It’s hard to imagine that anyone in Minnesota still believes that the cops are a credible source of information regarding SF 97 and HF 292 — the state’s pending medical marijuana measures.
After all, it was only a few weeks ago when state lawmakers and the local media ‘outed’ law enforcement for continually lying about the bills during their public testimony.
Nevertheless, in the interest of ‘balance’ (and I use that term euphemistically here), state newspapers apparently feel the need to give these tainted folks a platform to spew their lies and propaganda — even though it appears that no one aside from Gov. Tim Pawlenty is listening.
Of course, it’s arguable that by giving law enforcement a forum, editors are actually, if inadvertently, promoting marijuana law reform. After all, the prejudice, fabrications, and misplaced logic exhibited by those who favor prohibition clearly does more to undermine the policy than NORML could ever hope to.
A case in point. Writing in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, local sheriff Richard Stanek goes off on a tirade about marijuana. But if one reads between the lines, it becomes readily obvious (to anyone but the sheriff), that his gripe is really with cannabis prohibition.
Lighten up on marijuana?
By RICHARD W. STANEK
… The connection between marijuana and violent crime should not be underestimated. The violence related to marijuana isn’t a result of the effects on the user but rather stems from the money people can make selling and growing the drug. Violence is part of the trade. By legalizing marijuana-growing operations and drug traffic, we would invite violence into our communities.
… We should never lose focus on the immediate connection between guns, gangs, kids and drugs — and marijuana is frequently the connection. I have been in law enforcement for 25 years and have seen this firsthand. When I was captain of the Criminal Investigations Division with the Minneapolis Police Department, we investigated a case involving a man from out-of-state who tried to buy marijuana for personal use. He unwittingly approached a gang-connected dealer. The man was shot and killed so gang members could keep his money and the marijuana.
Read about any gang-related violence surrounding the sale of alcohol lately? How about vicodin or paxil? Didn’t think so. The irony, of course, is that the very ramifications that Sheriff Stanek claims to lament are, in fact, direct consequences of the public policy he reflexively endorses.
Of course, Sheriff Stanek isn’t alone is his twisted thinking (another euphemism). In a pro/con piece published today in the Rochester Post-Bulletin, Dennis J. Flaherty, executive director and chief lobbyist of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, also predictably plays the ‘violence’ card (among others).
The facts are that marijuana is a drug that is associated with violent crimes such as robberies and assaults. Many have and will resort to almost anything to get their hands on it.
And here I thought cops believed that pot smoking made people unmotivated.
The cop lobbyist goes on to make a number of other false accusations as well. You are free to read them here. (Have a strong anti-emetic handy.)
Fortunately, despite this deluge of deliberately false information, most Minnesota politicians — former sheriff and current Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen notwithstanding — are voting on the side of truth. Will Gov. Pawlenty do likewise? If you live in Minnesota, now might be a good time to ask him.
PS: Think that Minnesota is the only state whose cops blatently lie about medical marijuana? Think again!
Well does’nt that sound like ur typical pig pot brings gangs and murder and if we legalize it, it will bring more of the same.But u know what the fact that its illegal is the only reason why that man was killed.If it was legal people wouldn’t have to go to dealers and risk gettin killed over it.God cops r Fn dumb
Lately I’ve been seeing people argue such nonsense as “If we legalize and take money from the cartels, they’ll start doing something new and we don’t want that”. Seriously, people are arguing that we should maintain the status quo for the benefit of the cartels.
Certain people are apparently worried and spewing garbage. We should make sure not to try to shout those who disagree down, they currently seem to be just furthering the case for legalization even if they don’t realize it.
pssh i personally went up 2 a cop here in south FL and asked him his opinion on medical mj.. and he simply replied “get the fuck away from me”
This is the same argument (or list of talking points) the prohibitionists are using here in Pennsylvania. It’s the rose is still a rose by any other name argument, too. Medical cannabis is cannabis, hemp is cannabis, and recreational cannabis is cannabis, so cannabis is still cannabis by any other name: legalization of one is legalization of the other, as if one would be the loophole for the others to harm the children and innocent bystanders alike. You just don’t have the violence with tobacco or alcohol sales as you do when something is kept illegal. When was the last time you heard of people raiding some farmer’s tobacco field to roll some cigars or cigarettes? They just buy them at the store.
I mean, you got the same shit going on in the U.S. southwest on the Navajo reservation that has alcohol prohibition because the people who have vehicles bring it in from off reservation. (Most people there do not have vehicles.) Off reservation legally regulated, no violence. Good. On reservation prohibited alcohol, violence. Bad. Now, let’s apply that George Herbert Walker Bush style: legally regulated cannabis leads to no violence. Good. Keeping cannabis illegal, continued violence. Bad. Alcohol Prohibition, lots of violence. Bad. Repeal of Prohibition, no violence. Good.
Why ask the cops about medical issues is right. What kinds of crime will they have to concentrate on if they are freed up from cannabis delicts? Real crimes and not non-crimes.
And as for Katie True-R (Politician in PA) anyone would be eternally sorry her innocent son got caught in the gunfire and got mowed down in a dispute over drugs. It was the lack of separation of soft drugs, cannabis products in other words, from the hard drugs market that led to an impossible prohibition situation and the violence. You have basically said that every time the issue of drug legalization comes up that you will always think of that and never vote for legaliztion. The dispute wasn’t over any kind of cannabis, yet the prohibitionists bring out people in this situation to convince the public to vote against it. They don’t care about the scientific literature, how many doctors and nurses and other professional associates representing tens upon tens of thousands of people there are for legalization of some sort, and last of all do they want to show any compassion for anybody it could help medically or therapeutically. It really shows their bitterness and vengeance is misplaced. Hopefully the scales will fall from their eyes soon.
