Law enforcement was designed to protect our communities, but marijuana prohibition—and the drug war as a whole—has become an overbearing distraction towards the maintaining of public safety. Prohibition contributes to an overall decrease in public safety and misuse of valuable resources. Here’s why law enforcement across the country and around the world are pushing for marijuana legalization:
1. MARIJUANA PROHIBITION FUNDS CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS
Criminalizing a high-demand commodity only creates an illegal marketplace that generates wealth for individuals seeking to profit. If legalized, marijuana would create a legal marketplace and diminish illegal operations. Marijuana is often called the “cash crop” by Mexican cartels, and legalizing medical marijuana access and recreational access in only a few states has already begun to weaken their cash flow. Nationwide marijuana legalization would devastate the enormous and lethal underground networks brought about by prohibition.
2. MARIJUANA PROHIBITION OVERBURDENS THE LEGAL SYSTEM
Minor marijuana possession or consumption arrests wastes time and resources at every step of the legal process. Arresting officers must file paperwork, possibly make a court appearance–all of which account for time and money that could be spent on catching and arresting people posing a danger to others, such as murders, rapists, con artists, terrorists, etc. Law enforcement used to solve 90 percent of murder cases, but now only 64 percent get solved. Furthermore, only 40 percent of rape cases are solved and there are an estimated 400,000 unprocessed rape kits-containing crucial evidence to prosecute dangerous criminals-sitting in storage across the U.S.
3. MARIJUANA PROHIBITION IS DETRIMENTAL TO PUBLIC HEALTH
People in need of medical help should never have to forego treatment for fear of being arrested or be considered a criminal for using medicine that helps them. Arresting elderly, sick and disabled individuals for deciding to use marijuana instead of prescription drugs is unethical and a waste of time. Law enforcement should be catching criminals that are a risk to society.
4. MARIJUANA PROHIBITION ENDANGERS CHILDREN
In much of the U.S., marijuana access is unlimited, unregulated and uncontrolled because it is prohibited. Yet it’s still being sold. Americans need to ask themselves: Who do we want in charge of those sales, “licensed and regulated businesses or illegal cartels?” Furthermore, unregulated marijuana often contains toxins or is laced with dangerous substances. Put simply, cartels don’t care about the age of their customers. Legalizing and regulating marijuana by selling it in childproof containers is one of the best ways to keep children safe.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2015.
This obvious, common sense, factual approach has long been ignored in favor of misinformation and paranoia about all things cannabis. Some in law enforcement recognize the stupidity of marijuana prohibition, but resistance is still strong, and giving up this fundamental source of funding and federal support for police departments will not be easy, but it can and must be done.
Political pressure is growing to reclassify or remove marijuana from the DEA’s drug schedule as real world experiments with legalization are proving the official stance to be irrational. When reclassification happens, Federal marijuana prohibition is over.
If we take a look at one of the biggest of issues legalizing Marijuana that get little recognition is insurance. While insurance has an interest in every aspect of the change in marijuana laws. From Driving, Workers Comp, Disability, FDIC, Farm & Crop, Unemployment, Performance Bonds, just a few on the liability side. Just think If Cannabis was a treatment for Diabetes and all the related complications associated with it. With loss of work and cost of medical for Diabetes costs 120 billion a year that’s billion. If we could save just 1/4 of that 30 billion and channel that into a new understanding of the plant. This is just one aspect of medical possibilities.
However Insurance lends monies to the federal reserve which intern lends it to banks which lend and disperse it to the public. With insurance basically holding title to just about every loan the tidal wave of economic rechanneling must be considered and approached in AZFMR approach. Just think if we lesser the people going to prison the insurance company holding a loan on the facility just lost value because of empty beds. It’s the same idea as why would a Garbage refuse company want to recycle. In doing so the hole in the ground that is able to take garbage is worth less because less garbage going in that was figured. and now the value of their asset is worth less and the stock losses.
This IMHO this is the attraction to the conservative voter that MPP has stability I believe this is how they are going to approach it and sell it at election time. It’s time to look at this economically too we cant afford to lose this to MPP’s people
When 50% of all law enforcement owes their job to marijuana being illegal. It is plain and simple a job security issue to the cops. Legalize it and put them to work actually enforcing really dangerous criminals. If they can now only solve 64% of murders, when not long ago it was 90% proof showing what a drag on real priorities are overlooked.
Stability means the same as before just a different name. Less burden on the Government, more burden on the user, sick , mentally challenges physically impaired.
Dispensaries will be under no responsibility for testing standards, Medical training or use of in a medical treatment. All the dispensaries want is to sell pot and collect taxes and ring the bell for victory. but for whom do the bells toll ?
Huh, what? Dispensaries are regulated. That’s one of the main benefits of legalization. You get a regulated product instead of something that you have no idea where it came from, strength, pesticides, etc.
Dispensaries really Regulated by what standard ? by what RULE? do you see product testing on all product or just a list from Leafy. You see a guy pull some product out of a jar put it into a bowl weigh it. Ask to see the test result they point to strain on a web page some where. Yea regulated HUH
You know it is history re-birthed all over again. The Boston Tea party was about a tax on opium laced teas from the orient. While Alchemy was the standard of the day and these teas relieved all sorts of ailment that people were walking around with in the 1700’s. Can you imagine the amount of suffrage ailments that people endured so they became unwitting addicts. The king in response to outcry from the Americans stopped all taxes but those on tea ? Yea really just the sole tax on tea can you believe it. The king wanted to build a whole powerful colony on tea tax alone.
So strung out addicts who needed the tea for those sick and the addicts dressed up like Indians. Economic down turns Kings commitments to it’s subjects all added to the cost and when they couldn’t afford it. We all know the rest of the story. What MPP’s legislation is to build a Sheriff of Nottingham called the Department of Marijuana. This new Arpaio clone has his herd to go to nurseries and watch the fertilizers being sold the plant supporting products lighting companies to see what they sell. laboratories that do not have a standard’s now they will write one with no oversight. YEA THIS HAS SHIT WRITTEN ALL OVER IT AND THOSE THAT SUPPORT IT MPP’s proposal unfortunately will be pushed aside by corporate interests and that will be the menu. It’s your sandwich you made your going to eat it