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Can More Arrests Ever Stop Marijuana?
Since the founding of the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1973, 15 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana.
That is more people than live in California’s 25 largest cities – millions more than live in Ohio, Pennsylvania or Illinois.
The DEA has led an aggressive national law enforcement effort that results in a marijuana arrest every 38 seconds, propelling the U.S. to become the biggest incarcerator on the planet, housing one out of four of the world’s prisoners. Despite mass arrests, incarceration and the tearing apart of millions of families, the war rages on with no end in sight.
Since the DEA’s founding, approximately 90% of youth have described marijuana as easy to get in annual federal surveys. It is easier for young Americans to buy marijuana than it is to buy alcohol or prescription drugs which are legally regulated and controlled.
Is there any reason to think that millions more arrests – with costs running into the billions – will win the marijuana war?
Last week every former U.S. DEA head came out against Proposition 19 which would end possession arrests and allow local jurisdictions in California to make marijuana legal. No surprise that drug enforcement bureaucrats want to defend their marijuana enforcement budgets. They even oppose medical marijuana for people suffering and dying. But, more important for the voter, this is an opportunity to look at the big picture. Voters should ask themselves:
Has the marijuana war, with more than 800,000 arrests each year, worked?
Will more arrests stop marijuana?
If not, isn’t it time to consider alternatives that could better control marijuana?
Thankfully, the DEA is not the only law enforcement voice. Recently the National Black Police Association came out in support of Prop. 19http://elections.firedoglake.com/2010/08/19/prop-19-national-black-police-association-endorses-marijuana-legalization/, following a slew of endorsements from unions, faith leaders and the NAACP. On Monday, simultaneous press conferences will be held at Oakland City Hall and in West Hollywood Park to announce a letter of endorsement signed by dozens of law enforcers across California.
Joseph McNamara, former police chief in San Jose, CA and Kansas City, MO, an active member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, describes the marijuana laws as much worse than ineffective: “they waste valuable police resources and also create a lucrative black market that funds cartels and criminal gangs with billions of tax-free dollars." Federal researchers find marijuana to be safer than many legal drugs, so why waste precious law enforcement resources on it?
These officers, judges and prosecutors support Proposition 19 because it:
• Stops wasting police on non-violent marijuana offenders and enables them to focus on preventing violent crime,
• Cuts off funding to violent gangs and drug cartels,
• Reduces marijuana access to children by instituting strict age-limits
and public safety controls,
• Protects the lives of police officers now at risk in the "drug war," and
• Restores mutual respect and good relations between law enforcement and
communities bearing the brunt of the current marijuana laws.
These police views are shared by the California Legislative Analyst which says Prop 19 would enable California to put our police priorities where they belong saying it "could result in savings to the state and local governments by reducing the number of marijuana offenders incarcerated in state prisons and county jails, as well as the number placed under county probation or state parole supervision. These savings could reach several tens of millions of dollars annually. The county jail savings would be offset to the extent that jail beds no longer needed for marijuana offenders were used for other criminals who are now being released early because of a lack of jail space."
Proposition 19 is a cautious reform that keeps in mind public safety. It empowers local jurisdictions to decide whether to bring adult use of marijuana within the law and how to regulate it. It maintains strict criminal penalties for driving under the influence, increases the penalty for providing marijuana to a minor, expressly prohibits consumption in public, forbids smoking while minors are present, and bans possession on school grounds.
In addition to being good policy that sets common sense police priorities and regulates marijuana so it is more difficult for children to get, it will generate $1.4 billion in tax revenue each year according to California’s tax collector, the Board of Equalization.
California voters should thank the federal drug enforcement bureaucrats for showing that – despite their best efforts over nearly four decades – the marijuana war cannot be won and it is time for voters to do what politicians refuse to do: tax and control marijuana.
Kevin Zeese is president of Common Sense for Drug Policy and executive director of Prosperity Agenda.
10 Comments
Prohibitionists are a slippery bunch. They’ll claim cannabis potency is too high. Yet, prior to the ban in 1937, cannabis extracts of 40% potency were successfully used in 50% of American medicines to treat over 100 illnesses. Plus, Marinol is an FDA approved med made of 100% pure THC. Yet, not one user ever died from cannabis overdose. Unfortunately most people can’t afford Marinol & it’s not balanced with CBD as is the natural plant. It’s hard to hold down a pill when one is nauseated. But, the point is cannabis potency is a red herring. Here’s a great research article from the US Govt that just came out proving cannabis helps schizophrenics. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20660494 Just the opposite of what we’ve been told, as usual. Here’s an excellent article by a very knowledgeable psychiatrist from Amsterdam who blast the Drug Czar’s lies. http://mensnewsdaily.com/2010/09/03/prop-19-amsterdam-psychiatrist-blasts-us-drug-czars-for-distortions-fear-mongering/ Then we have research that shows THC cuts lung cancers (and inoperable/incurable gliomas) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm On & on the scam goes. It’s time to regulate the sale of cannabis to adults 21 & over via legalization. Just like we do with alcohol & tobacco.
