Since fourteen states have legalized the use of cannabis for sick and disabled people we here at NORML have reported on numerous stories of medical users harassed, arrested, and jailed by police. We have also reported on healthy adults in all fifty states whose lives are turned upside down by an arrest, sometimes losing student loans, jobs, children, pets, dignity, property, and freedom over a single joint, seed, or even a cannabis stem. When we and others bring up these insane injustices to the police who are making these arrests, we often hear the platitude that “cops don’t make the laws, we just enforce the laws.”
So why do we consistently see representatives of law enforcement opposing medical marijuana, marijuana decriminalization, and marijuana legalization efforts in state legislatures?
In California, the California Narcotics Officers Association schools police officers to believe the public “have been misled… into believing there is merit to their argument that smoking marijuana is a safe and effective medicine.” This is in direct contradiction of the stated position of the American Medical Association otherwise that “short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis.”
In New Jersey, the medical marijuana law was severely curtailed when the Assembly heard the unfounded assertion by a representative of New Jersey’s Fraternal Order of Police that “I’ve heard in California there’s a lot peripheral crime around these centers [medical marijuana dispensaries], I get that from the different law enforcement agencies around the country who I have regular contact with.” This is in direct contradiction of the findings of the Chief of the LAPD who stated: “Banks are more likely to get robbed than medical marijuana dispensaries.” The Chief was responding to the notion that there is greater crime around dispensaries and said “I have tried to verify that because that, of course, is the mantra. It doesn’t really bear out.”
And in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Control publishes a “fact sheet” on marijuana that states: “Today’s new cultivation methods are producing a drug with up to 30 percent THC, or 3,000 percent higher than the old 1960’s-1980’s available marijuana.” This is in direct contradiction to the DEA’s own figures on marijuana potency which find that today’s average cannabis seizure may have doubled in THC potency (a 100% increase, not a 3,000% increase.) Oklahoma’s bureau doesn’t address why 30% THC marijuana is to be feared, but 100% THC Marinol pills are FDA-approved.
The attitudes of most in law enforcement are also contrary to the attitudes of the public. A recent ABC News / Washington Post poll found that support for medical marijuana is now at 81% nationwide, with a majority overall (62% nationwide) who support a system at least as open as Oregon’s OMMA where not-necessarily terminal patients can only qualify if they suffer a specific condition from a list and a majority of those who support medical marijuana (56% of the 81% who support it) supporting an open system like California’s Prop-215 where “doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana to anyone they think it can help”.
But according to a June 2009 survey in POLICE Magazine, even though a majority (54.6%) of police say they support medical marijuana, almost all of those who support it (88%) say it must be only under stricter regulation than we have currently in the medical marijuana states.
When asked about marijuana legalization overall, even for healthy adults, the American Public are also contrary to the opinions of law enforcement. The latest Angus Reid poll is the first to show majority American support for legalization (53%), while the latest Gallup poll puts support at 44%, its best mark in forty years of polling.
But according to the same POLICE survey, marijuana legalization has less than half the support among cops than among the public they protect and serve. Only 23% of police supported re-legalization of cannabis.
When asked why, specifically, those police who opposed re-legalization felt that way, eight in ten said that marijuana is a “gateway drug”, there was the danger of “people driving high”, and seven in ten cited the “harm to user and society”. Longtime NORML readers know that the gateway drug theory has been debunked by the Institutes of Medicine in 1999 and every reputable study over the past ten years. While everybody, especially NORML, discourages driving under the influence of cannabis, we understand that there are people behaving irresponsibly now and re-legalization would not encourage less responsibility, but more. Under re-legalization, money raised from taxes could sponsor anti-stoned-driving campaigns like the ones that have successfully reduced drunk driving.
As for the “harm to user and society”, POLICE readers still felt by a margin of 3-2 that alcohol was “more of a threat to the community” than marijuana. (The survey does not record the support among police for reinstating alcohol prohibition to prevent alcohol’s “harm to user and society”, however.) This 39% of police who believe marijuana is safer than alcohol comes closest to matching public opinion, which shows now a slim majority (51%) believe marijuana is safer than alcohol.
While the general public is barely approaching majority support for outright marijuana legalization, the public has long held the belief that any punishment for adult marijuana possession should be a fine only. Three out of four Americans (76%) believe that if marijuana users are to be punished, they should only be fined and not arrested and sent to jail. Yet the POLICE Magazine survey finds that two out of three cops (65%) think it is “worth law enforcement’s time to bust marijuana users”.
Another area where police opinions differ from the public is on the issue of the murderous Mexican drug gangs that have assassinated, kidnapped, murdered, tortured, and beheaded over 15,000 Mexicans in just two years. The Arizona Attorney General has cited that “marijuana sales make up 75 percent of the money that Mexican cartels use for other operations, including smuggling other drugs and fighting the Mexican army and police.” But in the POLICE Magazine survey, two-thirds of cops (68%) believe marijuana legalization would have no “favorable impact on problems associated with gangs and cartels.”
So do the police know something about the dangers of cannabis use that the American Medical Association, the American people, and the Arizona Attorney General do not? A cynic might think that police are merely acting in their own best interest, protecting their source of easy statistic-padding arrests and asset forfeiture bounty, but I’m more inclined to believe many of these front-line soldiers in the War on Marijuana are acting in good faith based on terrible misinformation about cannabis.
Because it’s very easy to bash and abuse the pot smoker or dealer because they’re not armed or resisting. It’s very easy and lucrative to take away property from growers because they don’t shoot back. It’s easy to prosecute them because “they threaten the children” by their very existence. We are the “low hanging fruit” so it’s easy to pick on us..
I ask this very question any time someone feeds me that “police don’t make the law, they only enforce it” line. “Officer’s Associations” and other law enforcement groups are always — ALWAYS — heading up the opposition to any legalization or decriminalization measures, including medical laws.
With the exception of LEAP, pretty much every single law enforcement organization is somehow involved in the political fight to keep marijuana illegal. Strange thing to do for people who supposedly are indifferent to legislation and only concern themselves with enforcement.
“A cynic might think that police are merely acting in their own best interest, protecting their source of easy statistic-padding arrests and asset forfeiture bounty, but I’m more inclined to believe many of these front-line soldiers in the War on Marijuana are acting in good faith based on terrible misinformation about cannabis”
Call me a cynic if you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that cops act in their own best interests just as quickly as anyone else. I am a bit disappointed that the author didn’t mention that many (if not all) police precincts are UNIONIZED. A unionized group will almost ALWAYS vote and publicly speak according to the best interests of those involved in their union. More “illegal” substances equals more arrests, equals more money in the budget….As simple as it gets in my book!
-Oz
well i dont see a problem driving high. in texas dwi education one has to take after getting a dwi. they state very quickly but they do say it, that people drive on average 6% better while under the influence of only cannabis. mixed with other substances its a different story tho
Of course law enforcement disagrees with public opinion concerning this matter. When we legalize it we won’t have as many people in jail and the police will have to chase real criminals that won’t be as easy as harrasing peaceful people. They cannot fill the jails seize our property and auction it for a tidy sum. Without the drug war we will see a reduction in law enforcement jobs trust me they need us
Vermont is proposing and has a great shot of passing decrim. Fix the map.
The cops are “idiots” like a fox.They want marijuana illegal for job security and easy pickings.Robbery in progress.Not now I have more important issues with this pot smoker. I will continue to distrust and dislike these distroyers of community until drug use is looked upon as a medical issue.
I think its all fuckin bullshit i mean hyow come alcohol is legal and its 1 of the #1 killers in america with drunk driving. but were the fuckin bad people because we smoke a plant that comes from mother earth. congress needs to get over themselves and realize that marijuana is not harmful, and is safer then a cigarette.
Russ, you are much more generous than I am, the cops know that busting Cannabis users/growers is “easy duty”.
L.E.A.P. should have educational classes for their fellow Prohibitionist leaning cops, sort of a reverse DARE program….
ONE THING that everyone needs to know about is JURY NULLIFICATION, spread that word around.IF the juries refuse to convict,eventually the word is going to get out that the police are just wasting taxpayers money, and in these hard economic times that will have an impact.
You should remove VIRGINIA off of your map, HB1134 and HB1136 were brought to the floor and promptly TABLED, which in the Commonwealth means Killed. Done end of story.
[Russ responds – sure, and the Washington legalization bill is through and some others are dead as well. The map is meant to show in 2010 which states took up the issue of marijuana law reform… not that they were necessarily successful. When we’re talking about it, we’re winning.]
