Police Groups Furiously Protest Eric Holder's Marijuana Policy Announcement
51 replies, posted
[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/police-eric-holder-marijuana-_n_3846518.html[/url]
[QUOTE]WASHINGTON -- A broad coalition of law enforcement officers who have spent the past three decades waging an increasingly militarized drug war that has failed to reduce drug use doesn't want to give up the fight.
Organizations that include sheriffs, narcotics officers and big-city police chiefs slammed Attorney General Eric Holder in a joint letter Friday, expressing "extreme disappointment" at his announcement that the Department of Justice would allow Colorado and Washington to implement state laws that legalized recreational marijuana for adults.
If there had been doubt about how meaningful Holder's move was, the fury reflected in the police response eliminates it. The role of law enforcement is traditionally understood to be limited to enforcing laws, but police organizations have become increasingly powerful political actors, and lashed out at Holder for not consulting sufficiently before adopting the new policy.
"It is unacceptable that the Department of Justice did not consult our organizations -- whose members will be directly impacted -- for meaningful input ahead of this important decision," the letter reads. "Our organizations were given notice just thirty minutes before the official announcement was made public and were not given the adequate forum ahead of time to express our concerns with the Department’s conclusion on this matter. Simply 'checking the box' by alerting law enforcement officials right before a decision is announced is not enough and certainly does not show an understanding of the value the Federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partnerships bring to the Department of Justice and the public safety discussion."
The missive was signed by the Major County Sheriffs’ Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association,
the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Narcotic Officers Associations’ Coalition, the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association and the Police Executive Research Forum.
Law enforcement, the police groups said, "becomes infinitely harder for our front-line men and women given the Department’s position."
The Justice Department declined to respond.
Local law enforcement agencies rely heavily on the drug war for funding. Police departments are often able to keep a large portion of the assets they seize during drug raids, even if charges are never brought. And federal grants for drug war operations make up a sizable portion of local law enforcement funding.
The letter warns that marijuana can cause suicidal thoughts, impairs driving and is a "gateway drug." The missive does not, however, address the failure of law enforcement generally to reduce drug use, even while tripling the number of people behind bars. Instead, the police warn that liberalizing pot laws will lead to an increase in crime.
"The decision will undoubtedly have grave unintended consequences, including a reversal of the declining crime rates that we as law enforcement practitioners have spent more than a decade maintaining," the officers write.
Worse, they warn, more states are likely to follow Washington and Colorado.
"The failure of the Department of Justice to challenge state policies that clearly contradict Federal law is both unacceptable and unprecedented. The failure of the Federal government to act in this matter is an open invitation to other states to legalize marijuana in defiance of federal law," they write.[/QUOTE]
Those poor oppressed police officers. Whatever will they do without their overfunding,private prison profits,and asses seizures from the low hanging fruit that are cannabis users.
Somebody think of them!
I've never called anyone this before, but: what a bunch of crybabies.
[quote]Law enforcement, the police groups said, "becomes infinitely harder for our front-line men and women given the Department’s position."[/quote]
"How are we supposed to arrest marijuana users if it's not illegal to use marijuana!? I mean, what else are police supposed to do?"
[quote]The decision will undoubtedly have grave unintended consequences, including a reversal of the declining crime rates that we as law enforcement practitioners have spent more than a decade maintaining," the officers write.[/quote]
Hey, morons: if it becomes legal, then [I]people using it more doesn't affect the crime rate[/I].
Yay corruption and only caring about the money!
Let's hope they fail. It's like a miniaturized war economy based on the prohibition of cannabis alone.
America is doomed, first it was the gays, now its weed, RIP.
A trillion dollars.
Let's let that sink in folks.
A trillion dollars is what has been spent on the drug war since it first started. Miniaturized economy? it's full scale.
How about we keep focusing on hard drugs and the Cartel instead of potheads?
It's a real shame when all those violent, hyperactive stoners are allowed to indulge in their disgusting foibles.
[sp]/sarcasm[/sp]
I feel bad for the police. Now they'll need to find reasons to arrest minorities instead of saying they can smell pot
I hope Holder knows better than to buy that BS, if he does then this is just amusing
but then again, it's not likely the head of the DoJ is gonna make a sweeping decision then go back on it so quickly
[editline]1st September 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Zeke129;42047282]I feel bad for the police. Now they'll need to find reasons to arrest minorities instead of saying they can smell pot[/QUOTE]
Just sayin, the last time i was in a police stop with 3 people, they went after the black kid first.
However there was weed in the car (they didn't find it)
[quote=article yo]Law enforcement, the police groups said, "becomes infinitely harder for our front-line men and women given the Department’s position."[/quote]
oh lawd, think of the poor policemen not being able to freely profile or persecute anymore!
Awww, poor police officers, better call the waaambulance.
Throwing people in jail for nonviolent offenses is NOT A JOBS PROGRAM.
[quote]Local law enforcement agencies rely heavily on the drug war for funding. Police departments are often able to keep a large portion of the assets they seize during drug raids, even if charges are never brought. And federal grants for drug war operations make up a sizable portion of local law enforcement funding.[/quote]
There's something to be said about police departments relying on drugs to make money.
Wow, I didn't think Huffington Post was this ridiculously partisan on these issues. They completely glossed over [I]why[/I] police agencies feel that it's a bad move, beyond the speculative cheap shot at funding. Any citations on that claim that police forces get most of their funding from drug raids? No? Didn't think so.
Having different laws regarding legality of possession between states is a huge problem for federal agencies. If it's illegal in one state, they have to pursue people who sell in that state. But if the same people are selling in a state where it's legal, now they have to try to pursue them as criminals in one state without infringing on anyone else's rights in another state. Inconsistent enforcement of federal law is a serious legal problem. It's also especially a problem when states directly contradict federal law- last time that was an issue was during the civil rights movement, and as you may recall the states got crushed and were forced to implement federal law. A reversal on that stance is not a good thing, no matter what the issue is. Federal law is supposed to supercede state.
