Do you see it as a great scourge and all who use it should be imprisoned, is it a "gateway drug"(btw, all drugs are gateway drugs, including alcohol). Or is it a harmless plant which can be detrimental when abused?
Just want to see if your facts are straight here or you just react to rhetoric.
2007-08-22 01:28:40 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
I am a retired NYPD officer. Back in the 70's when I was in college (and on the job) I did a term paper on legalizing marijuana and prostitution. Yes, it can be abused. No, it is not a gateway drug. I took the position that marijuana and prostitution will never "go away" so why not legalize it so that it can be controlled and taxed. The criminal element would no longer profit from it without reporting the sale and "pimps", as we know them, would have to become legitimate. Pro's would need health exams on a regular basis, and "pot" would be controlled just like cigarettes. Laws would still apply under "Driving Impaired".....P.S. you could have left that last sentence out of your question. Police are not as uptight as you think. The fact is that Marijuana is against the law (for now) and the Police as sworn to uphold the law. Selective enforcement is not an option.
2007-08-22 04:01:58 · answer #1 · answered by Tom M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cannabis is a drug that leads to other crime. As a LEO am I concerned that people who smoke cannabis will try other drugs? Yes. However, I am more concerned with the violent crime that comes form the distribution of the cannabis itself. The possession under 2.5 grams is typically a charge that is not pursued in many areas. What is pursued is the possession over 2.5 and the distribution. Am concerned if a guy or gal has one joint on them? Not for the most part. I'll place them into custody. Do a search, write an Ordinance Violation, and them send them home( if I do not find anything else) OR they do not have a extensive criminal history that includes counts of 2.5 over or Manufacturing/ Delivery. Violent crime takes place when you have several distributors in the same area. Yes, there are in fact "turf wars". I work in a town of 80,000. We have shootings, stabbings, fights, etc...over this activity. So when you ask how i feel about "pot"... It is just a plant. However the activity that this plant generates is very harmful to society.
2007-08-22 08:59:00 · answer #2 · answered by wfsgymwear 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think it should remain illegal. And what "Facts" are you referring to? that which is seen in real life or the rhetoric on both pro and anti sides.
I've noticed that the most common trait that regular dopers have is that they have nothing. No ambition to do better, work harder or get ahead.
I don't think it's harmless. THC is a strong psychoactive substance that has been shown to exacerbate some forms of mental illness in the user.
2007-08-22 09:42:27 · answer #3 · answered by mebe1042 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It does not really matter how I feel about marijuana, It is illegal. Most of the time I run across marijuana is on other calls for service (the whole marijuana just mellows you and doesn't make you violent is complete BS) and with people who are smoking it while driving (I hit them with a DUI, penalty for that is over $1000...while simple possession is $100).
If you have a problem with the current US drug laws, speak to your congressman who makes the laws. Not the officers who enforce them.
2007-08-22 10:58:55 · answer #4 · answered by Kenneth C 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
MOST people that try and smoke pot try harder stuff and that is the downfall of it. I don't smoke it (I drink) but don't think it is harmful if used moderately. My son loves it.
2007-08-22 08:50:29 · answer #5 · answered by PATRICIA MS 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think that it could lead to the use, and abuse of other drugs.
2007-08-22 08:37:18 · answer #6 · answered by Beau R 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
most of them I know won't smoke it because it stays in blood too long
they prefer coke----gone in 24hrs
2007-08-22 08:33:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