When is the public going to get it? Law enforcement is making a living off the suffering of peaceful citizens. This is SLAVERY pure and simple!!!!!!!! People are deriving a paycheck by capturing people and making them forfeit their property and rights. Stop this madness!!!!
This abuse by law enforcement should be NORML’s primary focus in this drug war. This needs to be the STORY!!! Not that pot is safer or whatever. This story needs to be slammed down the throats of the mainstream press until they realize what is going on….
[Editor’s note: Reform groups, in the case of organizations like NORML, ACLU, NAACP, etc…have been aptly demonstrating the self-interests of law enforcement’s advocacy for the status quo in cannabis prohibition for nearly 40 years.
The problem resides with the so-called mainstream media that does not report on law enforcement’s perpetuation of prohibition laws, and in turn an uninformed general public does not put sufficient pressure on their elected policy makers to reign in police.]
Why? I will tell you why: Money. They would lose their jobs if there was nothing to enforce.
They do pull out that same sad story “oh I’ve seen it destroy families” or “Oh I don’t want to send our children the wrong message”
What EXACTLY is the “wrong message”? The wrong message is just saying smoking marijuana is okay? How about that persecution is bad? How about that reasonable adults talk about their differences and work out a compromise? No? Just that marijuana is bad…
If you didn’t know, there is also a study saying that the IQ of the average Law Enforcement Officer is under 100 (90 I believe was the score). Yet these are the people we trust with our lives… think about that.
90 is NOT FAR ABOVE MENTALLY DISABLED and yet it’s the average police IQ.
Money, Money, Money. When the police bust a semitruck with a load of weed, everybody makes MONEY. The state confiscates the truck and sells it for some MONEY. The state charges the taxpayers around $50 dollars a day to house the truck driver/smuggler in prison therefore making MONEY. The local attorney plea bargains with the DA for a shorter sentence thus providing a service to the community and they both make some MONEY. If some crooked officials get involved they pocket some drug MONEY.
That’s the problem with living with lies for so long they are percieved as truth. The longer you live them the harder they are to let go.
Get us all back on the same team. Stop alienating the public by perpetuating these lies. Stop hiding the truth from the public on issues like how digging up worthless “ditch weed” magically becomes x number of dangerous plants that are worth (by over inflated theoretical street values, as if they were actual pot plants, as if they were fully mature instead of all the inch tall plants you are counting, when we know the truth is that you couldn’t give it away on the street) millions in grants to keep your job secure. All this does is drive us further apart.
Yeah I agree with pretty much all that was said so far. The only officers with the opposite opinion are the ones that are thinking with their heads and not their wallets. Its very discouraging that people just continue these lies keeping the calm, non aggressive pot smokers from just enjoying life the way the good lord intended. I’m very close to just giving up on my state (PA) and moving to Cali where i can live my life without fear of prosecution. I live in constant fear that at some point I’m gonna be caught with a quarter and end up going to jail for something so harmless. It’s like being arrested for hitting someone with a foam stick. It’s just ridiculous. No Harm No Foul!
I think at the very core of this “war on drugs” with marijuana being (no longer a pipedream) legalized nationwide, the cartels and police could do more, involving other serious crimes rather than pick on the marijuana user/grower. Go after the meth dealers, the gangbangers, illegal immigrants, the cartels, and crooked politicians. As for one comment I just read: I think marijuana shouldn’t be used while driving, but to each their own. I’d much rather people use marijuana than pharmaceutical drugs. Sure the gov’t will tax it, but so what. Black market would only exist for hashish and high quality buds, but think about it…hopefully less people would drink, beat their wives, beat their kids(not the same as smacking a kid), I see the legalization of marijuana to be a cash cow for our gov’t.
I also think if legalization occurs nationwide the drug companies will have a decrease in profits, people will be healthier, the police will get a budget cut, yes loss of jobs, but concentrate on other serious crimes, release non-violent drug offenders from jails and prisons because putting a good man with hardened criminals is not justice, it is torture.
Because cops won’t get their weed for free anymore?
As long as police departments are receiving drug enforcement funds from the DEA,they are going to lie and support the prohibition of marijuana. Never mind that they are supporting the killings in Mexico and doing the public relations work of the cartels.
As much as we would like to free the police up from marijuana as a crime,they realize full well that arresting marijuana users is a lot safer than arresting drunks.
at 42 and an avid cannabis consumer, whom has bought, sold, traded this commodity for the past 29 years and have never been harassed, are arrested for it, knock on wood. Ten years ago, only after my divorce I decided to cold turkey quit smoking cannabis and I did for almost two year, Then I moved to California from New Orleans for work… only to find myself become a drunken mess, yes growing up in New Orleans and was never much of a drinker. Then I started to understand the importance of cannabis use, when I was twenty one I blew my back out and have lived in pain ever since, besides vicodin, cannabis is the only thing that TRULY relieves the pain and discomfort.
Now I’m proud to say that I’m once again a daily prescriber of cannabis a very happy, productive white collar republican who is starting a business to become the countries fastest growing distributor of cannabis and cannabis confections.
and no I not going to spam you with my companies name. not yet anyway…lol
I believe when the “Law enforcement” is in fact stating how the law is made, that is in fact called a “police state”.
I think in the last statement, it could be both for their jobs and for our “best interest”. First, i think they get fed the same BS in training that we all got fed in health class in middle school, just on a different scale. So when they actually become active cops, i’d believe that they arrest a marijuana user wanting to do the right thing. However, soon they realize that what they learned is a lie and that these people they are arresting are actually not bad people and marijuana isn’t as destructive as they first believed. Now it is not about the drug, but about the job. Without marijuana, they would have to fill up their record and resume with drunk drivers, murderers, rapists, true DRUG dealers etc. people that actually hurt others and also who are less frequent than the every other person at a college who smokes pot. If you had to clean a toilet, which would you want? A urinal or something someone shat all over and smells awful?
The police are too afraid to deal with real criminals. They know they can get away with harassing marijuana users. I wonder if this was their idea of “serving and protecting” when they joined the force. Little do these imbeciles know, the very laws they enforce are the reason criminals are so empowered.
I am from Oklahoma and we have draconian laws on marijuana and police here act more like para-military gestapo,hobnail boot, assholes, but if you ask the local police they would like marijuana legal,but that is BS . But other than that,draconian laws,it’s a nice place to live.But you can get pretty good homegrown,maybe 10% thc hard to tell.Peace
How many officers are trained to think that marijuana is harmful? They are spoonfed lies . Everything they think they know about marijuana was probably told to them in their training. They are told that it is dangerous and therefore needs to be eradicated. Cops really are just guilty of forced ignorance.
#5 i agree law enforcement wants the easy road just bust cannabis users, an let the pedophiles out with a ankle braclet
Error 404 – message on your “This is in direct contradiction of the stated position of the American Medical Association” link.
it SEEMS that majority of the law enforcement views are paid for, meaning, they usaully share the same view becasue of their peers. i have meet many cops old and new who are just cops just to have a job and have no clue or personaly feelings about the subject.
the police have their own brotherhood of some type and expect! EXPECT to be treated differently at all times, even when they drive them and their families around in their cop car. Police get away with everything!!! and people think that just because a cop is a cop he KNOWS everythihng!! Cops may know their job but they don’t know the people they are suppose to PROTECT AND SERVE, NOT SEARCH AND DESTROY!!!!!!!
The Holocaust occured because people were “just following the rules.” Kudos to the 23% of law enforcement officer that say “stop arresting marijuana users.” It doesn’t take a lot of brains to recognize an evil law, but it takes a tremendous amount of guts to stand up against it!
Hey! That illustration isn’t right – the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act is trying to get on the ballot to legalize adult cannabis use in 2010! http://www.cannabistaxact.org
Cops keep hiding the fine print:
“To Protect And Serve THEMSELVES”
Without a doubt, the reason so many cops are opposed to any drug reform is they are putting #1 first. The only problem is that, unlike most other jobs, putting #1 first in their field can often result in massive destruction for other parties.
If they are honestly acting in good faith, it doesn’t make them any less responsible (just as acting in good faith under Hitler didn’t give you a pass) and in fact, is an insult to their intelligence.
Just read the line that 68% believe that legalizing cannabis would have no positive impact with regards to drug cartel problems. That’s not even an opinion question! They’re denying the basic laws of supply and demand as if, for some reason, they don’t apply to illegal activity. In reality, the drug trade is one of the finest examples of unabated capitalism left in the world, with the exception of all of the violence due to selling a product outlawed by most nations. Of course, in a world of true capitalism, the demand would equal supply and an equilibrium price, far lower than what you see now, would be set.
