(NaturalNews) You know the American justice system is utterly broken when murderers and rapists are receiving lesser jail sentences than a man convicted of merely having cannabis flowers in his possession. Even large-scale pharmaceutical drug crimes, including the incredible saga of fake pharmaceutical company "Gallant Pharma," are treated less harshly by the justice system than possession and distribution convictions involving marijuana.

Consider the petty sentence that was recently handed down to Talib Khan, co-founder of Gallant, a fake pharmaceutical company that raked in illicit profits surpassing $12.4 million over the course of just four years before finally being exposed and shut down. Khan and his co-conspirators pleaded guilty to illegally importing drugs and medical devices from countries around the world and selling them to patients, a serious felony offense that besides its criminality put potentially thousands of people at risk of injury or death.

According to reports, Khan managed this international drug-trafficking scheme, which involved the import of, in some cases, non-FDA-approved chemotherapy pills and various injectable cosmetic drugs and devices with the capacity to severely harm patients. Many of these drugs and devices are illegal in the U.S., and their import and distribution represents a major threat to public safety and the integrity of the medical system.

Khan eventually admitted guilt to the two charges levied against him: one for introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce and the other for criminal conspiracy. But his sentence might surprise you -- he is serving only three years in prison and was recently informed by the Food and Drug Administration that he's forever banned from working for any pharmaceutical company ever again.

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At least 25 Americans are currently serving life sentences over cannabis, while pharmaceutical drug criminals roam free

This man set up a fake pharmaceutical company that distributed illegal drugs to cancer patients, raking in considerable profits through deception, and his punishment is just a few short years in prison and a reprimand more suited for a first-grader who cheats on a quiz. Worse yet, there is no indication that Khan, his co-founder, his wife and the others involved won't have access to their millions in ill-gotten gains after the dust settles.

Meanwhile, guys like 42-year-old James Romans, a father of three from Indiana, has been sentenced to life in prison for his alleged involvement in selling marijuana, a harmless plant that science shows can help prevent and treat cancer, as well as aid veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

According to The Human Solution, a cannabis advocacy group, some 25 Americans are currently serving life sentences for their role in the so-called "marijuana trade." And yet not a single pharmaceutical executive is in jail for illegally promoting drugs for off-label use, for instance, or for pushing deadly drugs onto the market using bunk research.

Mind you, in the Gallant case, Khan's co-conspirators didn't even receive the maximum three-year sentences first suggested at the time of their hearing. Several of them got off completely, having to forfeit only a portion of what they made from their illegal drug operations as "punishment." This type of corporate injustice continues to play out in court rooms across the country as federal prosecutors continue to aggressively target marijuana users and dealers with outrageous penalties for their "crimes."

"These are lifetime sentences for what, in other countries, they wouldn't in a moment consider incarcerating anybody for," says Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, as quoted by The Huffington Post. "Virtually nobody in Europe goes to jail for cannabis offenses. If they do, they have to be caught in large commercial operations, and repeat offenders."

Sources:

fox2now.com

fda.gov

in-pharmatechnologist.com

edgytruth.com

noodls.com

huffingtonpost.com

huffingtonpost.com