serious jail time. If the dude had killed himself or others with bad drugs she got him, it would be no different.