I think police in general oppose marijuana legalization for social and cultural reasons, not financial. I don’t think cops believe busting pot users is a way for them to keep their jobs or ensure they get more funding — they know they will have plenty of job security even if weed is legal. It’s more likely that cops tend to be socially conservative, and see smoking pot as too out of control, too free. And after all, anyone who smokes weed has disrespect for the law, right??? There’s always the “long-haired hippy” talk that shows police aren’t down with different types of people. They’re likely to be concerned with security, which is often opposed to freedom, and so more likely to accept conformity. Basically, police have an idea (mostly just a stereotype) of who smokes weed and just don’t like those kinds of people.
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT
It is the objective of the Genesist Faith to organize and unite its adherents throughout the world. The inspiration and incentive of “our mindset and relentless agenda” is, and will for-ever-more be. “The certainty of religious freedom.”
INTENT AND PURPOSE
It is the intent and purpose of the Genesist Faith to rise to action, with the equivolence of war, and invoke the “free exercise thereof” clause in Article I of the Constitution of the United States of America, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993-RFRA (H.R.1308) as a “Conscience Clause” relevent to the prohibition of our Holy Sacrament. A conscience clause is a clause in a law exempting those whose religious or moral principles “forbid compliance.” The prohobotion of our Holy Sacrament is a “subsatnrial burden” on the Genesist Faith, and forbids a Genesist’s compliance.”
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act-RFRA recognizes the “free exercise of religion as a inalienable right” and secures its protection in the first amendment of the Constitution. Nothing in this Act should be construed to authorize any government to “burden any religious belief or the free exercise thereof.” Genesists are resolute in our contention that our “inalienable religious right” has been, and remains, “substantially burdened and disrupted” by government’s excessive interference. Therefore, Genesists vigorously resist government’s monopolizing political pretext and intrusion of our faith, and demand impunity in a free unencombered way of life, guaranteed in the Constitution.
It is by virtue of this Act, and the first amendment of the U.S Constitutuion, as well as the International Declaration of Human Rights that Genesists claim the “right to practice our faith,” unobstructed by governmental interference; also the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that government “must prove” that damage has been done to the greater community before any action can be taken against using sacraments in the observance of one’s faith.
Therefore, Genesists assert a “severence clause” opposing the unconstitutional application of “competing governmental interests.” Genesists demand that our Constitutional Right be restored, that our free exercise of religion be protected, and compelling governmental interests be declared voidable and severed.
RATIONALE
God has given us the priviledge and the responsibility of “free choice.” We have the capacity and obligation to make the kind of choices that shape the world we are part of. It’s our “free choices” that make the world the way it is. “Genesists are under obligation to God with liberty of conscience.” A part of that obligation is the way we treat our fellow humans with the inherent goodness of humanity and truth. We are free to control our own humanity, and any attempt to insult that inherent goodness and truth is reprehensible. Therefore, Genesists lawfully assemble in our faith, holding our Constitution as absolute. Our grievance as a worldwide faith based communtiy is that government’s intransigent prohibition of our inalienable religious right, observation, rite, activity, or “free exercise thereof” is absolutely unacceptable, and Genesists invoke a “conscience clause,” and assert a “severence clause.”
GENESISTS ARE A BODY OF MASS DISTINCTION
Genesists are well defined and unmistakable. From sea to shinning sea, “every county” in each and every sovereign stae, of these United States of Ameica, is a “Genesits Colony,” and bears the names of that county. This includes our brethren throughout the world. The Genesist Faith tyranscends all boundries. It’s a small world after all. “Friends find each other.” It is the Genesist’s oblective, intent and purpose for friends throught the world to “find eache other and stand as one”…standing as “one” against the aggression directed at our constitutional, and “God given” religious right of Holy Sacrament…”Manna.”
I think there should be more emphasis on the re-prohibition of alcohol. Not that I support it, it is every free persons right to get smashed in whatever way they see fit, but if the police want to continue enforcing marijuana prohibition we should talk about the other legal drugs especially one that used to be illegal. It is the main cause of drug induced car accidents and poses a threat to those who mistreat it but it is legal because the repercussions of prohibition out way the possible dangers. If half as many people understood that as those that drink alcohol, marijuana would have been legal forty years ago regardless of medical value. I could go one to cigarettes and state how many lives they take (440,000) vs. how many lives taken by marijuana (none) but unless someone in our legislature opens their ears I might as well be mute. We may be doomed to repeat history but we should at least realize how stupid we are while we sit and shake our fingers.
^That’s a pretty accurate point Richard, about the real criminals being more of a dangerous effort where cannabis users are less likely to be of a challenge to constrain.
In the end I feel it always comes down to money. The paychecks on the loe’s side and the “paycheck” on the dealers side.
If I was a cop , I would vote to keep my job. If I was a dealer I would also “vote” to keep my “job”.
Cops can go to legislatures and speak for thier jobs.
Drug dealers can donate money to reps(prohibis) they want voted in.
….in the end we all in the middle suffer for thier lack of foresight and greed.
The police officers don’t want to legalize because they are scared they will loose there jobs. Although some would inevitably loose there jobs due to the legalization of marijuana, the offset would be the creation of jobs in other areas.
It is a good article. Well said.
The police in uniform should play no part in politics, however, politicians like to use them. The “law and order” politicians are the most crooked and most often ended up in prison, or resigned from office in disgrace.
The culture is changing and the cops are having a hissy fit. Fuck DEA and the ONDCP,too. I would love to hear what diarrhea comes out of the mouths of John Walters and Barry McCaffery when the law changes. Hopefully they are still around when the public officially states that they do not believe the bullshit they spewed
You do not know what is good for you and cannot possibly make ANY good decisions !!! SHUT UP and sit down and do as you are told !! We only get punished when we have done something WRONG !! You are bad and we are good and you should not have ANY rights, just like women and blacks you should learn your PLACE !!!
This is so sad, these stories of harassment.
Since I can personally do nothing to help, I donate to NORML. This is in the hope that NORML professionals will speak up at these government meetings where lies are being spread by the right wing.
[Editor’s note: Thanks for your support! Since 1970, NORML’s staff in Washington, DC and hundreds of local activists affiliated within NORML’s chapter network testify and confront prohibitionists every day.]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-piper/obamas-2010-drug-control_b_459868.html
“President Obama’s newly released drug war budget is essentially the same as Bush’s, with roughly twice as much money going to the criminal justice system as to treatment and prevention. This is the case despite the fact that Obama said on the campaign trail drug use should be treated as a health issue not a criminal justice issue. And despite his drug czar telling the Wall Street Journal last year the war on drugs should be ended. While the president appears unwilling to change how taxpayer money is misspent, he can still seek reform. The White House’s forthcoming 2010 drug strategy is the best opportunity to do that.”
Time to think outside of the box people.
In the USA, the police are supposed to enforce laws, not make them. It’s a concept known as “Checks and Balances”. It’s one of the hallmarks of democracy.
When I-1068 passes a message will be sent that the voters know best
I am not a religeous person by any stretch of the imagination but I have heard this quote, supposedly from the Bible Genesis 1 29….The Garden of Eden
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth…
This is a herb we are talking about, not a drug!!!!!
Why can’t the authorities recognise that fact and get on with catching the real criminals eg: rapists, murderers, pedophiles, drunk drivers, corporate fraudsters etc and leave us cannibis smoking folk alone. I will be 60 next year and would much rather see my offspring sharing a joint with me than popping pills, consuming copious amounts of alchohol and going out killing people….. Seems to me it is simple logic!
Imagine how much respect law enforcement would gain from the general public if they remained even neutral to ending prohibition? Imagine if the cops were no longer the ‘bad’ guys to the marijuana producer/consumer?
If the COPS really cared about gaining more control over the streets they would push for legalization. Personally, I think the number of people in the USA who consume marijuana is far greater than even NORML’s figures of 20 million or so. I would say the market share for marijuana is about the same as it is for oranges for example. I would say that at least 6 in 10 people have had contact with marijuana and know it is no big deal.
Imagine now if this majority now gained the respect of law enforcement because there is no fear of arrest/discrimination anymore for weed? Most of this pot consuming majority does not commit any other crimes, besides the usual parking or speeding ticket. Imagine if the COPS treated bud like they do a Bud Lite beer in a bar?
So my point: Law enforcement, by being truthful about the talking points (science, business, economy, cultural, religious,) on marijuana, and NOT being activists supporting prohibition, would seem like allies to the majority. That momentum would gain them more credibility on the streets, thus making their jobs safer and with public support.
The day weed is legalized in your state, to the pot smoker he becomes free. There is no other crime that the marijuana smoker has to haul and the Cops become our friends. And this dear law enforcement is the biggest reason to not stand in the way of reform.
