Legalize Marijuana?

MoFarmBoy, Apparently you have never been on the enforcement side of law enforcement and been in the position of facing a bunch of dogs, whether Pit Bulls or not, that are commonly kept by those in the drug trade...or other illegal activities..

Search Warrants are not issued capriciously by judges in this state and the execution of them is one of the more dangerous activities that we encounter... I retired from the Columbia PD and other than one officer killed on a traffic stop a few years ago (2004), the last time an officer was killed in the line of duty in the county was 1934...This is mostly due to the training and procedures that have been refined over the years..

Criminals habitually use aggressive dogs as a first line of defense and warning to protect their illegal activities and we have had numerous officers bitten by them over the last several years...We don't get paid to get hurt....

As Beretta used to say in his television series..."If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."... The same holds true with your adjacent losses of pets and property...If you don't want to lose it...Stay clean...Then you don't have to worry...
 
Originally Posted By: OldTurtleMoFarmBoy, Apparently you have never been on the enforcement side of law enforcement and been in the position of facing a bunch of dogs, whether Pit Bulls or not, that are commonly kept by those in the drug trade...or other illegal activities..

Search Warrants are not issued capriciously by judges in this state and the execution of them is one of the more dangerous activities that we encounter... I retired from the Columbia PD and other than one officer killed on a traffic stop a few years ago (2004), the last time an officer was killed in the line of duty in the county was 1934...This is mostly due to the training and procedures that have been refined over the years..

Criminals habitually use aggressive dogs as a first line of defense and warning to protect their illegal activities and we have had numerous officers bitten by them over the last several years...We don't get paid to get hurt....

As Beretta used to say in his television series..."If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."... The same holds true with your adjacent losses of pets and property...If you don't want to lose it...Stay clean...Then you don't have to worry...


OT, I'm glad to get your opinion on this. I thought you might give some insight. No, I haven't been on the enforcement side of the law. While I agree that if the guy had drugs it was wrong, and he had it coming, I can't help but wonder in this case if they had knocked on the door in the early evening to talk to him if things might not have gone much differently. I understand that LEOs don't always know what situation might arise and therefore have to take extreme caution, but this seems way overkill for a few ounces of pot. I doubt the corgi posed much of a threat to a guy in body armour. That little boy will remember that for the rest of his life.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what LEOs do. They are put in harm's way and have to protect themselves. I lived in Columbia at the time that young officer was killed and worked with one of her good friends. That was a shame.

As a country we have bigger problems than to spend the time and resources chasing someone with a little pot. In my mind there are harder drugs out there that may warrant such action from police. Drunk driving gets way more people hurt. Illegal immigration is another issue we've got to face.
 
From my personal experience with the department and the judicial system in Boone County.. They very seldom issue search warrants for 'a few ounces of pot'...Usually, it is for a substantial supplier that has been the subject of numerous undercover buys..

I retired in 1991 and the previous year, I made arrests on 18 warrants, mostly for LSD and Cocaine following an 18 month investigation period,,All of them during the daytime and with a knock on the door with one back up officer...None of them were what you would normally call highly dangerous individuals..

The Tactical Unit was only called out and assembled on the 'bigger fish' in the drug pond....and those that were reported to have substantial forms of protection on the premises..

I honestly doubt that the YouTube presentation was due to a minor situation...The fact that dogs were killed is unfortuante, especially with the children in the house, but on the flip side, if the suspects were really concerned, they would have been conducting their activities away from their assets, rather than depending on them for some form of a shield....

Columbia is "blessed" with having the Journalism School there and there is always some student reporter looking for some story that allows them to sensationalize a situation for a better grade...
 
Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results".

That’s a pretty apt description of the war on drugs that’s been fought by local, state and federal law enforcement over the past several decades.

We’ve spent billions or maybe even more to stem the flow of marijuana into this country and to eradicate it when it’s grown here, and what is there to show for it?

