Living Freedom has a link (via Radley Balko) to a Republic Report news story about the headlined subject. In essence, it’s about police union lobbyists stonewalling attempts at decriminalization and legalization, because keeping it criminal brings the police more ‘work’ and bigger budgets.
To quote from the article:
Of course, police unions aren’t the only interest group with a stake in maintaining broken drug laws. The beer industry, alcohol corporations, and prison guard unions also contributed money to help Lovell stop Prop 19. Howard Wooldridge, a retired police officer who now helps push for legalization as a citizen advocate, told Republic Report that drug company lobbyists also fight to keep marijuana illegal because they view pot as a low-cost form of competition.
Shade of revenuers and Eliot Ness.
h/t Claire Wolfe, Radley Balko, Lee Fang
Pot is one of those things I am of two minds about. One is that the story of the criminalization of pot involves a great deal of nonsense and politics and things that shouldn’t have come into play and if alcohol and tobacco are legal then why not pot? The other is do we need one more thing around to make people stupid? And I know from a pot head boyfriend years ago that driving while stoned is just as bad as driving while buzzed.
And then there’s the fact that my experiments with it when I was way younger proved that it does absolutely nothing for me but make me cough. And is the ruination of perfectly good brownies.
Posted by ProudHillbilly | March 10, 2012, 8:12 amI pretty much figure it’s ubiquitous, anyway, that those abusing it and driving are already doing so. So why not make it legal and empty the prisons-except for violent offenders and sellers to children. Save some tax money.
Posted by guffaw1952 | March 10, 2012, 8:17 amThe “War on Drugs” is like so many programs/ideas that start out with noble intentions and end up worse than the original program.
Posted by Frank White | March 10, 2012, 8:15 amSo true!
Posted by guffaw1952 | March 10, 2012, 8:19 amI’d be more comfortable with it if there was a equivalent “breathalyzer” roadside test for pot users who drive. Penalize those who drive stoned as we sometimes do with drunk drivers.
Otherwise, yeah, let those who want to partake have at it.
Just don’t ask me to clean up their self induced messes afterwards.
Posted by Tango Juliet | March 10, 2012, 9:31 amUnderstood. I used to know of a Deputy who had an allergy to THC. Traffic stop – smoke exposure – breakout – arrest.
Easy peasee!
Posted by guffaw1952 | March 10, 2012, 9:35 am