Pushing Marijuana Prohibition is Pushing for more confusion and for less support from the populous!
#44 well, under a fascist regime its a concept known as campiagn contributions.
Holy Smokes! Why would they want to give up the easy bust. “I think I smell marijuana. Do you have any marijuana? I think I need to search you. I smell marijuana. It’s so easy to fight crime when it’s so easy to find.
rev.sleezy
The only people who want to go into law enforcement are those willing to enforce the laws and a good deal of law enforcement is law enforcement against drugs that have been made illegal by legislation of one kind or another. Sorry, but it’s true. Cops don’t write laws, they just enforce them and only people willing to wage the Drug War are willing to become law enforcement officers. When your representetives quit waging the Drug War in the halls of government, then only cops who don’t care about the Drug War will become law enforcement officers. Those who can’t abide the changes, or don’t have any other skills in law enforcement will drop out or be dismissed.
The real clue is what will happen to the dope dealers and organized crime. There is where the real economic hardship will commence and not a moment too soon.
And of course, when the Drug War ends, so also will the quack “medical marijuana” dispenseries disappear.
I know iv’e said this b4 but whats next A Shit test
or should one b brave enough to do that knowing their not gonna get the job, just to show how one could get safisticated as them
LEO has no business wearing a uniform I fu^king pay for to disrespect my wishes. Who the hell do these IDIOTS think they are? They work for us, if I want them to give an opinion when wearing a police uniform I will give them one. Till then shut the fu^k up.
DRUG TEST ALL POLICE 2 TIMES A YEAR.
DRUG TEST COPS AFTER POLICE INVOLVED SHOOTINGS.
Marijuana doesn’t cause all of the these problems, ilegal drug money does.
This is mainly intended as a reply to Matt’s comment.
Of course cops are below average IQ. It’s part of the design of the way police are hired. Detectives need to have a decent amount of intelligence (not too much) but your average beat cop is expected to be a ‘Yes’ man and a soldier on the street. They are not expected to do anything but what they are told and if they think that can lead to questions and when cops ask questions it threatens the smooth operation of the system and status quo.
I cannot remember the exact article and am feeling too lazy to look it up, but as I remember it, about 5 years ago, a man sued his local police department for discrimination in hiring. He had been through the academy and applied to the local police force and they turned him down because he was too intelligent. The police department had a max IQ of 120 allowed in it’s police. The man lost the case, because the judge ruled that intelligence is not protected by discrimination laws and that the police were perfectly within their right to refuse him on the grounds that he was too smart.
Cops are a lot like military—they are trained to follow directions. To follow the directives of ones superiors one must believe in the overall mission objectives of the organization, which leads one into the belief that the senior officals (having had more experience in the game) are following the correct path. Although they tend to be adreniline junkies that isn’t of itself a bad thing. Just as militant type occupations at the “ground level” may tend to attract a lot of people from the lower end of the intelligence pool doesn’t mean that it only attracts that type. From what I’ve seen there are a lot if intelligent people in those feilds and most of the carreer oriented ones aren’t worried about losing work even if the penal code was reduced by 75 percent or brought all the troops home.
I like to believe that most cops are good people. The sadistic few of them who relish in others misery just make it look bad for the majority. It’s usually the organizing leaders that are the most responsible for the perpetuation of “the lies” in their own best interests. So let’s not blame all policemen/wemon for the overzealousness of a few.
It is the ones who are paid to think–not the ones who are paid to do that shoulder most of the blame. They are the ones who allow the corruption to persist when one of thier biggest responsibilities is to weed out that kind of behavior. Instead, they perpetuate it for their own benefit thereby fiting the mold of the type of persons that those with all of the real power want to move up the chain–and they do and so on and so on….
The answer to the question is easy. We live in a police state, and police happen to be simpletons; mere peons of the state.
but cops with no education MUST know more about science and health then doctors who went to school for 10 years, LOL…
Make no mistake about it, we are up against formidable opposition, please consider the fact that the 1936 propaganda classic, “Reefer Madness” was initially produced by a group of liquor distillers, who knew then, as they know now, exactly what their competition was for the adult use market. we are not only up against alcohol companies, we are up against pharmaceutical companies who would rather see your grandmother buying their pharmaceutical medicine than her growing her own flowers to alleviate her glaucoma, we are also up against the petrochemical industry who know full well that farmers could easily grow hemp and use the seed to create their own bio-diesel, I could go on and on about the corporate interests who are profit motivated to keep the status quo, but there is no lobby group as ominous as the prison guards union, they have lobbied hard against marijuana law reform because they know that keeping these laws against your civil liberties makes them money, it keeps their jails full and your tax dollars going into their pockets.
A friend in the Army has the perfect saying for the conformist attitude that the military and police seek: “1-2-3, program me.”
I think it should be against the law for public servants to lobby governments or publicly advocate for causes that are directly connected to their profession. It’s not just police abusing their taxpayer subsidized credibility to suit their own agendas, there are social workers lobbying to make spanking illegal and drug test welfare recipients, and even army officers lobbying for more wars.
It has been my experience that I know more about marijuana than 99% of law enforcement officers I have talk with. Most of them still think the movie “Reefer Madness” is an actual account of the dangers of marijuana use.
Albert Einstein once said it takes a man of low morality to become a police officer. Infact in my entire life Ive only met one truly good cop. In my personal experience the lot of them are very bad people. If America only knew what goes on in those police stations. Police officers don’t enforce laws, they protect infrastructure. Drug money is often a good way for an officer to compensate for a low salary. Most drug money is taken from marijuana busts. One of my close friends became a cop and she hates it. It’s nothing like she thought it would be and she sincerely believes she’s going to hell and cannot forgive herself for some of the things she was forced to do to people by law. She’ll be leaving the force with a host of issues. Her fellow officers enjoy the perks of their job as most police officers share the belief that as long as they wear that badge they are ABOVE THE LAW. The people are considered little more then cattle, and the officers groan every time they have to answer a call that might involve literally saving a life. The officers cheer when they get called to a drug bust. Police officers are infectious vermin and must be dealt with like such. They should be destroyed and rebuilt with honor and love for mankind. They should serve the PUBLIC or die.
post 33 Ed McCann says it all. I agree it is definatly a social conservative type of mindset we are fighting. There will always be crime, cops will always have jobs. I don’t think for one minute that any cop will loose their job because of legalization. I would hope that all the money saved would help with better training for police officers, drug education for the public, besides with all the money saved some of it could be used to keep those cops on the street fighting actual dangerous criminals.
Every cop “takes an oath” never to rat out another cop. This is a conspiracy to with hold information. Thus, EVERY COP IS A CRIMINAL!
It is all about the money!! Like most laws, bills, govt’ programs, it is all about the money. Now that local, state and the feds are broke, maybe the elected officals will realize arresting pot smokers, cost US more than the crime. Of course special interest has more money than I, but i have a vote and a voice (NORML)
Thanks for all that you do at NORML.
The cops make money on pot arrests. They get overtime pay for court appearances and share in funds and property confiscated in the name of a drug morality based entirely on lies. All drug prohibition laws are based on racist lies See (See “NEGRO COCAINE “FIENDS” NEW SOUTHERN MENACE New York Times, Sunday February 8, 1914 http://www.druglibrary.org/SCHAFFER/HISTORY/negro_cocaine_fiends.htm)
The claim that forfeiture reduces drug war expenses is the biggest lie because it costs $30,000 plus per inmate every year. Forfeiture doesn’t cover the costs of courts, enforcement of prison expenses.
The cops love it because they can chisel a lot of money into their own pockets.
The pressure on the government to quit programs that don’t work is going up. The house oversight committee
has just announced that the financial institutions are going to start foreclosures on commercial loans. That means the closing of businesses and more unemployment.
It was bad enough when they were taking cars and homes from people,but it is going to get worse. They also predict that unless the government does something,most small town banks will fail next year.
The congress is in the middle of budgeting meetings and we need to put pressure on them to stop funding the war on marijuana. It is the low hanging fruit right now.
Some people here seem to think we don’t need the police.Come on people,pull your heads out of your asses! These people give their lives for us!The police are only doing what they are told.They are acting on what was pounded into their heads since the academy.Sure, there is a small percentage that are making alot of money off of drug busts.But as a whole, they are just good people cought up in a corrupt system trying to do what their told.The LEAP(Law Enforcment Against Prohibition) membership is growing(15,000) the word is out they are trying to help too!Give them a break!