Sometimes I wonder if one of the stumbling blocks to legalization isn’t the amount of money and government jobs that would be lost if “weed” was legalized.
 
To me, it seems that if one actually wanted to stop drugs dealing or other crimes like DWI the sentence would be longer. DWI should be loss of license for 15 years on the first offence unstead of third offence. If you get caught dealing drugs, there shouldn't be a slap on the wrist. I know it wouldn't deter everyone, but if the sentence does not deter people, it is worthless. I witness a drug court case where the person was caught smoking weed in his business. He got a $100 fine.....Big deal!!! What kind of punishment is that? Maybe jail time isn't the answer. Make it a monetary punishment and make it harsh. If the fine was $10,000, then I bet he wouldn't have done it. The arguement I am making is not whether it should or shouldn't be legal. It is if it is illegal to do something, make the punishment a deterent not just another expense.
 
Originally Posted By: Rugershooter Maybe jail time isn't the answer. Make it a monetary punishment and make it harsh. If the fine was $10,000, then I bet he wouldn't have done it. The arguement I am making is not whether it should or shouldn't be legal. It is if it is illegal to do something, make the punishment a deterent not just another expense.


Good point, jails shouldn't be full of pot smokers.

Kinda like fireworks here. It was a 30.00 fine, big deal. Now it's 1500.00 and 30 days in jail which is to bad but it does matter.
 
Quote:Make it a monetary punishment and make it harsh.

So a rich guy walks and a working guy has to sell everything he has, eh?
You really think that's the correct solution?


There's a lot of folks posting on this thread that make me wonder about the future.

Sometimes you just have to realize the "cure" is a lot worse for society than the "disease".
 
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In 1993, I listened to the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court tell a group @ a Probation Conference that there would never be enough money to incarcerate all the people who really need it. A lot about criminal justice administration at all levels has to do with funding.
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After many years of experience working against drug use, my observation is that the serious problems with drugs can only grow much worse if it is legal.
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People with good sense try to keep their families and friends from getting into a habit which has such a tremendous down side and penalties.
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Everyone has to make their choice on what side of the line to stand on. It's a free country.
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But they have to pay the price when they don't 'stay in their lane'!
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Good hunting!
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I have'nt read all the post but i'd like to put in my 2 cent's.
I have never done a drug in my life including smoking pot unless I had a prescription for it because of a injury and even then i ended up throwing more pill's away then I took.

I would'nt care if pot was legal. Pot is a plant just like tobacco. Tobacco kill's more people then pot has so why is'nt tobacco illegal? Why is'nt corn and green bean's illegal etc. Yes pot can alter one's mind but so can beer so let's make beer illegal also. Boy would'nt that cause a fuss. But I could care less about pot or any other drug. I'm just sayin it don't matter to me either way.
 
Quote:We’ve spent billions or maybe even more to stem the flow of marijuana into this country and to eradicate it when it’s grown here, and what is there to show for it?
I will agree with your whole heartedly as to spending money and not really accomplishing much regarding the "war on drugs" over the years...

Let's consider the positive effect it those billions had been spent on securing our borders and ports and dealing effectively with entities that were in the process of violating our laws by bringing the stuff into the country...not only would we have cut down the amount of drugs coming in, but terrorist activities and illegal immigrants as well...

I acknowledge that part of our problem exists due to some leftist attitude that developed in the '60s with the promotion of LSD and similar drugs that were developed in this country, but those could have been easily dealt with, had we not been so busy worrying about the amount of heroin coming in from Europe and Mexico..

While many may not agree with the method, I watched a video back in the '70s where in Iran, an under cover officer made a drug buy from one of their citizens and then pulled a handgun and shot the offender right there, killing him..and this was over a small amount of stuff...
 
