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Why Do Police Really Oppose Marijuana Legalization? Part II
9/27/07|Drug War Chronicle| by Scott Morgan

Yesterday's post failed to address the prevalence of police officers who privately oppose the drug war, but silently uphold it even though they know it's wrong. My argument is quite incomplete without addressing this important phenomenon.

LEAP director Jack Cole has told me that police constantly admit to him in confidence that they agree with LEAP's arguments. Former Seattle Police Chief and LEAP speaker Norm Stamper has also stated that several high-ranking police officials have privately commended his efforts to end the drug war.

How then do we explain the behavior of police who carry out a war they don't believe in? Are they just following orders and collecting their paychecks? Are they fearful that speaking out will compromise their status within a profession they otherwise enjoy? Do they believe the laws are here to stay, so someone has to enforce them? Are some just waiting for their pension to kick in before joining LEAP?

I'm sure all of these factors contribute here, but I suspect that many officers have a more nuanced view of drug enforcement. I once asked a highly-regarded police sergeant what he thought of a controversial teenage curfew law aimed at curbing crime in D.C. "It's a useful tool," he replied, meaning that it gave him the authority to take action against suspicious youths in the absence of other evidence. If he can't prove they're out tagging cars, he can at least stop them and send them home.

Drug laws, particularly marijuana, perform a similar function by granting police the discretion to forgive or destroy individual suspects based solely on their demeanor and the contents of their pockets. Police can ignore the smell of marijuana when dealing with a polite citizen, or fabricate it entirely when they believe someone's hiding something. A law that criminalizes vast portions of the population, justifying detentions, searches and arrests, is a "useful tool" indeed. Officers needn't believe they're winning the war on drugs to find value in the vast authority it bestows upon them.

Wielding inflated drug war powers with the best of intentions may help some officers justify their participation in something they otherwise find distasteful. Of course, none of this justifies the massive collateral damage that occurs in the process, but it might help explain how conscientious people could engage in behavior that shocks the conscience.

 

Tenderlungs

Discrimination, the wave of the future!

Old Stoner

My brother in law is a cop, and he smoked the wacky tabacky in the 'Nam. He KNOWS what it's like, and whole speel. I have spoken a little with him about it, but I know for a fact he let's us regular tokers go, especially the young ones. He is a Major in a high crime area (drugs/prostitution/all kinds os shit), but he considers pot smoking to be harmless, I've heard him say off the cuff a few times.

Funny story. I have this t-shirt that is light brown, with the UPS logo on it, a big pot leaf in the middle, and under it it says United Pot Smokers.

One day i wore it under my sweatshirt to his house, and he was out sawing off limbs in a tree. I said "Hey ______, check THIS out!", and pulled up my sweatshirt to reveal the tshirt. i thought he was gonna fall out of the tree, he was laughing so hard!

And he knows that I was a head in high school and college. He's a cools dude, IMHO.

Another funny story about cops. In Atlanta, every New Years Eve, the Atlanta Rhythm Section (Champagne Jam, So Into You) used to throw a concert at the Fox Theatre, with a couple of other bands. We used to sit front row balcony, because you are almost on top of the stage. Anyways, the lights went down, ARS came on, and the lighters started lighting up the sweet mary jane.

I was sitting on the seat next to the aisle. A joint comes down the row (back then, if you lit one up, the whole row toked, and you'd be lucky to get one hit off your own joint, if the venue had long seating, LOL).

So I grab it and stick it in my mouth and start taking this huge toke, and then I notice movement in the aisle next to me, where no one was before. With the joint in my mouth, I turn and see an Atlanta Police Officer knealing beside me. SCARED THE SHIT OUT ME!

He looks at me and sez "Can I have a hit of that?" I said SUUUUUUURE! and handed it to him. He hit it, handed it back, and said, "thanks dude", and back up the aisle he went.

Needless to say, I was SCARED STRAIGHT. LOL..... But looking back, it WAS funny as hell, LOL...

Peace,

Old Stoner