The peripheral crime they cite is a direct result of viewing cannabis as a controlled substance. The illegal activities are only present because the focus is to give data showing crimes in the areas where the dispensaries exist. Those crimes are a result of the prohibition laws and account for the escalated crimes, but perceived and real, across all demographics in the US.
If you tell the lie often enough people will believe it is the strategy as usual. Make people fear dispensaries, just like we made people fear large crowds of black people in a bygone era, all in the name of sacrificing the few for “the greater good.” People need to learn that the foundation of a measure of a civilization is not measured on how we treat the majority, but rather in how we treat the minority.
As stated what this exemplifies is that we have crossed the line into willfully having voted ourselves in most areas of the country (directly or by lack of protestation) directly into a Police State. Even in the name of Freedom and Democracy we have inherently given up both to simply “protect this way of life.” (*Yes I am aware we live in a Representative Republic.*) What way of life is it exactly that we will have left? Work for less, pay more taxes, live under greater scrutiny and above all be quiet? Is that our new mantra?
Thanks to NORML and others most will not go quietly into a good night.
Actually Mark there’s a little more to it than that. The ego within each human is dangerous and can, and usually does, turn destructive when placed in a position of power.
Listed below are what citizensopposingprohibition dot org say about those opposing legalization:
Supporters of the War on Drugs/Modern Prohibition
1. Fraternal Order of Police, National Sheriff’s Association, Chiefs of Police Assoc.
2. Mexican Drug Cartels
3. Senators John McCain, John Kerry, Tom Coburn
4. Osama Lin Laden
5. Big Pharma
6. California Narcotics Officers Association
7. MS-13 Gang Association
8. Deputy Chief Thomas Gordon of California
9. Al-Qaeda & the Taliban
10. The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, New York Times
11. FARC of Colombia, Shining Path of Peru
12. George Will
13. Crips & Bloods – Hell’s Angels
14. Congressmen Dan Lungren, Dan Burton, Mark Souder, S. Reyes
15. Meth Makers Association of Mexico
16. President Obama
So, most cops are against decriminalization of herb, eh? No surprise there. And they wonder why we call them pigs.
According to all the polls, two main groups are againt legalization: drug dealers and the police. The two groups of people that benefit the most from prohibition.
My brother in-law is an NYPD officer. He told me straight up that weed arrests mean overtime and promotions for police officers. He said that cops in NYC are actually encouraged to go after marijuana offenders.
Pot offenders create a multi-million dollar business for law enforcement up and down the line. It’s sad that government would imprison people just for profit alone.
Free The Weed. Free The People.
As a member of the law enforcement community, I am entertained by the comments of your readers. The uniform hostility toward officers, The grandstanding about your cause, the apparent belief that police officers are morons and pot smokers are the elite of philosophy, law, medicine and botany, and the overall uniform thought pattern of how law enforcement officers are unmotivated automatons that seek the “easy bust”
and fail to “fight real crime”.
I can tell you that most of my fellow police officers have at minimum an associates degree, most have bachelors degrees and many of my colleagues have masters or doctorate degrees.
I can also tell you that when arresting manufacturers of your “mother earth made herb” other illicit drugs are found along with marijuana. I have noted that it is infrequent that I discover a user of marijuana that does not use some form of narcotic, other hallucinogen, illegal stimulant or depressant.
Obviously, there will forever be differing opinions. However, as you whine and cry that law enforcement has somehow lumped all cannabis users into one lot, so have you become hypocrites by over generalizing all police officers as lazy, moronic, greedy, brutalizing thugs.
It is comments such as these that win you no support from legislators or members of law enforcement.
[Editor’s note: Thanks aptly named ‘Idiotcop’ for affirming what many citizens already know about law enforcement, your self-interest in prohibition and the ‘blue line’.
It is so obvious these days that about the only public defenders of the failed 73-year old prohibition of cannabis are organs of the government, notably law enforcement and ‘drug rehab’ industry types.
When reformers give more money to legislators, bring more political pressure for reform and the media continues exposing the naked self-interests of law enforcement to maintain the status quo, some longtime employees of the war on some drugs will need to find another field of work.]
Well, I can see that the “idiotcop” has just proven my point, and the editor’s point, that most pigs–oops! I meant Gendarmes…are “unmotivated automatons looking for an easy bust”…no, scratch that…they are VERY motivated…by their ignorance. Just listen to this knucklehead’s words:
“I can also tell you that when arresting manufacturers of your ‘mother earth made herb’ other illicit drugs are found along with marijuana. I have noted that it is infrequent that I discover a user of marijuana that does not use some form of narcotic, other hallucinogen, illegal stimulant or depressant”.
I rest my case!
Re: Idiotcop Says:
The uniform hostility toward officers, The grandstanding about your cause, the apparent belief that police officers are morons and pot smokers are the elite of philosophy, law, medicine and botany, and the overall uniform thought pattern of how law enforcement officers are unmotivated automatons that seek the “easy bust” and fail to “fight real crime”.
____________
You can knock off the BS until you begin reporting crooked lawbreaking officers, testifying against lawbreaking fellow officers in court and seeing them sent to prison with other criminals where they belong.
You need to give up the TESTILYING that I saw during jury service. The jury caught four cops deliberately lying about every aspect of a case. If they weren’t morons how did they think they could use crudely forged documents to make their case. Trust me on this, if that jury had had the power those four coppers would have been doing hard time for the frame job they attempted. Once the first lie unraveled it became clear that they hadn’t spoken a single word of truth. We didn’t want to believe the extent of the dishonesty, but the evidence just kept piling up that they were perjurers.
Cops need to stop planting evidence. Don’t bother denying it. I know for an absolute fact that the three ounces of pot they “found” in a friend’s apartment weren’t there until after the cops arrived. I was one of the crew who spent half a day cleaning the place from ceiling to floor since we knew they were coming.
____________
I can tell you that most of my fellow police officers have at minimum an associates degree, most have bachelors degrees and many of my colleagues have masters or doctorate degrees.
____________
What they lack is MORALITY.
____________
I can also tell you that when arresting manufacturers of your “mother earth made herb” other illicit drugs are found along with marijuana. I have noted that it is infrequent that I discover a user of marijuana that does not use some form of narcotic, other hallucinogen, illegal stimulant or depressant.
____________
And how does drug use (or drug addiction) justify a prison sentence? If you have one of those associate degrees, maybe you can understand that before drug prohibition, the United States never had a “drug problem.” Try and find cases of criminal activity associated with opiate and cocaine addiction before 1914 (1912 in New York state). Some users may have resented their addiction, but that was THEIR problem. The drug crusaders made drugs everyone’s problem in ways that never existed before.
Most opiate users before 1914 were women trying to relieve their menstrual upsets. Because no one in those days knew of any criminal activity involving drug use, the drug warriors used perjury and racist accusations to get the Harrison Narcotics Act passed. Frauds like Dr Charles B Towns (who never attended a medical school despite posing as an MD!) and Edward Huntington Williams, M.D. who invented “cocaine nigger” scares which were never verified were used to justify a clearly unconstitutional intrusion into the practice of medicine. (NEGRO COCAINE “FIENDS” NEW SOUTHERN MENACE — New York Times, Sunday February 8, 1914 — http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/negro_cocaine_fiends.htm)
My extensive research failed to reveal a single criminal case supporting the drug crusader’s claims that drug use was causing crime when drugs were legal (pre 1914). Instead of finding a multitude of reports detailing the crime and the damage of drug addiction all I found were a few fiction laced editorials and the pernicious lobbying of Congress by outrageous liars.
If you are convinced that the drug war is a righteous policy, perhaps you’d like to have a public debate about drug prohibition. I can arrange it if you are serious. If you think you can defend Harry Anslinger, I’d love to see you try.
Lets be honest, the whole war on pot is morally wrong, for example, I am from a small town in tennessee. One respected member of the community was arrested for growing FIVE marijana plants four years ago. He is in prison for fifteen years. Another inciednt that took place in my hometown three weeks later defines the U.S. Governments priotites. A woman shot and killed her husband in the back while he was asleep in bed. She recieved two and a half days in jail. Her name was mary winkler it is a true story. Tell me what is wrong with this picture. It boils down to the government is full of shit. This message portays that a dead man with three children is less important than a harmless plant that grows in the ground. If any cop or official has an explanation to this maddness i want to hear it so i can tell them they are full of shit too. Every law against marijuana is bullshit and their is no denying that it is only busy work for the police force. But I would seriously think the justice department would take first degree murder more seriously than a few plants. If this story angers you like it does me it is time to stand up and do something and show the government and law officials that criminal marijuana laws are wrong.