PiGS
LiES
BECAUSE THEY DONT LIKE THE TRUTH
THEY ARE MORE SCARED OF THE TRUTH
THAN THE PUBLiC…
THEIR MAIN ROLE IN SOCiETY WAS TO “PROTECT & SERVE”
COP= Constantly On PatroL
COPS WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT…THE GOVERNMENT RUNS BY PEOPLE LIKE US…TAXPAYERS
SO BASICALLY COPS ARE SUPPOSE TO WORK FOR US!!!
The first pig, I mean cop that wrote an article is obviously an idiot, no need to state the reason why as norml already did. Pigs are mad because I bet if marijuana was legalized, a lot of pigs would be laid off, then these idiots wouldn’t know what to do because obvioulsy, most pigs are too dumb to barely graduate, example would be the character on “That 70’s Show” Michael Kelso, he’s a big dumbass, but any idiot, such as him, can become a cop (although most of us realize being a pig isn’t the thing to be once you get out of Kindergarten, maybe past 2nd grade)
I’m shocked to see how many addicts we have here. I am a police officer, with the majority of my family in the pharmaceutical industry. Needless to say, I know more about this issue than any civilian, scientist, doctor, or judge.
Legalizing marijuana is COMPLETELY ABSURD. Here are the facts about legalizing marijuana and the impacts it has.
1) Marijuana these days is so potent that it can kill you.
2) Marijuana already causes enough violence for Law Enforcement, making it legal would increase the violence tenfold as more and more cartels would move into our schools, churches, daycare centers, and force everyone around them in take a ”drag” of this terrible, life destroying, drug.
3) If marijuana were to be legalized the DEA and the War on Drugs would receive significantly less funding. The vast majority (80%) of our hundred billion dollar federal budget is spent on fighting this killer drug, marijuana. Without marijuana, there would be no drug problem in America, thus we would have to cut back instead of growing our agencies. We need marijuana to be illegal so the federal and state governments will continue to support us.
4) Prohibition works.
5) Marijuana as a medicine is flat out ABSURD. Marijuana is tenfold more dangerous than opiates or methamphetamine (all of which you can safely obtain from your doctor at anytime), as my family and research tells me. Having opiates or methamphetamines in pill form gives you all the comfort you need to know that it is safe. If it wasn’t, then a pharmaceutical company would never make it because they value their customers and only want what’s best for them. The pharmaceutical companies are caring and compassionate. If marijuana actually helped anyone they would stop pushing their pills on people and give them marijuana. But the truth is, marijuana is much more dangerous than anything they create.
FROM A POLICE OFFICER POSTED TODAY!! WHAT A JOKE!!!
As you can see, legalizing marijuana is the worst possible thing you can do for the welfare needs of the DEA and the War on Drugs. Also, medical marijuana is a pure joke. Marijuana is clearly more dangerous than what the pharmaceutical industry manufactures.
Remember, think of our children.
Thank you,
-Law Enforcement
I got that from another website those are not my opinions! Just how crazy some people actually think
Dennis J. Flaherty stated “The facts are that marijuana is a drug that is associated with violent crimes such as robberies and assaults. Many have and will resort to almost anything to get their hands on it.”
Well, if marijuana is ‘associated’ with violent crimes ,then marijuana needs too be ‘DISASSOCIATED’ from violent crime by changing the law.Marijuana doesn’t create crime ,PEOPLE Do! If people could grow their own they wouldn’t have to get it from bad influences!There by removing the violent crime marijuana supposedly creates.
The way I see it it’s law that provides the means and breeding ground for violence.
It would be of no surprise to me if Tim Pawlenty vetoed this medical cannabis bill to his grave. His veto makes sense because ever since 2003 when Pawlenty took office the deficits of Minnesota has risin quite significantly and is estimated to be 2.2 billion next year. My Point.. Pawlenty is not very intelligent, he is a bush era republican who does not know the meaning of less government = better government.
Ron Paul 2012.
It really makes you wonder what motivates these people to keep prohibition going. Is it job security? Or futhering their personal and political agendas? The very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. That’s what prohibition is. I know I don’t need to tell all of you this, but why is our message not getting through? Maybe it is, it’s just everytime I read blatant misrepresentations of the truth it screws up my day. I have however convinced a good friend of mine who is a Conservative Republican who visits his Church every Sunday rain or shine that legalization is a good idea. Let’s keep chipping away at this and hopefully we’ll get there.
I think in all fairness the media in Minn. should have the people from L.E.A.P. ( Law Enforcement Against Prohibition)have their say. These are real law enforcement people that see how wrong prohibition has been. Their perspective is very truthful and from the streets they patrolled. It’s as real as anything I have ever read in showing how destructive this terrible policy has been. It is very refreshing hear people from law enforcement be so truthful.
“If Someone Robbed Your House Would You Call Your Doctor? So Why Do Cops Keep Talking About Medical Cannabis?”
I’ve been asking myself the very same thing these past couple of months. All anyone has to do during these trials is consistently raise the same question themselves. Cops shouldn’t have ANY say in ANY medical related legislation.
No, they are bad about it here too. they still think its a gateway and there isnt any medical value. Both those points are false and have been proven to be false!
We need to be fighting the lies! We should demand the truth more than anything, but thats the problem, the truth shall set us frwee and they dam wel know it!
Excellent title to this release NORML.
Read some of the comments on the link you provided at the end, the P.S. one.
People are angry about prohibition, even those who don’t smoke.
As far as police go, in my opinion, it’s all an ego thing, a real chest thumper for them.
Now that you mention it, I DO have a strong anti-emetic handy 🙂
Do we expect the police to tell the truth? Those sheriffs are blowhards. Donut chomping motherscratchers
If these swine attempted to put forth that verbal diarrhea in public, they would be laughed off the stage. Liars. I hope their constituencies remember their nonsense when election day comes along.
im not surprised by law enforcements attempts of subverting the truth about cannabis.It is obvious to me that they are so afraid of cannabis legalization that they will spread fear to any who will listen,tell the lie of how they want to save the children,and how cartel violence will rage out of control.If we put out there one person who can talk about legalization,they will put out ten who will oppose it. I fear we will never be able to get enough on the pro side to ever beat the con side.Some how there is a disconnect within our movement,That the supposed 15-25 million smokers out there either are afraid or really dont want to mobilize to make legalization a reality.If that kind of mobilization were to ever materialize then we could move this into the realm of rational deabte.until then we will always just be those stupid druggies they have called us for 40 years.
