Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for October 26, 2023

San Diego won’t miss you. They have the Chargers… Maybe they will miss you.

Mike in San Diego, “Pass the dutchy on the left hand side, the Giants win the pennant!” IYKYK.

Tell them it’s CBD. In Tennessee, Marijuana is illegal, but CBD is legal.

Stephan is an overachiever. Getting arrested by both local and federal law enforcement on the same book tour!

“I was told it was oregano! Honest!”

Looks like it’s Stephan’s last dance with Mary Jane.

Goat, Stephan writes you, how could he not know that?

At least he’s being charitable by signing books for inmates.

Eh not draws comics on prison wall now. Or you get arrested inside prison also.

Unfortunately, pot laws Are still being enforced in many areas. The RW faction that is really big on ‘Control’ HATES the idea of giving up such a useful tool that provides selective control over people by selective enforcement. A large number of arrest and trafficking statistics the DEA trots out to this day are for marijuana. But the person charged May be charged with a misdemeanor, Or, if he is someone who is ‘inconvenient’, or ‘irksome’ to either the police or the power structure, they might Still be charged with a felony, and much more severely penalized.

That was a favorite tactic of the police in some areas, in the 1960’s and ’70’s. A lot of people who were ‘politically active’ had their homes, vehicles, or persons searched, and pot was ‘found’ in the search, and they ended up behind bars… some of whom had never smoked a joint in their life.

Whether this practice still continues today, I cannot say…. but it would not shock me to find that it did still occur once in a while.

@@hariseldon Thanks for the dates.

Time for the feds to decriminalize marijuana as it is legal across the board in many places and other places it is allowed for medicinal purposes as here in FL. With so many other dangers lurking in society busting people for small amount of weed is simply ridiculous.

Of course, the criminal justice and corrections conglomerate make huge coin from locking up people for possession (companies make huge profits providing substandard food and medical care in many areas as well as the counties and state assign contracts to the highest bidder) and also make money via court costs, probation fees, fines, counseling services and drug testing.

Many young people get dragged into the system on an arrest for possession and find it difficult or even impossible to get out of said system. Decriminalize pot and a lot of those associated with the criminal justice conglomerate will see their gravy train run dry. They will fight tooth and nail to fight this.

Feds hold the cards, states rights are below the federal statutes!

I hope this strip was educational for all who were in need of the lesson.

He was caught by a joint task force!

What’s bail for the bale?!

Seems you’re a bit rusty on the law, Counselor.

Caught up in the excitement of the moment.

Stephan what would Larry Croc do in this situation ?

Stay away from that chit, man!

Where’s Guard Duck when you need him?

Ha I always knew Pastis was a stoner!

I’ve never tried the stuff and don’t really get why Americans are so drug-happy, but treating cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, in the same class as heroin, is just plain stupid. Pot is probably less dangerous than alcohol.

And that’s why you’re the smart one, Goat.

Why does Stephan enjoy throwing himself in jail?

Now you tell him.

To bad he’s not a politician, he could claim it was an honest mistake

No more flyin’ high, Pastis!

…..

If he signs as many books as he signs legal paperwork on this trip, he’ll being doing quite well.

To quote Bugs Bunny: “Oh no! Not again!”

Silly Stephan. Take edibles before you fly. Then stare for hours at that UFO following the plane – that turns out to be a wing light.

Guns laws are the same. Your state may say its legal but when you fill out the Federal Form 4473, and it asks about drug use (Hunter) marijuana is an illegal drug. So you may consume it legally but you cannot buy a firearm.

i like to smoke, but i have to say it has ruined Vegas!

Why can’t you have unified laws throughout the whole country?

So, you can have some marie juana in your pocket and walk across the state border, cycle across the state border, drive over the state border but not fly over the state border with it?

And even though it’s legal in the two adjoining states (CA and AZ in this case), you can’t take it across the state line since that’s Federal jurisdiction.

Cautionary note to those in states where cannabis is legal for recreational use: depending on state law, your employer (current or prospective) might still be able to demand a drug test and fire you (or reject you job application) if the now-legal substance comes up positive.

You really shouldn’t have pushed it, Stephan. The law will always know. Yeah, I feel that this is signaling the end of the strip.

Drug jokes never were funny

Steph!! Really!!

This book signing is CURSED. And I’m STILL sad I missed Stephen when he came to The Town of Tonawanda! D’X

It’s tricky traveling. Most hotels are now “no smoking,” & laws still say you can’t in public places. Enforcement is selective & tourists are easy, let ‘em slide if they’re otherwise contributing sufficiently to the local economy, or just mail us a check for the fine. Have a relative or make a friend in safe states. A small bag that stays there is cheaper than a hotel.

Another example of the strange way State/City laws/ordinances are related to Federal laws.

That’s why they call it dope.

should have organized a signing tour in prisons instead of in bookstores…

So what ? The Raiders will always be The Oakland Raiders to me.All them California teams look alike…..yeah yeah I know they’re in Vegas now.Here in Cleveland,we at least held on to our name….at least.

Rent a car, Phoenix to San Diego is a nice drive. And 15 pounds is a lot anyway.

Stephan Pastis had written in the comments section of his past books that he had a hard time getting more adult themes past the censors of his work (AKA editors) because the comics section had to be kept at a children’s level for the kids reading it. Crap… don’t use that word. Butt… nope, and other things. Glad to see the editors are letting him “push the envelope” and he can run strips like this. If you want pure sweetness, stick to Garfield. If you want edgy, Pearls Before Swine is the strip for you!

So is Sacramento and Seattle a bust now? ;-)

TSA agent looks like Jerry Garcia!!

Next time in your checked luggage. It’s not like you were going to use it on the plane.

The TSA just loves to bust hippies. Or anyone else who is too weak to harm them.

I wonder if Stephan’s puns will improve or change in some way if he ends up writing from prison?

I wonder if this is really an autobiographical story.

Didn’t he just do a Pastis-in-jail story?

Dumb move, Cartoon-Boy. I hope you enjoy Doing Time and being treated like a boy-toy indifre ths joint….

Too bad he’s not in the WNBA.

Remember to tell the judge that you write “Zits”.

The best part is you don’t have to take it on the plane because you can buy it when you get there, silly