We in the cannabis using community MUST ENGAGE LAW ENFORCEMENT, not call them names or accuse them of no morality. We will all become safer when we can work WITH the police to address serious concerns.
We CANNOT overgeneralize and say cops are crooked, cops just want to throw us in jail, etc. That does not advance our cause at all. What might advance our cause is understanding why police hold the views they do, how they justify them, and then working to change those views.
If those views are irrational and destructive, then we must use democratic means to overturn their influence.
Yes, some cops are perjurers and plant evidence. Yes, some potheads engage in other criminal acts. But don’t say all of them are.
This statement: “It is comments such as these that win you no support from legislators or members of law enforcement.” intrigues me — what WILL win us support from law enforcement and legislators? Honest, adult, rational dialogue?
I invite “idiotcop” to a constructive, respectful conversation on cannabis prohibition. If you wish, we can have it offline to avoid inflaming tensions. I commit to a fair hearing of your views, if you commit to the same.
Only by acting like reasonable adults can we start to address all of our concerns.
I also invite “idiotcop” to think about why so many people post such harsh views of the police. Does he find those views helpful or hurtful in doing his job? Are they justified at all? What could the police do to reassure the public that they aren’t the monsters so many people believe them to be? How can the police regain so many people’s broken trust?
And finally, does “idiotcop” believe that re-prohibition of alcohol would solve the problems associated with it? Or that prohibition of some substances actually reduces their use?
Arguing with the cops is a waste of time. The police are obligated to uphold the law and as long as growing or possessing cannabis is a against the law, then the police are obliged to uphold the law. Of course, only people willing to wage the Drug War are going to be willing to become police officers.
Quit fooling with the police and start fooling with the people who write the laws. The police are easily available and even the laziest pot smoker can point the finger at them. This is not work. Ending the Drug War is going to take a little more effort than that.
When you see somebody complaining about the police enforcing drug laws, but NOT complaining about the laws themselves, you can be pretty sure that person is making money in some way on the other side of the law. Ending the Drug War puts both gangsters and dope infatuated police officers out of business.
Yeah..if you’re reading “idiotcop” this is for you.
I got two words for ya. Salvatore Rivieri.
This is the image the majority of the people I know think of when the word “police” is mentioned. By the way…getting your associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree says nothing for a person’s intellect or ability to use common sense, dont fool yourself.
BAD COP…NO DOUGHNUT.
Anti-Marijuana crusaders are the lowest forms of life that crawl on the Earth. Did you hear me, huh, “Idiotcop”? Yo Bubba, there’s a storm coming. Are you ready, punk?
It’s simple…your basic beat cop is always given far too much credit and are allowed far more input than should be allowed. For example, recently, in New Jersey, a nineteen year old kid was busted at 11am for having weed in the car. When the kid got pulled over, he had weed all in his teeth because he attempted to eat it. This is how it was reported: “The officer detected marijuana in the car…” Let’s be clear here; that cop didn’t “detect” anything. He smelled weed because weed stinks and he has a nose. End of story. The word “detect” is far FAR too much credit. Most beat cops aren’t exactly geniuses. They are just fascists who chose the business they are in because they wanted the thrill of being a cop. Generally speaking, it takes a special kind to want to become a police officer. Of course, that is not to say that I have never met a good cop whose heart is in the right place…but that is rare.
Here’s a working address for the cocaine nigger article
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/negro_cocaine_fiends.htm
This is what I don’t get about NORML…
The editor wrote “When reformers give more money to legislators”
Isn’t that the underlying problem? Right now the drug-enforcement, prevention, and treatment lobbyist are lining the pockets of politicians, hence Marijuana prohibition.
Sure NORML can play the game and maybe win the legislatures over, part of it by lobbying and lining their pockets.
Whose to say when Marijuana laws are reformed, the drug-war lobbyists will win over the legislatures once again with propaganda and MONEY!?
This is why we need to reform the whole system, and NOT just lobby on one issue which can easily be overturned.
Politicians like Kuchinich and Ron Paul are gaining huge notoriety and support. Many like-minded individuals are now campaigning and hoping to enter the political realm either directly into the congress, or working their way up through local politics. What is the harm in supporting these reformers from all backrounds to help fix the system and preserve the system to guarantee that when Marijuana laws are reformed, they will not be overturned due to the same endemic corruption built into the current establishment?
[Editor’s note: Stop trying to impale cannabis law reform onto your ‘lets change the whole system’ fantasies. You can dream all you like about ‘reforming’ Congress and the government, but that is hardly NORML’s narrow agenda of cannabis law reform.
Politicians like Kuchinich and Ron Paul are gaining huge notoriety and support.
Is this accurate? Both men are ‘freaks’ in their parties, neither garner much national support politically, neither are taken very seriously.
You can wrap yourself as tightly as you like in your ‘government is corrupt — revolution is the answer’ blanket, but if you believe Paul and Kucinich have any genuine mainstream political support, then you’re as delusional as they were (maybe still are!) in believing that a majority of the American population is going to sweep them into power.
Again, cannabis consumers don’t have to fear a supposedly corrupt government as much as they should fear cannabis consumer apathy to being involved in their own liberation.]
W., 02/17/10
When I first practiced law, I was a 1950’s square, regarding American anti-narcotics laws. A colleague
educated me on the history and politics of the Harrison Act of 1914. Since then, I have read up on the subject on my own.
The U.S.’s anti-drug laws emerged as the result of White racism and outright hysteria. Then as now, politicians and cops prevailed. There was almost no pharmacology discussed rationally in Congress or in any State legislature.
It wasn’t until the mid-1960’s, when White, middle-class children of doctors, lawyers, teachers, and politicians were prosecuted for possession of “grass” and faced draconian prison terms that some of the State legislatures amended those laws to be less draconian.
When only Black, Asian, and Latino men were facing long prison terms, no one seemed to care. The situation changed during the Viet Nam War. Marihuana became a symbol of culture clash. That’s where we are today. Sadly, “Reefer Madness” is alive and if not well, not completely moribund either.
Iwill never understand why these so-called “Conservatives” have to constantly stick their noses where they don’t belong. I hate to sound as prejudiced as they are…BUT…I’m afraid that I will have to. Those people (that’s right, I said “those people”) seem to have a two-sided philosophy. One set of rules for themselves, and another set of rules for everybody else.
For example:
When Conservatives speak of “States Rights”, they are “Pro” when it comes to anything Conservative (read: primitive). However, when it comes to something that would be considered “Liberal”, such as Legalization (if only?) of Marijuana, SUDDENLY these defenders of “freedom” become hard-core Federalists.
I know, I know, they’re disgusting people. Especially when they try to rationalize their beliefs. Aren’t they embarassed to show such hypocrisy in public?
“I hate the sin, but I love the sinner”
How many times have you heard that one?
Believe me…I’m 53 years old and I’ve been hearing this bullshit all my life. And it never changes, it’s always the same garbage.
While I understand what you said Ed McCann and why you said it I must admit I’m opposed to your technique.
Police are indeed pissed off because they’re losing their gravy train with the end of prohibition. They don’t want to listen to reason, only the beat of their own ill thought out drum.
I do belong to LEAP too but these are decent ex cops who have seen the error of their ways and are diligently trying to end this hideous war on drugs.
Perhaps your conversation idiotcop should be directed towards LEAP, or are you too afraid you’ll be told the truth and have to also admit to your error in thinking?
Better get with the program idiotcop because the end prohibition movement is NOT going to stop. We will win.
it is very depressing reading about murders getting less jail time than those who grow pot. I am even amazed that stores such as walmart would sell hard liquors. we all know that liquor is the deadly drug. every police in the U.S. should focus on getting murderers, rapist or people that carry guns off the streets.. i would feel less threated if i saw somebody smoking a joint than carry a gun. what kind of advice is the goverment trying to give us? do they want us to get drunk and beat up people that we love. This is a true story. I went to amsterdam for two weeks and the cops up there didnt even carry a gun cause everyone is high and happy. Maybe we should tell President OBAMA to spend the week in Amsterdam and see that smoking a joint is really harmless.
Editor: Too true. It is a mistake to hitch the cause of ending the Drug War against cannabis to any kind other cause or political front. No matter how you look at the situation, criminalizing cannabis especially has been a national and global nightmare. As long as we are distracted away from the obvious failures in purpose and practice in how to deal with cannabis, we will never win.
People have a right to indulge themselves in a certain amount of vice. We recognize this in the legalization of alcohol and we deal with it by constantly warning and educating people about its risks. Tobacco too is legal but has to be confronted. People have a right to worry about their children being exposed and tempted to substances and behaviors that can set them on a path towards ruined lives.
