cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Backer Says Foe Fudging Arrest Numbers





Marijuana Backer Says Foe Fudging Arrest Numbers
Posted by CN Staff on October 01, 2002 at 07:24:40 PT
By Ed Vogel, Review-Journal Capital Bureau
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal 
The leader of the group backing legal marijuana accused an opponent Monday of lying about the number of people being arrested for marijuana possession in Clark County. Billy Rogers, the chief of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, said the Metropolitan Police Department reported on its Web site that it made 187 arrests for marijuana possession in June. At that rate, more than 2,000 people will be arrested this year for marijuana possession in the county, he said. 
The latest arrest figure contrasts with statements made by marijuana opponent Gary Booker in a televised debate last week. Booker, a deputy district attorney, said that 50 people had been arrested in Clark County for marijuana possession in the first half of 2002. "We have said all along that law enforcement officers spend too much time arresting people for small amounts of marijuana," Rogers said. "These numbers are almost exactly the same as when the possession of marijuana was a felony." Until a new law went into effect in October 2001, possession of any amount of marijuana was a felony. Now, possession of 1 ounce or less is a misdemeanor punishable by a $600 fine. Booker said Monday he received his information on marijuana arrests from the Clark County Detention Center and narcotics officer Todd Raybuck. Only 50 people were arrested for marijuana possession in the first half of the year, Booker said, when marijuana was the only charge against them. The larger number included people arrested for burglary, domestic violence and other crimes who possessed a small amount of marijuana, he said. Rogers said Booker made no disclaimer in their television debate and accused him of deliberately trying to mislead voters on Question 9. Adult Nevadans could possess as much as 3 ounces of marijuana if voters pass the question Nov. 5 and again in 2004. "They have repeatedly said only 50 arrests period with no disclaimers and no qualifications," Rogers said. "Now they want to say 50 arrests solely for marijuana. They are asking you once again to take their word for it." On a tape of the debate, Booker said that of the 50 arrests "none of them were solely for marijuana" when actually those arrests were solely for marijuana. Raybuck said he has been clear in his public statements that more than 50 marijuana arrests have occurred in 2002. "The 187 arrests in June includes people arrested for burglary, robbery and other crimes," Raybuck said. "Forty-nine people were arrested (in the first half of 2002) for the single-only charge of marijuana." Raybuck said he does not now have figures on the total number of marijuana arrests in Clark County in the first half of 2002 but will try to get them. He said the FBI does not require law enforcement agencies to report the instances when people were arrested on marijuana charges only. Rogers said the latest discrepancy is one of several misleading statements made by Booker and others who oppose Question 9. "They clearly have something to hide," he said. "There is no reason to believe anything they say unless they show you the numbers." In an earlier interview, Booker told the Review-Journal: "We just don't arrest people for marijuana unless they are involved with something else. Marijuana possession is treated now just like a traffic ticket. We used to have 5,000 cases a year." Booker said Monday that under a new grant the Clark County Detention Center conducts blood tests of prisoners and has found that 30 percent to 40 percent of all inmates have used marijuana. "Thirty to 40 percent of the people arrested for battery (in domestic violence situations) have marijuana in their blood," he said.Complete Title: Marijuana Question Backer Says Foe Fudging Arrest NumbersSource: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)Author:  Ed Vogel, Review-Journal Capital BureauPublished: Tuesday, October 01, 2002Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Review-JournalContact: letters lvrj.comWebsite: http://www.lvrj.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLEhttp://www.nrle.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Question 9 Enjoys Potpourri of Supporthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14311.shtmlWe Could Go Up in Smoke Over This http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14310.shtmlAmsterdam of the Westhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14268.shtmlOne Puff At A Time - Economist UKhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14262.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by Dan B on October 01, 2002 at 13:06:14 PT:
Attention to Detail
"Only 50 people were arrested for marijuana possession in the first half of the year, Booker said, when marijuana was the only charge against them."Ah, the caveat. Booker would have one believe that only 50 people were arrested for marijuana possession in the first half of the year, and leave it at that. He'd like us all to forget that part about "when marijuana was the only charge against them."Notice, too, Raybuck's clever wording in this statement: "The 187 arrests in June includes people arrested for burglary, robbery and other crimes." It's the "other crimes" that he doesn't want people asking about. Likely, there was one robbery, one burglary, and the other 185 "other crimes" were possession of paraphernalia and/or cultivation and/or some other violation that is not technically a possession of marijuana charge, but really is. This is how they cook the books, folks.Don't let 'em get away with it.Dan B
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Comment #3 posted by observer on October 01, 2002 at 11:14:05 PT
Y'a pas plus menteur qu'une police
re: "Fudging" ... "arrest figure contrasts with statements" ... "misleading statements" That's putting a happy face on it. The pig lied. Pigs typically lie, especially narcs. Especially narcs who stand to lose a great deal of business ($$$) when their prison-extortion rackets collapse when adults are no longer jailed for using cannabis. (I.e. restoring their traditional rights.) Restoring traditional rights filched from us in 1938 would cut into the pigs' living; thus telling a little "fib" (a whopping lie) occassionally (every waking moment) to "save the children" (or whatever excuse they will buy) is A-OK, if you're a cop. This is the fetid and corrupt cesspool we call "law enforcement" in the United (Police) States."Y'a pas plus menteur qu'une police" [there's no liar like a cop] -- old cop-locker-room adage
police lies
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Comment #2 posted by p4me on October 01, 2002 at 08:44:30 PT
I call bullshit.
Forget their little spat over numbers in Nevada. How about the Uniform Crime Report for 2001. Where are those numbers. Does the absence of those numbers not raise the big red flag of scepticism? Maybe someone in the media should have put a request in for those numbers using the Freedom Of Information Act. Oh, the FBI is proud to tell you of the staff dedicated to helping you with FOIA request. Well if there were not all the secrets maybe they could get by with less of these poor overworked public servants. They will tell you how they will help you here: http://foia.fbi.gov/Isn't this October 1, 2002? That is a full nine months after the year ended and a new fiscal year for the government. They should have published the 6-month report for the period ending June 30th. Just the fact they haven't put up this years numbers for the first half is reason to be pissed off at the government of the fascist. Those are the public numbers. I mean, Wall Mart gathers numbers from stores all over the world and can put up millions of numbers detailing sales for one day in one day. There is no excuse for this denial of the public numbers.I gave you the FOIA link at the FBI. Why didn't All The News Fit To Print get last years secret numbers. Out of all the papers no one has published any figures on marijuana arrest for the period that ended 9 months ago. No media tells their story of being blocked by the FBI in an FOIA on the numbers, yet there are no numbers. It is like everyone has a don't ask, don't tell philosophy.Well, I get it. The writing is on the wall and no one reads it to the ignorant and brainwashed. I get it. It is not the people's government. What the fascist say goes and a lot of people are used to the idea. I know BS and it is all BS.Free Cannabis For Everyone.1,2
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Comment #1 posted by canaman on October 01, 2002 at 08:32:43 PT
Booker gets his cues from the Czar
No one gets arrested for pot anymore....well maybe once in a while. Does anyone in law enforcement tell the truth anymore? If cannabis arrests are so infrequent why not just take the laws off the books guys? Somebody might accidently arrest someone and make you look like a liar.End the war! Drugs won! Give peace a chance!
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