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Law Enforcement Rallies Against Marijuana Bills
Posted by CN Staff on February 25, 2014 at 19:39:42 PT
By Michael Dresser and Erin Cox, The Baltimore Sun
Source: Baltimore Sun
Maryland -- Prosecutors, police chiefs and sheriffs gathered Tuesday in Annapolis to push back against the growing movement to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana or to legalize recreational use of the drug altogether.At a news conference and at a Senate hearing, law enforcement leaders warned that loosening marijuana laws would undermine drug enforcement across the board. They said it would be premature to pass a bill following in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington state, which recently legalized pot, and opposed a separate measure that would treat possession as a minor civil offense.
"This legislation sends a horrible message," said Riverdale Park Police Chief David Morris, speaking for the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association.Harford County State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly, speaking on behalf of the Maryland State's Attorneys Association, called the movement to legalize pot in Maryland "a rush to judgment."Cassilly said the state should wait for legalization in Colorado and Washington to be thoroughly studied, instead of relying on "anecdotal evidence from a bunch of pot heads."The otherwise solid show of support for the state's existing marijuana laws was cracked by the testimony of Neill Franklin, a retired Baltimore police major who has emerged as a vocal opponent of the war on drugs in general and the prohibition of marijuana in particular."It didn't work back in the 1920s with alcohol prohibition," he said. "We should have learned from history."Franklin argued the effect of prohibiting marijuana has been to leave its regulation in the hands of drug cartels and street gangs.Most of the active law enforcement officers who attended took a hard line against legalizing marijuana for recreational use, though they were clear that their opposition did not extend to proposals making medical marijuana more readily available to those who need it."Those lines should not be blurred," said Anne Arundel County Police Chief Kevin Davis, speaking at a morning news conference.Some of the officers ran into trouble in the less-forgiving venue of the Senate hearing, where the sponsors of the legalization and decriminalization bills repeatedly sought proof of police assertions that law enforcement and public health would be hampered by their bills.Annapolis Police Chief Michael A. Pristoop asserted that 37 people had died of marijuana overdoses on the first day of legalization in Colorado last month.The claim drew groans from the packed hearing room. Sen. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat who sponsored the legalization bill, pointed out that Pristoop had fallen for a hoax that ran in the satirical publication the Daily Currant.Pristoop later issued an apology."I believed the information I obtained was accurate but I now know the story is nothing more than an urban legend," he said in a statement.Police warnings of the danger of marijuana overdoses aroused skepticism among senators of both parties."The only people I've seen overdose on marijuana had a big snack and fell asleep," said Sen. Nancy Jacobs, a Harford County Republican.Morris also took some heat from senators over his assertion that decriminalizing marijuana would lead to an increase in drug use.Sen. Robert A. Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat and author of the decriminalization bill, said he had "looked high and low" for evidence from 16 states that now treat marijuana possession as a civil offense. He said he found no evidence suggesting that usage had increased. When Zirkin pressed Morris to back up his assertion with studies, the chief could not.Public polls show growing support for loosening marijuana laws in Maryland and across the country. A recent Baltimore Sun Poll found that 58 percent of Maryland voters favor either legalization or decriminalization.Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)Author:  Michael Dresser and Erin Cox, The Baltimore Sun Published: February 25, 2014Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore SunContact: letters baltsun.comWebsite: http://www.baltimoresun.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/ty6MnCZTCannabisNews  -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on February 28, 2014 at 22:51:39 PT
It really sounds like a slanted presentation.
You're right about that butterfly. 
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 28, 2014 at 09:04:55 PT
Hope
I can tell very fast if it will be fair. They showed so many people smoking just watching it made my lungs hurt. Why don't they show a person guzzling down a 6 pack of beer and the ad be from say Budweiser? They do not need to show people consuming any product. Heck the pretty Lunesta butterfly commercial pushes a drug that seems like it would be a wonderful trip and they don't show someone popping the pill! 
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on February 28, 2014 at 07:15:35 PT
Comment 9
Sorry about that, FoM. There are still plenty of haters, but we're doing good if we can keep them from killing and persecuting those that do, unlike themselves, enjoy the plant.
 
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Comment #10 posted by Oleg the Tumor on February 27, 2014 at 10:03:20 PT:
The Ignoids Should Get the Message & A New Job!
"This legislation sends a horrible message," said Riverdale Park Police Chief David MorrisBy comparison - said Hizzoner, Mayor Daley of Chicago when he lost:  "The People have spoken, the bastards."The People are tired of being lied to and will listen to this foolishness no longer!LEGAL AS WHEAT!
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 27, 2014 at 07:12:55 PT
CNBC: Marijuana in America 
I was not impressed with this special. They showed people smoking and not very nice looking places of distribution. When they showed Greeley they showed clean cut people. They do not show people drinking alcohol on TV so they should stop showing people smoking. They mixed alcohol drinking and smoking cannabis. They are not the same thing. 
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Comment #8 posted by John Tyler on February 26, 2014 at 19:08:44 PT
the people are speaking
A recent Baltimore Sun Poll found that 58 percent of Maryland voters favor either legalization or decriminalization. The people are speaking. The political class had better listen.
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Comment #7 posted by devohawk on February 26, 2014 at 10:49:14 PT
This will keep me smiling all day.
When Zirkin pressed Morris to back up his assertion with studies, the chief could not.
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Comment #6 posted by bullhead on February 26, 2014 at 09:07:14 PT:
Jobs
Riverdale Park Police Chief David Morris..... How can I do my job of destroying the lives of non-violent pot smokers...... 
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Comment #5 posted by schmeff on February 26, 2014 at 08:30:53 PT
Sorry Annapolis
That your police chief is so Pristoopid.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 26, 2014 at 06:17:47 PT
CNBC: Marijuana in America - Premiere 10 PM ET
CNBC: Marijuana in America - Colorado Pot Rush: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101412302
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on February 26, 2014 at 04:25:49 PT
"If you don't like the law, change it!"
Remember in those old movies where the good guys are surrounded, out of ammo and all is lost? The good guys are desparately clicking their empty guns at the enemy as they are over run. Remember that scene?It was funny then and it is funnier now!The meaness, arrogance and "police Brutality" I have suffered is outragous and my plight is small compared to the family distruction and the lives torn apart by these trough sucking bullies. We won our [or are winng] back our freedom and this just pisses them off! Sorry Mr. Ness, your era is over. What you nasty badge totting comic book heros need to do is apologize for three generations of rape, plunder and pillage! The fed needs to make repairations!
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Comment #2 posted by HempWorld on February 25, 2014 at 20:38:23 PT
Jus' protectin' my job M'am!
So much for 'enforcing the law'Well I've been around long enough...
HempWorld
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on February 25, 2014 at 20:36:12 PT
Tantrum at the police union.
Ohyeah,This is sounding like a tantrum. Foot stomping, I want My way or else tantrum.IT SOUNDS GREAT! And a keeper:"Annapolis Police Chief Michael A. Pristoop asserted that 37 people had died of marijuana overdoses on the first day of legalization in Colorado last month."  (Pristoop had fallen for a hoax that ran in the satirical publication the Daily Currant.)-0-These are harmful fools carrying guns, folks.
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