Rolling Stone: Five Reasons Cops Want to Legalize Marijuana

[pokerfan]

More and more police officers are realizing the War on Drugs is a mistake...

Most people don't think "cops" when they think about who supports marijuana legalization. Police are, after all, the ones cuffing stoners, and law enforcement groups have a long history of lobbying against marijuana policy reform. Many see this as a major factor in preventing the federal government from recognizing that a historic majority of Americans – 52 percent – favors legalizing weed.

But the landscape is changing fast. Today, a growing number of cops are part of America's "marijuana majority." Members of the non-profit group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) say that loosening our pot policy wouldn't necessarily condone drug use, but control it, while helping cops to achieve their ultimate goal of increasing public safety. Here are the five biggest reasons why even cops are starting to say, "Legalize It!"

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/five-reasons-cops-want-to-legalize-marijuana-20130627#ixzz2XS8zJ45v

[Warpy]

1. The cops might be key to the whole thing

If they start turning a blind eye to people with small amounts of the stuff, even if they're smoking or selling it out in the open, then the whole rotten business will start to collapse. If they refuse to enforce the stupid anti pot laws, the rest of us will refuse to obey them and then it won't matter a bit what the Feds do.

[pokerfan]

2. It certainly helps

Reminds me of the All Due Respect speech from The Wire:

"That small, wrinkled-ass paper bag allowed the corner boys to have their drink in peace, and gave us permission to go and do police work, the kind of police work that's actually worth the effort, that's worth actually taking a bullet. There's never been a paper bag for drugs. Until now."

[bvar22]

3. One Reason The Cops would like to keep it illegal:

The Cops have FREE access to the very BEST Weed,
In QUANTITIES,
and legalizing it would cut into their Moonlight Dealing Profits.

If you want Quality stash,
buy from a Cop!

[pokerfan]

4. LOL

They also get huge revenues from asset seizures. It's a racket.

[Buddyblazon]

5. Live in Colorado....

Normal job brings me in contact with Denver police all the time. I know many of them by name and have for years.

Wife and I are trying to buy a dispensary so we can get a retail license without having to wait through a two year moratorium. I have had many conversations with my DPD co-workers about what were doing and the fact that we grow. Every single one of them have been supportive and several have given us suggestions on keeping the store front and grow safer.

Once the local police became exposed to this, they completely changed their attitudes. Now marijuana here is part of the norm and we talk about it with the police like it should be...a professional business. Instead of busting us, they've taken on the role of protecting us.

I hope everyone in this country can know this feeling in the very near future.