These particular cops have no respect for the field of Medicine or our Freedom to mold our society to reflect modern thought rather than dwell in the hysteria of their paranoid fallacies.
I don’t know, did anyone else get this connection? R.O.E. came close.
Dennis J. Flaherty, executive director and chief lobbyist of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association is supposed to have said this?
“The facts are that ({read:} prohibition backed ONDCP gifted money){instead of}”marijuana” is a drug that is associated with violent crimes such as robberies and assaults (and perjury and dog killing and violating personal freedoms and murder and so on, etc, ad infinitum). Many have and will resort to almost anything to get their hands on it.” THE MONEY that’s what motivates these people! And self glory.
to the cop who had the nerve to resort back to an argument that has been disproved time and time again READ A FUCKING BOOK SOMETIME. is THC really deadly, when your body creates it naturally within the endocannabinoid system? i think not. if it was so deadly i think that every stoner here would be dead. every year there are hundreds of thousands of deaths from alcohol and tobacco use, and they’re LEGAL. guess how many deaths are caused by marijuana alone. anyone?
thats right none. however there are cases in wich the DEALERS are not only selling cannabis, but selling it along with coke, heroin, X, ice, pills and many other deadly, addictive, and harmful drugs.
marijuana use stems from thousands of years of tradition with no ill effects on society. take the tibetan monks for example, theyve been smoking cannabis for a little over five thousand years. and how many wars have they gotten into.
this war on drugs is not working nor will it. who has the right to say that you cant have a god given plant?
hey, every one that reads this do some research on some common everyday legal plants and see what can come of them.
PEOPLE OF THE 420 NATION, I SAY UNTO THEE:
GET UP, STAND UP, STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT
GET UP, STAND UP, DONT GIVE UP THE FIGHT
-Bob Marley
We Shall Overcome
Job Security > Ego > Country
#7, cherrin, glad you clarified your first post.
Was ready to go ballistic with what was posted. “I’m shocked to see how many addicts we have here. I am a police officer, with the majority of my family in the pharmaceutical industry. Needless to say, I know more about this issue than any civilian, scientist, doctor, or judge”.
#12 das: While I completely understand the video you put a link into it is NOT appropriate to OUR cause. Please, I beg you to understand.
#17 antiemetic (medicine) A drug that combats nausea and vomiting. Be a little clearer in your posts please, a simple wikipedia check would fix that.
And drop the Anon stuff, don’t be paranoid over your opinions.
I say that because I live on a military base and dammit I won’t hold back on my beliefs over the internet!
People, Don’t get into the “cop” bashing mode please.
Just add one word and the argument is sound.
“The connection between marijuana PROHIBITION and violent crime should not be underestimated.”
Giving criminals a source of revenue increases crime. Cutting off this source of revenue would decrease crime. I know they get this reasoning. The question is why do they ignore it? Job security? What?
That right there just shakes me to the core, Seeing people lying and that mislead, It just gets to me. If they took two seconds to learn, and listen for once in there life, They could see why people are so devote.
I feel really bad for the police who believe this. Fortunately there are law enforcement officers who know legalizing marijuana is the right thing to do. Everyone should check out Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
If marijuana is asociated with crime because criminals smoke it then it can also be associated with olympic medals because the winningest olimpian smokes pot
4:20 =)
Gee. There must be no serious crimes being committed in his jurisdiction that he could focus his department’s time toward preventing. Somebody buy this man a door so he can break it down.
I’m sure you have some cops who when paid enough look the other way, they may be working with the cartels the same way some did during alcohol prohibition. You had cops who where mysteriously “in the money” despite their minimal salaries.
If we are truly a free country then we the people should have the ability to do a direct vote on this issue, and cops should just stay out of it and go catch a criminal. Tell the truth or shut up
I HATE HOW PEOPLE SAY THEY KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WEED WERE LEGALIZED! PEOPLE AGAINST IT SAY IT WILL CAUSE KIDS TO SMOKE AT A YOUNGER AGE AND SUCH, PEOPLE FOR IT SAY IT WILL CAUSE LESS CRIME INVOLVING DRUG DEALERS AND SUCH, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE BIG PROBLEM IS!? NEITHER OF THEM ARE RIGHT! AND DO YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE UNTIL WE ACTUALLY LEGALIZE IT, NOBODY KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN! IT’S ALL NONSENSE! NOBODY CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE! SO HOW ABOUT WE JUST SHUT UP, GIVE IT A CHANCE, AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. NOT THAT HARD.
Straight out of a college logics class. If A, then B, so B causes A. You can manipulate and present statistics any way you want to support what you want to promote.
The truth will bear itself out, and I think there is definitely a signal change that started this year, first with Obama’s inadvertent opening up of government dialogue to pot smokers, and then not knowing what to do with the consequences, and Michael Phelps bringing adult recreational marijuana use to the forefront.
NORML needs to air more commercials and CNN needs to continue giving time to the discussion of legalization. All pot smokers need to be making donations whenever and wherever they can to keep the airtime going.
some day soon we’ll be seeing his picture on the front of little baggies!
Same old rhetoric from the prohibitionists. Last I checked, cartels, dealers and gangs don’t check IDs to make sure your “of age”. I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I suppose thats why kids GO TO THEM!! Gangs have customers, there will be violence. Last I checked gangs don’t sell alcohol and cigarettes. The black market goes for what makes the money, take that business away and what do they have left? Nothing. My great grandmother was a capone, cousin to the notorious Al. Could we imagine how much the mafia would have grown if we hadn’t legalized alchohol? These days politics get in the way of common sence. I suppose thats why its called politics. Poli in latin meaning “many” and tics meaning “blood sucking creatures”.
cherrin i read your first post and my head almost exploded lol untill i read the next that clarified things hahaha
It will be legalized, the question is when…Pres Obama has said he will use science over politics, now we just need to see if he is willing to stick to that or disregard all the evidence..there have been over 17,000 studies done on cannibus all with positive results for its use, yet politics have kept it illegal for 72 years..