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You are right about that! A Judge in Phoenix used to have his supply of marijuana delivered to his front door until his supplier was arrested and rolled over on him. The Judge lost his Bar Association Membership and began being a ski instructor at a resort.
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Another man who works for Maricopa County had an entire refrigerator filled with marijuana he purchased in California until I found out about his stash, how much it was, and where it was and called drughotline@mcso.maricopa.gov and in a couple of hours Sheriff Joes finest were on his front porch down in Mesa requesting a 'consent search', which the individual declined wisely.
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Over night, he took the entire stash to places unknown and destroyed it all.
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Yes, there are a lot of people who know better who use and store if for others but they don't get away with it all the time.
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Remember: call................. drughotline@mcso.maricopa.gov !

Good hunting!
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If you decide to leave the "dark side" and come over to the bright side, you can call ... drughotline@mcso.maricopa.gov ...or try.. chiefmartinez@townofkearny.gov
and they will put you in contact with the 'right' people no matter what Jurisdiction you are in or where the crime/drug offense is happening.
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Time's a wasting! If you snooze you lose!
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Good hunting!
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I'll have to admit I am completely prejudiced against drugs due to my lengthy military history, law enforcement work, and the toll drugs have taken on both of my brothers.

In the military services if you come up with one dirty urine or blood test, you are gone forever! No second chances.
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Suggests how serious the authorities take drug use and abuse.

People who personally know fellow Officers who were shot dead by career criminals who were under the influence of
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drugs don't need persuading about the problems and costs illegal drugs create.

Being neutral on a matter so vital as illegal drug use is probably not the path of wisdom.
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To report drug crimes contact....... drughotline@mcso.maricopa.gov
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It's never to late to make the right choice!
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We hear many doomsday predictions of what would happen if we legalized it.

We have already more or less legalized it (decriminalized) it now in several states, and those predictions have NOT come to pass.

I don't use illegal drugs (other than Cuban cigars) so it doesn't matter to me one way or another. Well, except for the unbelievable amount of (my) tax money that's spent with no discernible result, and the violent criminals involved in the distribution and sales because it's illegal.

I'd vote to legalize it.
 
reminds me of how the anti's had all these dire predictions when it came to legally carrying guns. Somehow, that hasn't worked out as predicted either.
 
Because Prohibition worked so well the first time, we felt we should try it again. Same result.

And no, I don't use, buy, sell drugs.
Or snitch out people that do, unless they're causing harm to innocent people.
And then, I wouldn't involve the cops, since 10% of them are in on it.

I'd much rather hang around with a pot head than the average cop (though there are many cops that are outstanding).

They just aren't in the SWAT and drug "war" part of the system. Those aren't cops, they're brownshirts.
 
Originally Posted By: Evil_Lurker Quote:Make it a monetary punishment and make it harsh.

So a rich guy walks and a working guy has to sell everything he has, eh?
You really think that's the correct solution?


There's a lot of folks posting on this thread that make me wonder about the future.

Sometimes you just have to realize the "cure" is a lot worse for society than the "disease".

Then make it a % of income, if this would make you happy. The point is to make the punishment hurt, not a slap on the wrist. This is why we have illegal immagration. There isn't a punishment for a company to hire illegals. Just a slap on the wrist. Even after paying a fine(if there is one) they are still money ahead.

No matter what the crime is, make the punishment matter. Otherwise just forget it and make it legal.

Look at the point that is trying to be made. I have read a lot of your posts. You are a smart individual. What happened on this one?
 
I have a solution for people who chose to break the law.Instead of giving them a slap on the wrist and turnin them back out onto the street to sale more dope to kids or whatever the case may be,they need to start castrating people like that.Because I think most people will agree that turning felons back out into society does'nt do any good because more than likely they'll be repeat offenders.And I think any guy here could back me up on this when I say that there aint enough money in the world worth that type of punishment.So I think that would sure put a stop to alot of the junk that goes on this country that should'nt be goin on at all.But thats just my opinion.I know thats never gonna happen for whatever reason but its just a thought.
 
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