Calif. police reluctant to set pot rules
By Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee
In 2010, as Colorado lawmakers were creating America’s first state-licensed and regulated medical marijuana industry, fellow police officers at a Colorado Drug Investigators Association conference jeered a state law enforcement official assigned to draft the legislation.
Some of the sharpest barbs came from visiting narcotics officers from California. While Colorado moved forward with pot industry oversight, the narcotics officers who berated Cook were right – at least about California, where trying to regulate America’s largest marijuana economy has become a perennial political loser. A key factor has been intense law enforcement opposition itself.
In California, police have forcefully opposed any legislation seen as legitimizing a marijuana industry. Their opposition reflects a belief by many police officers that medical marijuana businesses are profiteering shams that were never authorized by California voters.
Training seminars offered for police by the California Narcotic Officers’ Association suggest there is no such thing as medical marijuana and that state voters were hoodwinked into approving its use so people could legally get stoned.
Smoking marijuana isn’t like the movie Cheech and Chong. In real life, people relax, it brings about a different perspective in life, for some it creates better focus. In many cases, it does have medicinal value and is helping everyone from children facing cancer, seizures and more. Not only can marijuana be positive for the spirit, it is as well a positive for physical ailments. Don’t take me wrong, to do anything the wrong way is never a good thing. To smoke marijuana is and can cause unforeseen health problems, pursue your health first and foremost. Whatever you do in life, do it to better yourself not to create problems. Be responsible in all you do, be slow to judge what you don’t know until you take the time to first do, research and make an educated decision. What’s right for you might not be right for someone else.
Kathy, ingest it through edibles and any minute health risks from smoking it are alleviated.
I sure hope Colorado and Washington don’t have to lay off any cops, prison guards, prosecutors, drug testing technicians, drug counselors, probation officers, court clerks, judges, or public defenders because of this reckless legislation.
Remember when California law enforcement was on the cutting edge rather than lagging behind social progress:
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Hey Sunriser2…. No layoffs or force reductions required. Now, they can concentrate on the real criminals Eh?