I’m not a police office…but…I do come from a very, very long family line of medicine and pharmacy. So, we’re somewhat on a level playing field. That being said, I hope it’s your intention,and duty, as a police officer,to uphold the laws you are sworn to protect. The laws on the books, not the law of opinion. What we are both pushing is opinion.
It doesn’t give me any great pleasure to flaunt the law to a officer of the law…but…the officer of the law should pay greater attention to the Data Quality Act-DQA, and the President’s Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, before making such ludicrous statements, where ever they originate from.
Cherrin, with all due respect, I do honor your right to opinion, and would die fighting to protect your right to express that opinion, but I totally disrespect the mendacity of that statement,where ever it originated.
Who doesn’t want to protect children? I hope that isn’t a cheap shot to make your point. What in essence you have done is disseminate information based on opinion, or false and misleading information, not science. Think it over my friend.
#7 POLICE OFFICER so what ? And LMAO.. You know more than they alllll do, because you have a badge and some family that work at the drug store. I can tell that you just got out of school. you are so wrong to suggest he meth is better than pot, And how do you suggest that I take this rat poison? after all, they do sell it at the store and that makes it ok right? And by the way… You are fighting a lossing WAR and you and all of your forces are greatly out numbered. I bet you have blonde hair because you made a bunch of non since. LOL you poor thing. when your out there with your gun on and you want to get that rush feeling when you come up on a suspected POT SMOKER call for back up. Those pothead people are hard to get along with.They try to smile ya down like ol boone did and they got teeth……And the red eye… watch out for the red eye…people that think like you tickle me. God love ya.Now go take your pills. Now about the law enforcement that told all those lies in Minnasoda. Hey your kid is loss again. She lies just like you do. But she is proud. she is real proud…Sorry Lea… no aim for you..
#7 oh sorry .. You had me going there for a bit. I was fixing to say that you know more than the doctors and judges and the public, but you didnt know squat about smoking mj. Im sorry. Now I got to take my blood pressure meds.
Waging any war against nature will fail because it is impossible for the mindset of children and childrens children to remain the same when regarding the natural world of plants and medicine. Plants are living and they have been on this world longer than man. Men should have absolutely NO authority over other men to dictate whether their medicine is good or bad, especially in a “free” society.
Why do people constantly feel the need to hate a plant that has only done good, and raise hell over anyone who engages in the natural act of growing plants? Afterall, there are plenty of truly poisonous plants that kill people year after year that the iradication efforts could be turned to.
cherrin Says:
May 4th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
“I’m shocked to see how many addicts we have here. I am a police officer, with the majority of my family in the pharmaceutical industry. Needless to say, I know more about this issue than any civilian, scientist, doctor, or judge.
Legalizing marijuana is COMPLETELY ABSURD. Here are the facts about legalizing marijuana and the impacts it has.
1) Marijuana these days is so potent that it can kill you.
2) Marijuana already causes enough violence for Law Enforcement, making it legal would increase the violence tenfold as more and more cartels would move into our schools, churches, daycare centers, and force everyone around them in take a ”drag” of this terrible, life destroying, drug.
3) If marijuana were to be legalized the DEA and the War on Drugs would receive significantly less funding. The vast majority (80%) of our hundred billion dollar federal budget is spent on fighting this killer drug, marijuana. Without marijuana, there would be no drug problem in America, thus we would have to cut back instead of growing our agencies. We need marijuana to be illegal so the federal and state governments will continue to support us.
4) Prohibition works.
5) Marijuana as a medicine is flat out ABSURD. Marijuana is tenfold more dangerous than opiates or methamphetamine (all of which you can safely obtain from your doctor at anytime), as my family and research tells me. Having opiates or methamphetamines in pill form gives you all the comfort you need to know that it is safe. If it wasn’t, then a pharmaceutical company would never make it because they value their customers and only want what’s best for them. The pharmaceutical companies are caring and compassionate. If marijuana actually helped anyone they would stop pushing their pills on people and give them marijuana. But the truth is, marijuana is much more dangerous than anything they create.
FROM A POLICE OFFICER POSTED TODAY!! WHAT A JOKE!!!
As you can see, legalizing marijuana is the worst possible thing you can do for the welfare needs of the DEA and the War on Drugs. Also, medical marijuana is a pure joke. Marijuana is clearly more dangerous than what the pharmaceutical industry manufactures.
Remember, think of our children.
Thank you,
-Law Enforcement”
— Now,Let’s just take a look at these accusations….
1.)”I am a police officer, with the majority of my family in the pharmaceutical industry. Needless to say, I know more about this issue than any civilian, scientist, doctor, or judge.”
— Hmm, could this really be so? It takes four years obtain a BA in chemistry. It takes at least 3 years to obtain any BA degree, and then at least another 3 years for law school plus whatever excperience a judge needs to obtain to become a judge; lets say a year. So we’re looking at at least, the very minimum, seven years. A doctor is looking at about eight to ten years of schooling plus passing his/her licensing tests.So, exactly how much school do you have to take to become a cop? So, why the crap do we have doctors,scientists ,and judges reguarding these issues when all we really need is this cop whos starting salary is around twelve bucks an hour for two years worth of studies? HMMM….Let’s just ask this cop!
2.)”Legalizing marijuana is COMPLETELY ABSURD. Here are the facts about legalizing marijuana and the impacts it has.
1) Marijuana these days is so potent that it can kill you.”
–You are right that marijuana is more potent these days due to advances in science from these people called botanist who can do wonders with plants…(WOW!) Also, could you please show me a case where someone has overdosed on marijuana. *yawn*
3.)”2) Marijuana already causes enough violence for Law Enforcement, making it legal would increase the violence tenfold as more and more cartels would move into our schools, churches, daycare centers, and force everyone around them in take a ”drag” of this terrible, life destroying, drug.”