Prohibition is the ‘Gateway Policy’ that forces cannabis seekers to buy from criminals who gladly expose them to hardcore drugs. Licensed merchants card for age when selling the legal recreational drugs, alcohol & tobacco. Licensed merchants won’t expose buyers to heroin, either. Regulate the sale of cannabis to adults 21 & over via legalization & minors will have a harder time getting cannabis. Criminals can’t compete with licensed farmers & merchants. This will greatly reduce drug gang profits. Prohibition has made cannabis such a popular substance it would be hard to increase it’s use via legalization. Will you use cannabis once it’s legal? Neither will I.
Prohibition makes it desirable for criminals to increase THC potency to transport less cannabis for the same profit. Just like bootleggers switched from beer to hard liquor for ease of shipping. The more potent the pot, the less is used to get the same result. Yet, prohibitionists are unhappy with high potency pot because it actually decreases the amount of pot used. There’s no pleasing some people. As a side bar, The AMA protested the ban on cannabis in 1937. Yet, a member of the US Congressional Commission lied to the Congress prior to it’s vote to ban cannabis & said, “the AMA is in full agreement with us in banning cannabis”. Read the history of cannabis prohibition. Lies upon lies, upon lies & backed up with scare tactics propaganda. Prohibition turned cannabis into a crime generating problem that didn’t exist until they made it a problem. Only regulation via legalization will reduce the problem they made.
This article written by Kevin reads like a Nigerian scam.
“Proposition 19 is a cautious reform that keeps in mind public safety.”
Do you think people are THAT stupid? Only the dopes are that stupid.
~~~ModNote: If you take issue with the diary, state it plainly without the ad hominem, please.~~~
Marijuana causes short-term memory loss. It is evident if a person is marijuana user because there is an increase in mistakes. For example, it is highly suspicious for YOUNG workers to have short-term memory problems like they are senile.
If you encounter a cashier, server or waiter/waitress who are doing the following, then it is evident that they are pot users.
1. Forgetting the orders such as what exactly was ordered.
2. Giving the order to the wrong customers.
3. Giving the bill to the wrong customers.
4. Forgetting to enter the order into the system, so the cooks can prepare the order.
5. Asking the same questions again and again even though the question was already answered.
This is happening right now. Very young workers with short-term memory problems because they are habitual pot users. Therefore, marijuana is not safe if the person is impaired by it.
any drug can cause problems if used irresponsibly. People shouldn’t drink & drive. Even smoking a cigarette while driving is a good way to have a car wreck if the lit end gets aways from you. No one who wants to keep their job should show up for work under the influence of anything. Regardless, people are going to use cannabis. It’s all about self responsibility. The question is whether we want a nanny state to squander $1 trillion more taxpayer dollars on the unwinnable war on some drug users. We learned nothing useful from the lesson of trying to prohibit the use of popular drugs, like alcohol. Remember the Volstead Act? Prohibitionists would have us forget that prohibition eventually increases use of the prohibited substance to above pre-prohibition levels. That’s how cannabis prohibition has created demand for the ‘forbidden fruit’. Cannabis use has gone up 5000% since Nixon declared war on drugs. Meaning, over time, prohibition will only increase cannabis use even more than today. It’s about man’s natural tendency to rebel against unjust laws. There’s nothing to rebel against by using cannabis in countries that allow it’s use. That’s why cannabis use has dropped in the Netherlands. It’s now half what we use here in the USA. We can focus on what the price is to use any drug. Or, we can see the big picture & look at what prohibition has gotten us. The regulated sales of cannabis to adults 21 & over has to be preferred to the anarchy we have now. Cannabis is readily available nationwide & we need to face the fact that prohibition is what’s made it that way. Anyone who wants cannabis can readily do so. In fact, prohibition is why minors can get cannabis easier than alcohol. In for a penny, in for a pound. Do you want to give up more & more rights in the name of prohibition? No one’s safe from having a drug planted on you in order to take your nice SUV, home, or anything else you own. How many innocents old ladies & children do we want shot by SWAT raids over cannabis? How many more people should be murdered by the drug gangs? They get 60% of the their profits from cannabis sales (DEA). Remember, not one user has ever died from cannabis overdose. The NIDA says caffeine is more addictive than cannabis. The cure is now far worse than the illness. Here’s the facts in it’s simplest terms. Prohibition = Anarchy, Legalization = Regulation. Most people who don’t use cannabis now won’t rush out to use cannabis once it’s legalized. I know I won’t. Will you?
