FBI Report: One Drug Arrest Made Every 18 Seconds
What does this cost? How can we afford this?
HP-Someone is arrested in the United States for a drug-law violation every 18 seconds, an FBI report released Monday shows.
More than four-fifths of those arrests were for possession only and nearly half were for possession of marijuana. Of the 847,863 marijuana arrests — one every 37 seconds — 89 percent were for possession alone.
And those folks do spend time in jail. University of Maryland drug policy expert Peter Reuter told the Huffington Post that in Maryland, roughly a third of those arrested for marijuana possession spend time in jail, from a night to several days or more.
“A spokeswoman for the White House “drug czar,” Gil Kerlikowske, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.”
So where is the administration on this issue ?
They’d get more “bang for the buck” and take up less jail space if they staked out these small airports. Of course once you’re “in the know” and you realize how the politicians really operate you know this ain’t gonna happen any time soon. This is one of the reasons some of these debates seem rather silly and preposterous to many Americans who seem to me more informed than many of the “experts”, or at least more honest about the whole thing. Which is why we have intelligent Americans who don’t even bother. This website is a real eye-opener, f.y.i.
http://www.madcowprod.com/01162008.html
Fortune Sept. 28 Cover Story:
Is Pot Already Legal
By Roger Parloff
“In late February, President Obmama signaled a new approach. His attorney general, Eric Holder, confirmed at a press conference that he would no longer subject individuals who are complying with state medical marijuana laws to federal drug raids and prosecutions. This understated act – a simple pledge not to act, really – could have enormous consequences.”
In California cities it is effectively legal today as all an adult (18) needs is a note from a doctor and those Docs advertise heavily for a $200 consulting fee to write the note.
Los Angeles has:
64 McDonald’s
65 Chevron stations
168 Starbucks
186 Registered marijuana clinics
It is time to turn the situation over to the states as prohibition was.
But meanwhile what is the effect of just turning a blind eye to laws on the books ? What is the effect of allowing only those with enough money to get a note to circumvent the law?
So who is left to get busted or grow the stuff, the dumb & broke ?
http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/11/magazines/fortune/medical_marijuana_legalizing.fortune/index.htm