— Why is it if marijuana is such a violent inducing drug that when people who are obtained for marijuana related offenses are stuck together in the lowest secruity resricted quarters. Do they know something you don’t?
4.)”3) If marijuana were to be legalized the DEA and the War on Drugs would receive significantly less funding. The vast majority (80%) of our hundred billion dollar federal budget is spent on fighting this killer drug, marijuana. Without marijuana, there would be no drug problem in America, thus we would have to cut back instead of growing our agencies. We need marijuana to be illegal so the federal and state governments will continue to support us.”
— True, but, the fact of the matter is if marijuana was legal you would not need that extra funding to feed prisoners and hire more law enforcement because guess what freeing up 80% of tax payer money leaves you with a big hunk of change to work with now wouldn’t it and yeah, maybe your funding would be cut back, and yeah you are likely going to lose your job but hey, you can always get a different kind of job that don’t involve sitting in a car and driving around aimlessly.
5.)”4) Prohibition works.”
— The single most straight to the point wrong answer thus far. If it worked, which it didn’t, why would they have overturned prohibition? It was because it actually increased crime. Ever heard of the mafia or maybe bootlegging?
6.)
“5) Marijuana as a medicine is flat out ABSURD. Marijuana is tenfold more dangerous than opiates or methamphetamine (all of which you can safely obtain from your doctor at anytime), as my family and research tells me. Having opiates or methamphetamines in pill form gives you all the comfort you need to know that it is safe. If it wasn’t, then a pharmaceutical company would never make it because they value their customers and only want what’s best for them. The pharmaceutical companies are caring and compassionate. If marijuana actually helped anyone they would stop pushing their pills on people and give them marijuana. But the truth is, marijuana is much more dangerous than anything they create.”
— and another one…At this point I started thinking surely this guy/girl doesn’t really think this is true.How could you? One of the main reasons that marijuana is looked down upon in america is hidden agendas like pharmacetical companies, law enforcment,etc, etc? How are they going to tax something that you can grow in the comfort of your own home that merely costs you time and labor that can alleviate many medical symptoms? Or even bettter how will the cops survive when that can’t buy that new crown victoria with a/c/heater so they can fight crime in the hot and cold days of the year? The list goes on and on.
The only way we are to to get things changed is throguh numbers and knowledge. Stay informed. Spread the word.
peace and love
-P
pigs don’t want the truth
I would like to place a link here to the most recent enlightenment to Obama on drug policy. He basically wants more drug courts and to force rehab over an over on non violents and in the end sending them off to jail anyway. Frankly it just opens more doors for bigwig rich phucks to make money off the common joe.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/18/obama.drug.war/
index.html?iref=newssearch
Sheriff Stanek takes the King’s coin, and is therefore obliged to sing the King’s song and dance the King’s dance. I suggest the sheriff have a little talk with some of the good folks over at L.E.A.P. There is always time for a bad cop to go good.
I have been absolutely appalled by the lies and misinformation spread by the law enforcement community during these hearings regarding the MN MMJ bill. I’ve lost respect for them as a result. Stanek had not one but THREE police brutality suites brought against him and was forced to resign from office as a result of his racist comments he had made while on duty. NOT the type of individual Minnesotans need to have speaking on their behalf. Dakota Cty. Prosecutor Backstrom also is under investigation for witness tampering and he also opined to the local media as to why MMJ is a bad idea. Why is it that these tainted officials are the ones sticking their necks out for law enforcement? Because they are the most corrupt and are “taking one for the team” so to speak in an effort to further their careers. Pawlenty needs to listen to the people of Minnesota, as they support this legislation as a majority. He is doing nothing to further his career with the GOP if he chooses to step on MN patients on his way to national political aspirations. People will see his blatantly partisan behavior and vote accordingly.
Might as well call the doctor. The two times I called on “law enforcement” here in Black Mtn, NC, once for a dog attack and the other time for a possible intruder the cops were about as useful as a boil on one’s ass.
All very good points. The thing the gets me the most is that some people aruge that there is no medical benefit to marijuana. Research is a very expensive process and cant really be done if its illegal. If “80% of our hundred billion dollar federal budget is spent on fighting this killer drug, marijuana” why not take some of that money to do research. The public cannot fund the research alone. There are companies out there researching marijuana but it is impossible to get government funding. If legalized, every single pharm company will focus on research and testing (most pharm companies have limitless supply of resouces/money) of marijuana to find out everything they can to produce the best marijuana drugs they can create a huge profit. Because in the end pharm companies research illnesses and drugs that will have the largest profit. I have a feeling marijuana would be a big one. That being said, they would find all the “negitive side affects” and try to reduce them so there is no long term harm (if there is any currently). People may argue that this is a waste of resources for pharm companies to do this but bottom line is that they want the biggest profit. If there was an illness that only affect .1% of the population, pharm companies will not spend lots of money to find treatments because .1% of the population will not generate a lot of money for them. This is just the nature of business.
Legalize it so we can research it and put all the false statements to rest.
You cant blame cops. They are the enforcers of the law whether any of us like it or not. They do what the laws tell them to. Change is always difficult but Listen to what the public wants. Do not be afraid to lose your job, dealers will still exist.
A dealer will always sell what makes him the most profit. They wont sell marijuana if its legal because the profit margin will go way down. Legalization will not solve all the drug problems but it will decrease what they can sell. Lets face it, marijuana is one the easiest drugs for a dealer to obtain. Take the war on drugs to drugs that are known to kill people every year or drugs that are known to make your more violent. I think 80% of their funds should go towards finding druglords (who deal any and all kinds of drugs that will make them money) not the average guy on the street smoking a joint.
Scare tatics and lies will only work for so long and it discredits that person when everyone finds out that he was wrong and lied.