For more than 60 years the US Government has hired scientists to try to prove that Marijuana impairs motor function of drivers and others. But people accustomed to smoking pot perform better in the tests after smoking than they did before smoking. Ethan Russo, MD, Neurologist and Psychopharmacology Researcher at the U. of Montana’s Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has disproved most Marijuana myths and superstitions related to those you list. He is the world’s top expert on cannabis and health. Another top expert is Dr. Robert Melamede, U. of Colorado of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, former head of the Biology Dept. there. Both have extensive research and writings available to the public.
After over 7 decades of marijuana prohibition the results are in… millions of Americans are going to use marijuana legal or not. It’s time to realize that and put laws on the books that minimize the harms without devastating society and shredding our Constitutional rights and freedoms.
The drug war and drug prohibition are ILLEGAL. When alcohol was prohibited, that required an amendment to the Constitution to be legal. There has been NO AMENDMENT AUTHORIZING FEDERAL DRUG PROHIBITION.
The Constitutional right to freedom of religion, free speech, a free press, to keep and bear arms, to be secure in your person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable search and seizure, to life, liberty and property, to be protected from having your property taken by the government without due process of law and without just compensation, to confront the witnesses against you, to be protected from excessive bail, excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment, to vote and others have been unjustly denied to millions of Americans in the name of the drug war.
All major authorities agree that the vast majority of so called “drug-related” violent crime is caused by the prohibition of drugs, rather than the drugs themselves. This was the same during alcohol prohibition. Alcohol prohibition created a violent criminal organization just like every other drug prohibition has. These violent crimes should be labeled PROHIBITION RELATED, not drug related. Ending alcohol prohibition is exactly why you don’t see shootouts over that drug trade any more.
Who is profiting from marijuana prohibition?… Criminals, gangsters and terrorists, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OUR GOVERNMENT.
Preventing criminals, gangsters and terrorists from being funded by the multi billion dollar annual illegal marijuana trade is a major reason but far from the only sound reasoning supporting regulating rather than prohibiting marijuana.
Look at tobacco. That is the ONLY real success in US history when it comes to significantly reducing drug related death, disease and drug use. According to Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, roughly half of all tobacco users have stopped using that often deadly and highly addictive drug in the last couple of decades. We didn’t prohibit tobacco. We didn’t have a war on tobacco users. This amazing feat was accomplished through HONEST DRUG EDUCATION AND RATIONALLY REGULATING THE LEGAL USE OF TOBACCO. The drug war has NOT reduced use of ANY illegal drug BY 50%, NOT A SINGLE ONE!
The drug war is a hoax, a smokescreen, designed to make everyone think the drug war prohibitionists are doing something good for America and Americans while in fact they are taking away Constitutional rights and freedoms like no other policy in the history of this Country since slavery and CAUSING unnecessary, unproductive harm and waste on an astronomical scale.
Right now we are installing 900 new prison beds and hiring 150 new correction officers every 2 weeks. Here in the “land of the free” for the first time in history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison. The FAILED drug war has done no good and a lot of harm!… especially to our Constitutional rights, freedoms and economy! This policy goes against EVERYTHING this Country was founded on!
Marijuana is not a “gateway” drug; there is absolutely no evidence that using marijuana CAUSES people to use any other drug. In fact the vast majority of marijuana users never use any other illegal drug. Marijuana which accounts for roughly half of all drug arrests, never was a serious threat to society, families, or individuals and it never will be. Because of that bad law being implemented based on lies by a few people that stood to gain financially from marijuana’s prohibition and them intentionally deceiving lawmakers, literally millions of Americans that choose to use that plant for ANY purpose are criminalized needlessly. NO ONE, IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, OF ANY AGE, IN ALL OF RECORDED HISTORY, HAS EVER DIED FROM THE INGREDIENTS IN MARIJUANA. MANY HAVE DIED FROM ITS PROHIBITION.
Marijuana DOES NOT cause dangerous, aggressive or reckless driving. It is well documented that marijuana consumers are aware they are mildly impaired and they tend to slow down and be more cautious.