But putting cannabis users in the hands of the criminal justice system is just plain hysteria. It is a burden and a corrupter of our system of local law enforcement. We deserve better and law enforcement deserves better too.
A West Valley police officer in Utah was pulled over for drunk driving by a Highway Patrol officer last night. The HP officer called the drunk cops girlfriend to come pick him up. End of story …….
Interesting about that drunk cop just getting away with it, as they always do.
And these cops are the same lowlifes that all the people in the room at the CPAC be defending. I watched the “highlights” of that conference on TV yesterday. All the usual suspect were there: Jim “God hates Medical Marijuana” Demint, Mitt “I’ve modified my positions” Romney, Dick “torture is good” Cheney.
I saw that scumbag, Dick Armey, there. When Preident Bill Clinton said during his State of the Union speech that he wanted to raise the Minimum Wage, Dick Armey just sat there and smirked. Kinda tells you whose side he’s on, eh?
One young man got up and said that “We never did cocaine or other drugs! That separates US from THEM”. As if he were actually proud of being an ignorant ass.
With all the marijuana arrests made in Oklahoma (where I am currently living) the police are making an absolute killing. I got caught with weed that was not even mine. (the owner of the apartment stated it and the pipe were her’s but I had smoked with her earlier in the day) I owe the state of Oklahoma 1130 dollars in court fines plus 40 dollars a month to “supervise me” F that i’ll look after myself for free! oh and 40 dollars to the Payne county drug fund? wtf is that? I am merely one more statistic and more person getting screwed out of money by the PO-LICE. Why would any law enforcement official want to make it legal or even have a half way rational policy when they are making millions and millions a year. How do you think they were able to afford the new fancy chargers they drive. This is where the problem is though. I believe that the citizens should be able to check and balance and law enforcement.
DOCTRINE OF GENESISTS
Without exemption (circumscription-qualififcation) no person(s) shall make any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the “FREE EXERCISE THEREOF.” Genesists are free to profess and maintain their opinion in matters of religion, and in no wise diminish, enlarge, or effect their civil capacities. Genesists shall not suffer on account of their religious opinions, beliefs or practices; for whosoever would stand on a Genesist’s path of religious freedom (individual freedon) and rattle their sword, such act provokes infringement of the “NATURAL RIGHTS OF MANKIND,” the priviledges and advantages to which in common withtheir fellow Genesists he or she has a “NATURAL RIGHT.”
We Genesists rise and stand “IN DEFENSE” of individual and religious freedom. When we need to vote…we vote. When we need to fight…we fight. When we need to negotiate peace for the sake of mankind…we listen with insatiable ears (constantly wanting more). We are “FREE AMERICAN GENESISTS.”
Gnesists have a right to take account of the facts, and a right to an open mind and conscience. We stand for the salvation of free thinking, and the ability to act on those thoughts and beliefs. The free ground Genesists stand on is tapped solid by the feet of individual ation, so! the fate of individual freedom depends entirely upon a Genesist’s defense of it.
No law can be sacred to Genesists but that of our nature. The only right is what is after our Constitution, the only wrong is what is against it. When “
No law can be sacred to Genesists but that of our nature. The only right is what is after our Constitution, the only wrong is what is against it. When “ONE GENESISTS” loses his or her individual freedom, “EACH AND EVERY GENESIST” loses theirs. Individual freedom is the bedrock for freedom for all; for without it, when it is denied, when it is with-held, are we not a controlled mass? “THERE’S TWO WAYS TO BE FOOLED.” One is to believe what isn’t true, the other is to refuse to believe what is true. Those who will sacrafice freedom for order, will receive neither. Genesists “REJECT IMPRISONED MINDS.”
Genesists believe in the American Creed. We believe in the United States of America…as a government of the people, by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the “CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED,” a democracy in a republic, a sovereign nation of many sovereign states, a perfect union, one and inseperable, established upon the principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which “AMERICAN PATRIOTS SACRAFICED THEIR LIVES AND FORTUNES.” Therefore, we believe it is “OUR DUTY TO OUR COUNTRY” to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to “DEFEND IT AGAINST ALL ENEMIES.”
Wake up America! The police don’t want marijuana legal because that would put a big dent in the police officers retirement fund……Let’s wake up America…
U.S. Government conspiracy against the citizens is what is going on…that’s the bottom line…
So, here’s one against political corruption, scoundralous and corrupted police and government officials…is definitaly the name of the game.
Suck on that uncle Sam, U B–t–d.
A few months ago here in Colorado Springs I had the pleasure of sitting in city council meetings on the topic of Medical Marijuana. I learned that not only do police enforce the laws but are always given a token seat at the Colorado Springs city council meetings.
I asked the exact question… “If we the people make the laws and law enforcement is supposed to do exactly that then why do the police haver a token seat here? Shouldnt we make the law and tell them to go enforce it?”… I was promptly warned not to make enemies of the police.
Im sure Colorado Springs is not an unusual case. Law enfoircement has tricked our population into accepting that law enforcement is part of law creation…. This is a dangerous course. Law enforcement shaping and creating the laws that they will choose to enforce is nothing short of law enforcement believing it has been given the right to do whatever it wants. Does something about that sound wrong to any of you?
It has become that way when they changed from “protect and serve” too “search and seize”.
What the hell (not “heck”) happened since the Seventies? Things were so liberated and wonderful. In 1980, when the Bible-banging animals seized power, why did so many in our generation get brainwashed by that shit? I have always hated pigs–oops! I mean “Constables”–no, actually, I MEANT PIGS! Where is the BLA and the SLA now that we need them?
PLease why all the foul language against our states defense units, i know for a recreational marijuana user it is easy to look at a police officer and think “PIG”,or other bad puns and comments,but in all reality they are simply doing there job most of the time.It is taught to them that stoners are bad people who just feed money to drug and war lords helping terrorist so most of the “muscle bound diesel block heads” as some say have no clue what they are enforcing they just know its bad and its illegal, so dont blame the officer blame our Government and pray for a change cause in all reality that law enforcement officer could end up saving you or one of your loved ones life, so think about it before you jump to smirk at your neighborhood officer, instead greet him and go about your stoned way…..Peace LEGALIZE IT .please.
Mr. Sam Odonell is quite correct when he points out boorish behaviour on my behalf. My distaste for anti-marijuana warriors sometimes colors my judgement. And, as he mentioned, I DO hate a government that tries to demonize a segment of society, just to gain political points with “their” people.
It is discrimination in its purest form.
a historical view of pigs may help clear things up.
Q; what did pigs do initially?
–A; before the drug war, there were 2 types of crime;
1. violent crime like murder, rape, assault, etc. violent crime was taken care of by a sheriff, & deputy.
2. PROPERTY CRIMES like theft, vandalism, arson, burglary, etc.
PROPERTY CRIMES are what made a standing police force necessary.
therefore; A MAJORITY OF POLICE WORK has always been PROTECTING THE RICH PEOPLE’S PROPERTY from the poor, who had no property. and thus upholding the STATUS QUO. RICH STAY RICH, POOR STAY POOR.
Q; what’s the origin of pigs in usa ?
—A; two places;
1. north; to PROTECT rich factory owners, from the workers they were abusing.
2. south; to PROTECT rich plantation owners/ slave owners from the slaves they were abusing.
these were “enforcers for the rich”
—NOT “public servants”.
(note; the ‘founding fathers’ were rich landowners in europe, before they came here. so there was a rich ruling class or “modern monarchy” right from the start)
the police department is JUST ANOTHER system of control, just like the political system, (where “electoral colledge” or supreme court can override your vote) the tax laws that favor “un-earned income” like capitol gains and dividends over earned income, or religion, (that tells the abused poor they wil get their DUE, later, in heaven, so don’t worry about it now)
-to assure that the RICH AND POWERFULL STAY THAT WAY, FOREVER, and to keep the poor in their place.
-and the peons are told this is all for their own good.
this is why the BIGGEST BANK BOBBERY in the history of the world resulted in NO arrests,
instead, the guilty were “rescued” with billions more of our dollars.
if the pigs are ignoring the constitution because they were “just following orders”, we need to look at who’s giving the orders
-career politicians and the “big money” behind them.
the “modern monarchy”, our overlords and masters.
When I was in Amsterdam recently sampling the local fare, I noticed that the police were absolutely uninterested in the smell of haze that permeated every corner of the straats. They were more interested in the geese.
I visited at a time when the canals were mostly frozen and the geese were walking through the city holding up trams and cars. I saw two cops directing geese traffic while I was walking stoned through the Liedsestraat and thought to myself, “That’s exactly what cops should be doing.” Can you imagine this attitude in the US…cops concerning themselves with serving the community in a constructive and practical way. Beautiful.