Everyone has and continues to hit the nail right on the head. Adding my two cents from a lawyer’s perspective, I look at the issue of pot smoking by comparing it to other stupid laws in our country’s history. Prime examples – slavery and interracial marriage (see Loving v. Virginia). I mention these two because slavery and racial discrimination were LEGAL for the longest time, despite their inherent evil and wrongness. Some of the same politicians chanting equality (now because discrimination is illegal because we say it is) were the same MFs supporting segregation when it was acceptable (because we said it was).
Marijuana is wrong only because they (not me) say its wrong, not because it is inherently evil. These politicians need to wise and realize that revenue to be earned from legalizing and regulating reefer will go a long way to improving our economy, as well as reducing if not eliminating violence associated with obtaining weed. I guess common sense is not so common after all.
Obviously, we don’t expect the truth to come from cops or many politicians. The real bottom line is, how can we protect ourselves from being lied to? There’s no law in place that keeps law enforcement personnel and politicians from delivering incorrect information ON PURPOSE! Defendants go to jail for lies but it’s OK for governmental personnel to say whatever they damn well please.
That’s OK folks, cause we’re going to prosecute them all for their war crimes in the near future.
BAD COP, NO DONUT!
sick the boys and girls at LEAP on those misinformed cops in minnesota.
http://www.videosift.com/video/Harvard-Economist-on-why-
marijuana-should-be-legalized
THE DREAM POLICE ARE JUST TRYING TO GET INTO OUR HEADS. I wonder how many OFFICERS OF THE LAW get that feeling of superiority when they put on that badge and uniform. The ones that carry the torch of MARIJUANA PROHIBITION and THE POLICE STATE MENTALITY=BIG BROTHER. They sure do have their share of BARNEY FIFES, could’nt trust them with information or a RUBBER BULLET. When MARIJUANA GETS LEGALIZED some of them can get a job at WAL MARX. 420 ALL THE WAY!
– – Why does it seem like every PROHIBITIONIST sheriff,
district-attorney, ‘polly-tishun’ and attorney-general ‘parrot‘ the SAME, EXACT,
word-for-word, (verbatim), conflated FALSE-ARGUMENTS against rational-discussion
on medical-cannabis and taxed, licensed, regulated CANNABIS distribution-systems in general???
– Are they all reading the same script from Prohibitionist’s Office-Supply’s®
‘Talking-Points Cue-Cards™’ ?
(Sheriffs Whining Imbecilic Nonsense Egregiously® brand).
RE: #19
– As ridiculous and laughable as Stanek’s and Flaherty’s reasoning is
to those of us who know the truth about cannabis,
there are YET some who still believe their 21st century revised ‘Anslingerisms’.
#28 Mike H. Says:
May 5th, 2009 at 3:20 am
I feel really bad for the police who believe this.
Fortunately there are law enforcement officers who know
legalizing marijuana is the right thing to do.
Everyone should check out Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
RE:
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php
I believe some in the police community feel that they are not only the enforcers of our law, but that they are the law, the beginning and the end. They forget that their responsibility is to follow the law, not create it as they see fit.
Will you please friggin legalize it before I die for Christ’s sake? Please lets disconnect the police from drug profits!
#38 mrs.sab: “…Sorry Lea… no aim for you”. Don’t understand your comment, please, if you read this clarify.
If it’s because I said I live on a military base then I still don’t understand, sorry. mrs.sab: I DO NOT smoke cannabis. As written before, several times, I DO need medical cannabis because of health problems however, I WILL NOT risk going to prison and/or jail over it. This body is as clean as a whistle because that’s the way it has to be until Prohibition is Ended. Understand ? Peace, love ……..
NORML: Absolutely Love the new addition to the NORML site: “Attorneys: Join the NORML Legal Committee and get listed on our website”.
Love it, absolutely love it.
Your typical donut eating, ignorant cop. How about law enforcement stops pussing out and they go and kick down some meth lab doors. Ignorance and inadequate education on the subject of ganja are the reason these misconceptions are made. I was told that I can have my car searched on school campus if I am stoned because I am “a danger to the school when high on marijuana”. The person who told me this clearly has never been high, because smoking marijuana does everything BUT make you a danger to your school. Maybe to the cafeteria. Point is, how is a plant with no recorded fatalities illegal while another plant (tobacco) that kills 5 million people annually legal. Oh wait, I remember now, politicians only care about who’s putting money in their pocket. Go smoke a joint you donut eating fucks
I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON THE THE REPLY FROM “cherrin”
First off marijuana is not an addictive drug, pharmaceuticals like Codein and Oxycontin ARE addictive.
1) Marijuana these days is so potent that it can kill you. -Really, if you know so much.. how many deaths were there in 2008 from marijuana use?
2) Marijuana already causes enough violence for Law Enforcement. -What about drunk drivers? or you don’t bother to stop those people until they’ve already killed someone.
3) If marijuana were to be legalized the DEA and the War on Drugs would receive significantly less funding. -Maybe they should use their funding more wisely, Everyone in this country is in a money crisis.
4) Prohibition works. -HAHAHHAAH Actually regulation and control Works…remember how prohibition didn’t work with alcohol in the 1920’s? (I thought this guy said he was smart…)
5) Marijuana as a medicine is flat out ABSURD. -Tell that to a dying chemo. patient that can’t stop throwing up And your “pharmaceutical” Don’t help the nausea.
————————————————–
And about the article:
Its funny how this article is titled “Both Sides” because all I’ve seen is the “police side” of not having someone to bust for a petty crime. I’m sure most people don’t want marijuana to be legalized is because they have money put into pharmaceutical comapnies and think that if marijuana is legalized they won’t have people to give their harmful meds to. Why is the government so quick to legalize tobacco and alcohol? Both of those are FAR more harmful than marijuana is. Has anyone ever heard of “medical tobacco” or “medical alcohol”? No of course not because these are dangerous to the body. I also don’t see in this article actually FACTS about the safety of this Plant to the American citizens. How many people die each year from marijuana overdose? Anybody know the answer to that…zero! Now how many people DIE each year from alcohol or tobacco..drunk driving, lung cancer? Do police really only look for the people smoking pot, can’t they go for Actual Criminals…like murderers, theives, gangs, DRUNK drivers. I’m sure these cops can find someone else to bust with their time. I think that we should HAVE REGULATIONS on these drugs, not just completely outlaw it. This is a plant that grows from the ground, not a harmful chemical created by someone.