Google: marijuana driving study
Many big corporations that see marijuana as competition contribute heavily to promoting marijuana prohibition. Alcohol, tobacco, petroleum, cotton, timber, chemical and pharmaceutical companies, just to name a few all see marijuana as unwanted competition and of course the government contributes billions every year to keep their unnecessarily harmful and wasteful, oppressive prohibition cash cow alive and well.
On March 22, 1972 the Richard Nixon-appointed, 13-member National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse recommended the decriminalization of marijuana, concluding, “[Marijuana's] relative potential for harm to the vast majority of individual users and its actual impact on society does not justify a social policy designed to seek out and firmly punish those who use it.”
In 1988, after reviewing all evidence brought forth in a lawsuit against the government’s prohibition of medical marijuana, the DEA’s own administrative law judge (Judge Francis Young) wrote:
IN STRICT MEDICAL TERMS, MARIJUANA IS SAFER THAN MANY FOODS WE COMMONLY CONSUME.”
IT’S FAR PAST TIME FOR THE VOTERS IN THIS COUNTRY TO DEMAND RATIONAL MARIJUANA POLICY BASED IN SCIENCE AND FACTS RATHER THAN REEFER MADNESS AND UNSUBSTANTIATED RIDICULOUS UNTRUTHFUL DRUG WAR PROPAGANDA AND SCARE TACTICS.
If you can show me ANYTHING that the drug war has accomplished when it comes to reducing drug related death, disease, crime and drug use that has significantly improved any drug related area over a long period of time I’d appreciate you telling me what it is.
Because of the inflated prices of illegal drugs CAUSED by prohibition the profits between the point of production and the point of sale can be as much as 17,000%. DRUG PROHIBITION IS A SELF PERPETUATING POLICY THAT DRAWS PEOPLE INTO THE ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE LIKE A MAGNET BECAUSE OF THE ENORMOUS PROFITS DIRECTLY CAUSED BY PROHIBITION. Alcohol prohibition created the same unnecessary, wasteful and harmful problems as every other drug prohibition.
THE YEAR ALCOHOL PROHIBITION ENDED VIOLENT CRIME FELL BY 65%.
Because of drug prohibition, criminals, gangsters and terrorists are effectively put in complete control of the illegal drug trade. They decide which drugs will be sold, what the profit margins will be, how potent the drugs will be, how pure or contaminated the drugs will be, where the drugs will be sold and what age their customers will be. The more dangerous a drug is, the more reason there is to regulate it rather than prohibit it! Drug prohibition and the drug war are colossal failures! Drug war policy has done NOTHING to effectively reduce drug related death, disease, crime or drug use!
WE THE PEOPLE HAVE HAD IT WITH OPPRESSIVE, CONSTITUTION SHREDDING, DRUG WAR POLICY. THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR. AFTER DECADES OF CRIMINALIZING DRUGS AND DRUG USE, PROHIBITION HAS FAILED AND THERE ARE FAR BETTER, LESS EXPENSIVE, LESS HARMFUL METHODS AVAILABLE. IT’S FAR PAST TIME FOR CHANGE OF THIS HARMFUL CRIMINAL DRUG WAR PROHIBITION POLICY.
Google: “WHY IS MARIJUANA ILLEGAL, Pete Guither” and “MARIJUANA AND HEMP THE UNTOLD STORY, Thomas J. Bouril”, or click the links to those articles on the webpage below:
Internet Explorer web browser: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home
With All Other Browsers: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html
The World Health Organization Documents Failure of U.S. Drug Policies http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/90295/
Watch this video: “Irvin Rosenfeld Medical Marijuana Testimony”, then get back to me about what you think of medical marijuana and heavy long term marijuana use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1NggzEkltM
thanks Kevin, rec.
fyi – Andrew Weil had a piece about MMJ at HuffPo over the week end
link
although the post is about MMJ, this guy is influential with the soccer mom/Oprah set – excellent pushback to Feinstein’s – scary MJ, booga booga ! shite
It is amazing how these people just love repression, how the Will of the People means absolutely nothing to them!
Back in 1988 the Administrative Law Judge ruled that Cannabis should be rescheduled from Schedule I Substance, also commenting that “marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man”. The DEA simply refused to comply. And now, after all the scientific evidence that accumulated about Cannabis and its medicinal properties, after the so-called “gateway drug” theory was completely discredited by science, after it was determined that Cannabis is less physically addictive than caffeine, after all this the DEA wants President Obama to kick the free citizens of California in the face and sue them because they’ll have decided to grant people more Civil Liberties through a direct popular vote??? These people are dangerously delusional and impervious to reason!