Mr. Calisway, don’t hold your breath waiting for the pigs–oops! I meant the fuzz–to act in a logical, civilized fashion. But, it’s not their fault, poor, brainless fops. (you like that word..”FOPS”? Shades of Charles Dickens, don’t you think?) The problem with this country (I know I’m gonna get in trouble for this) is the power wielded by ignorant, politically-active, Religious Conservatives.
In the 1970s, a glorious, liberated era, I had some friends that were born-again Christians. They were so completely brainwashed by those “Fellowship” meetings that they wouldn’t listen to any other viewpoints. And they kept pressuring me to attend one of their meetings, so I could experience the “joy” that they felt. Well, one day, I gave in and went there. Never in my life did I see such a collection of ROBOTS, all acting the same way. It completely turned me off. Not only that, but my friend became sngry that I didn’t become “saved” like him. If anything, it reaffirmed my respect for intellectuals and science.
Today, over 30 years later, I still don’t understand how so many people got brainwashed by that GARBAGE.
Some people want to be part of something bigger than they are so much that they don’t even care if it’s based on truth or the invisible man. As long as they feel like they belong. Some people need to feel like people are complying to there commands, police are a combination of these types of people. The rules police!.. You know them they are the grammar police, fashion police, etc, etc… They are happiest when they are impossing thier will on others.
Mr. Hydrocula…
That was very well said.
It is interesting to read the replies to my original post. I was not disappointed by the immediate leap to calling me immoral, uneducated, uninformed, and more. Even your “Editor” jumped on the band wagon.
I appreciated Ed McCann’s comments and suspect he is the only real intelligence in this blog. His comments reflect the true nature of my post.
I invite those of you readers who claim to have an open mind, seeking justice and the American way, to re-read his post and mine.
Ed wrote “We CANNOT overgeneralize and say cops are crooked, cops just want to throw us in jail, etc. That does not advance our cause at all. What might advance our cause is understanding why police hold the views they do, how they justify them, and then working to change those views.”
How astute he is in his observation.
Ed also wrote “Yes, some cops are perjurers and plant evidence. Yes, some potheads engage in other criminal acts. But don’t say all of them are.”
I would wholeheartedly agree that it is likely there are users of your drug that are normal productive citizens. I would submit that I do not have contact with those particular persons on a regular basis.
Ed asks “what WILL win us support from law enforcement and legislators? Honest, adult, rational dialogue?” In a word: yes. I would amend this word to include that as not every pot smoker shares your view, Ed, not every police officer shares mine. This is demonstrative of debates concerning politics or religion. Pot smokers seem to treat their interests as a religion and attack those of differing opinions with voracity.
I also invite “idiotcop” to think about why so many people post such harsh views of the police. Does he find those views helpful or hurtful in doing his job?
— I am not surprised by the vocal minority’s harsh views of the police. When anyone, be it police, politicians, clergy, moms or dads, dare to impose societal rules or expectations on this segment of the populace, those persons will spew venom against the rulemakers and enforcement.
Are they justified at all? — Perhaps they are justified, but why should law enforcement not do exactly the same? What could the pot smokers do to reassure the community that they are not the criminals and miscreants that the stereotypical pothead has been portrayed as?
“And finally, does “idiotcop” believe that re-prohibition of alcohol would solve the problems associated with it?” — This is a ridiculous question, isn’t it? No, obviously re-prohibition is not the answer. However, I would submit that your question as to “would prohibition of some substances actually reduces their use?” could easily be answered “yes” as well as “no”.
Thank you Ed for your rational reply, I would be happy to dialogue with you in the future. You seem to be the only one here that figured out my moniker “idiotcop” was sarcasm.
Mr. “Idiotcop”, or whatever you want to call yourself, if you want to be respected, you must show some respect to those who have a different view about life.
Now, I am over 50 and I’ve been smoking herb since 1969. I have never, ever had a problem with it, nor have I ever been “lead” to harder drugs because of it. In most cases, young people experiment with harder drugs becuase of peer pressure. If you are under 65, then you know this to be true.
Alright, I’ll admit that I get very disrespectful myself toward people with prohibitionist opinions. I regret that but, you must understand that after negative interraction with Conservatives, I get very aggravated. Why don’t you cops do what New York cops did in the 1970s : ignore it. People will get along a lot better that way. Concentrate on REAL crime, such as burglary, robbery, rape, murder, assaults–the type of activity that makes our cities unlivable. Forget trying to impose your morality on people, it just leads to bad feelings.
Idiotcop claims to be intelligent and yet he completely missed the point of this blog posting… So much so that he illustrated the point of it perfectly. Maybe he didn’t even look at the blogs stats, like LEO treats the medical evidience out thier as well.
Read below then I will explain.
“Are they justified at all? — Perhaps they are justified, but why should law enforcement not do exactly the same? What could the pot smokers do to reassure the community that they are not the criminals and miscreants that the stereotypical pothead has been portrayed as?”
“Reassure the community!!! We are not criminals and miscreants!!… didnt the stats just show that the majority of the community supports it.. So IdiotCop, are you saying the community which you protect and serve is in support of criminal and miscreant activity, which you as law enforcement must protect society from, regardless of the majority of societies opinions and wishes?
I challenge idiotcop to review the stats in the blog. IdiotCop, determine if you will how you figure your views are the majority that we should be reassuring medical marijuana is not the activity of criminals and miscreants to!?
This is taken from above:
“The attitudes of most in law enforcement are also contrary to the attitudes of the public. A recent ABC News / Washington Post poll found that support for medical marijuana is now at 81% nationwide, with a majority overall (62% nationwide) who support a system at least as open as Oregon’s OMMA where not-necessarily terminal patients can only qualify if they suffer a specific condition from a list and a majority of those who support medical marijuana (56% of the 81% who support it) supporting an open system like California’s Prop-215 where “doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana to anyone they think it can help”.”
In fact, based on these stats law enforcement should be reassuring us they are not criminals and miscreants, as thier views are the ones out of line with societal norms.
IdiotCop your write well, but I suspect your name is more truthful than you realize.
so i just moved to western north carolina and everyone keeps telling me that cannabis is decriminalized here, so i looked it up. its decriminalized, but why are the punishments harsher here then in some states where its not decriminalized?
Cops make money enforcing pot laws! They have abandoned pursuit of justice for a few pieces of silver.
Every end shift pot bust is worth $40. If the case goes to court, it’s an extra $100/day.
Do you ever wonder why 30 deputies are loitering around for a totally non-violent medical marijuana dispensary raid— again they get paid to do it. Those lazy good fornothings get time and a half for such work (average$300/day)
That’s not all. If a forfeiture is involved there’s a bigger reward.
***Individual offers cannot share in forfeiture money you say***
Here’s one way they do it. The local police force gets a cut of forfeiture cash. Then they have a seminar for the Narks— to wit: cops in Minnesota get two weeks “extra training” in Florida in January! The training is held in the same hotel they stay at. In the morning the cops go to the training room, sit through 5 minutes of “training” and then are free for the day.
They do it for the money!
Cops usually come from Conservative families and they usually are rather Conservative themselves. This is due to the fact that they are either ignorant or brainwashed by their friends or family members. I know this from this experience. On my father’s side of the family, they are more Conservative on ALL subjects, including Marijuana (a TRUE gift of the gods!). ON my mother’s side of the family, they are more Liberal. My father’s brother has 3 sons. One is a born-again “Christian”, another is a big pot-smoker, but he’s very brainwashed on other issues. The third is a Gay man, so he’s not Conservative on anything!
This past summer, I visited my uncle, and I got into a discussion with the so-called “Christian”. We got into it, hardcore.
My point is that in cop families, you must have the same conflicts. In fact, if those families don’t have any members as enlightened as yours truly, then the pressure to be a Conservative is even stronger.
@hydrocula: you are an ass. Society has “rules” and it has “laws”. Dont get the two confused. If you want to wear white after Labor Day or were your hat into a Church or want to pick food from your teeth after dinner at a restaurant then go ahead. People are going to look at you and may even comment to you. You’ll get over it little boy.
Then there are laws. Currently it is ILLEGAL (learn the definition of the word) to possess, sell, smoke pot. Once again, you’ll get over this when you grow up. If you dont like it then move to a State that allows it. Respect (another word you need to learn the definition of it seems) the law and the rules of society. You do NOT have to have brown hair, if you want green hair then no one is stopping you but holy shit, dont start speaking like are are ENTITLED to things just because you think it.