Having spent time in Holland and seeing how things work over there, I can tell you that it should be legel here. THERE’S LOWER DRUG USE THERE THAN THERE IS HERE. It’s just stupid, when has anyone died from smoking pot? UBSURD!!!! cherrin is an idiot!!!! Every time I walk into a store when I get gas, what’s the 1st thing I see behind the counter? ROLLING PAPERS!!!! SO THAT TELLS ME THERE’S A BIG DEMAND!!! Come on USA WAKE UP!!!!
#58 Lady Says:
May 7th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
RE:
Lady,
Cherin’s post, #7, was QUOTING a LEO, as CLARIFIED in their subsequent post #8.
#43 Somedood Says:
May 5th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I would like to place a link here to the most recent enlightenment to Obama on drug policy.
He basically wants more drug courts and to force rehab over an over on non violents and in the end sending them off to jail anyway.
Frankly it just opens more doors for bigwig rich phucks to make money off the common joe.
CNN: White House tries to combat drug demand with rehab
RE:
– Thanks for posting this news-info, Somedood.
I’m not the least surprised…
– Afterall, this was part of the ‘official’ Obama ‘Whitehouse-Agenda’ long
before either ‘Open For Questions’ forum went online.
– The thing I find bothersome, though, is that Obama never acknowledged
questions SPECIFICALLY addressing…
INDUSTRIAL HEMP:
(As an environmentally-friendlier food, fiber and biofuel-crop,
requiring MINIMAL water / fertilization AND no pesticides),
NOR
Emerging, internationally-verified, clinical-applications of phytochemicals
derived from MEDICINAL-CANNABIS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytochemistry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp
Below you will find another brainwashed peace officer. I have smoked for 35 years and not dead lol
cherrin Says:
May 4th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I’m shocked to see how many addicts we have here. I am a police officer, with the majority of my family in the pharmaceutical industry. Needless to say, I know more about this issue than any civilian, scientist, doctor, or judge.
Legalizing marijuana is COMPLETELY ABSURD. Here are the facts about legalizing marijuana and the impacts it has.
1) Marijuana these days is so potent that it can kill you.
2) Marijuana already causes enough violence for Law Enforcement, making it legal would increase the violence tenfold as more and more cartels would move into our schools, churches, daycare centers, and force everyone around them in take a ”drag” of this terrible, life destroying, drug.
3) If marijuana were to be legalized the DEA and the War on Drugs would receive significantly less funding. The vast majority (80%) of our hundred billion dollar federal budget is spent on fighting this killer drug, marijuana. Without marijuana, there would be no drug problem in America, thus we would have to cut back instead of growing our agencies. We need marijuana to be illegal so the federal and state governments will continue to support us.
4) Prohibition works.
5) Marijuana as a medicine is flat out ABSURD. Marijuana is tenfold more dangerous than opiates or methamphetamine (all of which you can safely obtain from your doctor at anytime), as my family and research tells me. Having opiates or methamphetamines in pill form gives you all the comfort you need to know that it is safe. If it wasn’t, then a pharmaceutical company would never make it because they value their customers and only want what’s best for them. The pharmaceutical companies are caring and compassionate. If marijuana actually helped anyone they would stop pushing their pills on people and give them marijuana. But the truth is, marijuana is much more dangerous than anything they create.
FROM A POLICE OFFICER POSTED TODAY!! WHAT A JOKE!!!
As you can see, legalizing marijuana is the worst possible thing you can do for the welfare needs of the DEA and the War on Drugs. Also, medical marijuana is a pure joke. Marijuana is clearly more dangerous than what the pharmaceutical industry manufactures.
Remember, think of our children.
Thank you,
-Law Enforcement
I live in Pennsylvania and hoenstly what really bothers me more than anything is that OXYCONTIN is a legal drug but Marijuana is not.
My area is overrun with heroin and oxycontin abuse. There are stabbings and shootings in the paper every day because people keep trying to rob other people because they need cash to get their fix. Law enforcement completely overlooks this. The officials are blinded by the fact that that oxycontin’s are a huge part of this, considering they’re much more expensive to buy than heroin – people owe their dealers money, etc…
It’s very sad.
I have a lot of friends who have died from these drugs but not one friend who has died from using marijuana. I have friends who have died from alcohol poisoning or some other alcohol related accident – but none from marijuana.
How can a drug like oxycontin’s be legal for medicinal purposes and be a huge root of the murders in my area…but marijuana is illegal.
My boyfriend has Crohn’s Disease and is prescribed tons of medication (he is supposed to take 12 pills a DAY!) as a “maintanence drug” to keep him from having a “flare up” (what happens when your Crohn’s starts to irritate you and your intestines become inflamed.)
Marijuana activates receptors in your brain to bring down the inflammation and wouldn’t have harmful effects on his liver like pills would…and it is illegal.
It’s very sad.
I really do not understand how cops could say this crap. When did you ever hear of a death from an overdose on pot??? This angers me very bad because the pigs that say this were probably potheads in highschool.
The world today is a very corrupt place. The cops that are in it are also corrupt. This country really needs to take a look at the way police forces work.
While these cops are exactly the kinds of people who lie and sneak around to keep it illegal, I also think that it should be noted that not all of the police feel this way.
The examples listed here need the abuse, they brought it upon themselves. It is however, not all of the cops that are on the wrong side of the legalization fight. There is another side, look at LEAP.
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php
Law
Enforcement
Against
Prohibition
Do not kick them all, many are on our side.
#65 Chance Says:
May 11th, 2009 at 11:31 am
…It is however, NOT all of the cops that are on the wrong side of the legalization fight.
There is another side,
look at LEAP.