I firmly, 100% believe that marijuana should be fully legalized, but this is an awfully-written article and whoever wrote it should feel bad for their utter lack of journalistic integrity.
[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;42047345]There's something to be said about police departments relying on drugs to make money.[/QUOTE]
That they get shit funding?
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;42047137]A trillion dollars.
Let's let that sink in folks.
A trillion dollars is what has been spent on the drug war since it first started. Miniaturized economy? it's full scale.[/QUOTE]Hey congress....you wanna cut the national debt? I can tell you where we should start. :v:
[QUOTE=catbarf;42047347]Wow, I didn't think Huffington Post was this ridiculously partisan on these issues. They completely glossed over [I]why[/I] police agencies feel that it's a bad move, beyond the speculative cheap shot at funding. Any citations on that claim that police forces get most of their funding from drug raids? No? Didn't think so.
Having different laws regarding legality of possession between states is a huge problem for federal agencies. If it's illegal in one state, they have to pursue people who sell in that state. But if the same people are selling in a state where it's legal, now they have to try to pursue them as criminals in one state without infringing on anyone else's rights in another state. Inconsistent enforcement of federal law is a serious legal problem. It's also especially a problem when states directly contradict federal law- last time that was an issue was during the civil rights movement, and as you may recall the states got crushed and were forced to implement federal law. A reversal on that stance is not a good thing, no matter what the issue is. Federal law is supposed to supercede state.
I firmly, 100% believe that marijuana should be fully legalized, but this is an awfully-written article and whoever wrote it should feel bad for their utter lack of journalistic integrity.[/QUOTE]
[quote]The letter warns that marijuana can cause suicidal thoughts, impairs driving and is a "gateway drug." [B]The missive does not, however, address the failure of law enforcement generally to reduce drug use, even while tripling the number of people behind bars.[/B] Instead, the police warn that liberalizing pot laws will lead to an increase in crime.[/quote]
Also the fact that they are lying out their ass because without small-time drug users to bust all they're gonna have to is traffic stops with the occasional domestic disturbance, burglary or vandalism etc
Fuckers better not ruin this. We're finally starting to turn the tide, they better not mess it up.
Oh no! My arrest rates!
[quote]the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)released a report showing that
marijuana is the most common drug found in the systems of individuals arrested for criminal
activity.[/quote]
hahaha, what a solid argument these people are making
^^ Well, since THC can stay in the system up to 30 days while most other drugs such as alcohol are mostly gone after 48 hours I would not be surprised that those are facts. But correlation = not causation.
The war on drugs which cost us trillions and help make cartels profit alot more is the dumbest shit i ever heard of. Also trillions spent to keep nonviolent drug users in prison?
I hate to be that guy but seriously just legalize it and regulate it. It would be a HUGE blow to mexican cartels. Then all mexico has to worry about is the human trafficking problem.
If the very people you want to take down wants drugs to stay illegal for profit than why the fuck would you think making it more strict help you in anyway.
police just keep proving again and again they don't know anything about actually treating the problem of drug-related crime or anything like that. they know how to arrest people, kill people and lock people up. that's about it.
Going against the tide in this thread, Holders position is fucking idiotic and police have a right to pissed. He has authority over the very agencies which are actively combating illegal drug use, using resources and risking lives, but when a state legalizes those very drugs nothing is done. I am all for legalization bi there is a right way and wrong way to do it.
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;42047835]He has authority over the very agencies which are actively combating illegal drug use, using resources and risking lives, [B]but when a state legalizes those very drugs nothing is done.[/B][/QUOTE]
I really don't see a problem here.
They're essentially luddites, putting themselves before advancement.
[QUOTE=catbarf;42047347]Having different laws regarding legality of possession between states is a huge problem for federal agencies.[/QUOTE]
Too bad for them. The federal government failed to take action on a so obviously clear-cut issue, so the state governments need to undercut them to actually do the intelligent thing.
[QUOTE=hypno-toad;42047893]I really don't see a problem here.[/QUOTE]
Your the head of an agency actively putting people at risk and in jail for an offense which you choose not to enforce if a state does not want too, even though it is still illegal regardless.
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;42047985]Your the head of an agency actively putting people at risk and in jail for an offense which you choose not to enforce if a state does not want too, even though it is still illegal regardless.[/QUOTE]
Is there something wrong with choosing not to enforce unjust laws?
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;42047985]Your the head of an agency actively putting people at risk and in jail for an offense which you choose not to enforce if a state does not want too, even though it is still illegal regardless.[/QUOTE]
Your post makes absolute 0% sense
[QUOTE=SgtCr4zyGunz;42047991]Is there something wrong with choosing not to enforce unjust laws?[/QUOTE]
It's wrong to tell people to risk their lives and the lives of others to enforce those laws and then not support those laws when challenged on them.
[editline]1st September 2013[/editline]
Take a stand against those laws, don't be passive about enforcing them.
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;42048033]It's wrong to tell people to risk their lives and the lives of others to enforce those laws and then not support those laws when challenged on them.
[editline]1st September 2013[/editline]
Take a stand against those laws, don't be passive about enforcing them.[/QUOTE]
Weed is para-legal/illegal in Canada and the remaining laws are rarely enforced. Most police don't care and it's a system that works perfectly fine for everybody.
Please point me to the statistics that society will collapse when ridiculous drug laws are not enforced. Believe it or not, most people are capable of using their own discretion. But I guess if people believed that was the case, then drugs would be legal already and we wouldn't be in this gigantic fucking drugwar mess.
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