RE:
– I’ve known about LEAP for a couple of years now.
This gives me hope:
– That there’s law enforcement and criminal-justice professionals
who’ve seen the FUTILITY of the ‘War on (some) Drugs’ as a means of trying to control drug-misuse;
and have realized that Prohibition 2 is a very ineffectual, harmful, WASTEFUL policy,
CAUSING the problems it’s supposed to solve,
and doing more harm than the drugs themselves.
– Counter-intuitively,
An open, legal, ABOVE-BOARD system of regulation and
adult-only access would be the BEST way to de-mystify and
minimize the harms associated with drug-abuse,
de-fund criminal cartels and keep drugs out of children’s reach,
(via age-requirements).
Why Our Drug-Laws Have Failed:
Judge Jim Gray
LEAP Forums
LEAP
You creat violence when you enact a state of war, the War on Drugs. Take away the war, and you take away the violence to give peace a chance, its just THAT SIMPLE. It was hippies who preach about peace and love. Its the government who conducts fear mongering and acts of war. 🙂
LEAP Forums
Legalize or Decriminalize Drugs?
Holy crap! As I was reading through these various posts, I came across that “Law Enforcement” douche bag. I laughed so hard I damn near pissed myself. As I read through his apparent “Facts” it became clear to me he’s probably using the pharmaceuticals his family peddles. Not to mention the fact that “he knows more about it then any scientist” are you kidding me? It is so clear this moron is so diluted that if President Obama read his post we’d all be enjoying legalization.It’s hard for me to fathom that this jackass and so many others like him are actually police officers who get paid to “protect us” Obviously guys like him are part of a program that allows mentally challenged to wear a badge. So listen pigboy..here is my challenge….Lay off the oxy’s dude, open up your junkie eyes and get your “facts” from people who actually dedicate their research to the subject…instead of copy and pasting some lame report written by morons as clueless as you. I am a CSI here in PA, and I gotta tell ya..I work for law enforcement, and I see and hear craziness all day long…But you sir are truly..without a doubt the most asinine, deluded, most uninformed, idiot I have ever come across. If I lived in the city you work for I’d move, simply because if your this bad at facts, I can not even imagine what kinda officer you pretend to be. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the city you work for. Please do the world a favor and get a job your actually qualified to do…like wearing a sign advertising sandwich specials at your local deli. Thank you for further increasing the seriously falling standards of our country’s Law Enforcement.
we are supposed to be the greatest country on earth, but we cannot solve a simple problem such as the marijuana issue. stop locking kids up, start locking up the big time dealers that this “WAR ON DRUGS” was meant to go after. stop having undercover cops selling dime bags and arresting ppl, filling up our jails, and labeling potheads and murderers as the same thing. let the public have their choice of medicine, whether its a pill or a plant
If law makers say we shouldn’t re-leagalize marijuana because children might use it, then maybe these lawmakers should consider de-legalizing alcohol so children don’t use that either. That’s so ridiculous. I have known a lot of people in my time that have used marijuana and just because it is illegal does not mean it is not available to who ever wants it when ever they want it. I hope people are more responsible then that for their children. And I don’t think calling anyone pigs is going to help the cause. We have to be better then that if we want to help paitents that need it. I live in a state where it is not yet, legal . I had to watch two people I knew waste away from cancer because they couldn’t keep anything down. I am now watching two others waste away from it. It’s horrible that they can’t get what they need to help them get better. The law say’s they can deny all treatment…which would kill them. But yet if they try to use an herb that will help them get well they will be breaking the law and go to jail or receive treatment. If the war on drugs changes it name, then they will receive treatment then go to jail. Next election the 52% of America should elect a president that doesn’t think it is so funny that seriously ill people who need the seed bearing herb that God gave us, they can’t get! I know if Obama doesn’t leagalize it in his first term, I wont be voting for him again. I think he led a lot of people on just to get their votes. I wont be fooled so easily the next time. I hope no one else is either.
#71 Linda Bava Says:
May 16th, 2009 at 4:01 am
…The law say’s they can deny all treatment…which would kill them.
But yet if they try to use an herb that will help them get well they will be breaking the law and go to jail or receive treatment.
If the war on drugs changes it name, then they will receive treatment then go to jail.
Next election the 52% of America should elect a president that doesn’t think it is so funny that seriously ill people who need the seed bearing herb that God gave us, they can’t get! ….
RE:
Linda,
Have you watched this video before,
PSA For MJ-Reform Bible Quote
– When gov’ts outlaw anything which Creator God
has previously declared as necessary for life,
(EVERY Herb bearing seed),
then that gov’t is essentially making LIFE ITSELF illegal.
(The atrocity of Cannabis-Prohibition is only the tip-of-the-iceberg
regarding the war-on- plants which God declare as FOOD for us…)
– I originally voted for Ron Paul in the Republican primaries…
(Our ailing country needs a DOCTOR!!!)
– I’m not as disiilusioned as some are concerning Obama,
since I easily saw that his replies to questions on drug-law reform
were in VagueSpeak™
(A softer, gentler version of the S.O.S!!!).
I meant to say…ABOUT Obama…
– I’m not as disillusioned as some are concerning Obama,
since I easily saw that his replies to PRE-ELECTION questions on drug-law reform
were in VagueSpeak™ …..
post # 7 begins by saying…
“I’m shocked to see how many addicts we have here. I am a police officer, with the majority of my family in the pharmaceutical industry. Needless to say, I know more about this issue than any civilian, scientist, doctor, or judge.”
…and then goes on to spout an enormous amount of utter bullshit, not the least of whgich is “Marijuana these days is so potent that it can kill you.” (are you kidding me?
I’ll spare you all the rest of the post because you can easily read it, but I would like to point out to that poster that if he’s comfortable that he really “knows” all that garbage then he can never really be sure that he “knows” anything at all.
I’ll never cease to be amazed at the total dumbasses that spout this sort of nonsense. If he really is a police officer as he claims then I submit that’s one of the major problems with our justice system.