Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

The American War on Pot Rolls On

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Editorials & Other Articles Donate to DU
 
babylonsister Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 06:50 PM
Original message
The American War on Pot Rolls On
The American War on Pot Rolls On

By Sherwood Ross
November 7, 2009

Editor’s Note: At a time when American prisons are overflowing and government budgets are busting, authorities across the United States continue to arrest and prosecute hundreds of thousands of people for marijuana possession, sometimes even for small amounts.

In this guest essay, journalist Sherwood Ross examines this excessive use of government power against citizens engaging in personal behavior that many doctors say isn’t as dangerous as drinking alcohol and far less risky than smoking cigarettes:



Seven million Americans have been arrested since 1995 on marijuana charges and 41,000 of them are rotting in federal and state prisons. Thousands of other pot users and sellers are confined in local jails. But the public is starting to rebel against “the preposterous war on pot,” two political scientists say.

People convicted of possessing even one ounce of marijuana can face a mandatory minimum sentence of a year in jail, and having even one plant in your yard is a federal felony,” progressive organizer Jim Hightower and co-author Phillip Frazer point out in the November issue of “The Hightower Lowdown.”

Police arrest someone in America every 36 seconds on marijuana charges, with a record 872,000 arrests made in 2007, “more than for all violent crimes combined,” Hightower and Frazer point out. They note that 89 per cent of all marijuana arrests “are for simple possession of the weed, not for producing or selling it.”

They argue the drug war “is doing far more harm than marijuana itself ever will,” because (1) it diverts hundreds of thousands of police agents from serious crimes “to the pursuit of harmless tokers”; (2) it costs taxpayers at minimum $10 billion a year to catch, prosecute and incarcerate marijuana users and sellers; (3) it enables government to snatch the cars, money, computers and other properties of people caught up in drug raids even if they have had no charges filed against them; and (4) it allows “police agents at all levels to trample our Bill of Rights in their eagerness to nab pot consumers.”

The drug war has also unleashed a torrent of racism in the form of unjust sentencing, which confines crack-cocaine users who are mostly black to prison for longer terms than powder snorters, who are mostly white.

Hightower and Frazer say authorities have perverted the infamous “Patriot Act” of 2001 for use in non-terrorism cases, allowing “sneak-and-peak” search warrants to be used in drug war probes, including pursuit of marijuana users.

The Act’s provisions were supposed to be applied only for suspected terrorist acts. Only three of the Justice Department’s 763 requests for “sneak-and-peak” last year were used for terrorism searches, they report in Lowdown.

By outlawing drugs, Hightower and Frazer contend, Congress has created “a vast, murderous narco-state within Mexico” to satisfy U.S. consumer demand for the drugs. And Plan Colombia, the multi-billion-dollar operation started by Bill Clinton in 2000 to eradicate coca production there, has failed, judging by the 15 percent increase in coca production.

more...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/110709c.html
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
msongs Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 06:53 PM
Response to Original message
1. illegal pot is a jobs/welfare program for the courts/prisons/police industrial complex nt
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
nebenaube Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 07:04 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. and organized crime... n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Yehonala Donating Member (163 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-10-09 02:13 PM
Response to Reply #2
14. Definately....
If we went after major dealers and suppliers, we would be able to disrupt the whole process instead of kids who experiment or smoke the occasional joint.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Bluenorthwest Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 07:12 PM
Response to Original message
3. And yet when a legalization question topped Obama's
vote for the questions session, he mocked the notion, laughed, and then did no more of that 'vote for the questions' stuff, oh no sir, no way, no how. It rolls on indeed. Now under the watch of the third President in a row to admit using pot and other drugs themselves. Still they keep it rolling.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
paulsby Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 11:19 PM
Response to Reply #3
9. the democratic PARTY is just as bad as the republican PARTY on the issue of pot
from a party standpoint, the dems have been steadfast in opposition to legalization/decrim. clinton was one of the most ardent drug warriors (and his admin) that's ever existed. stronger than the first bush, for instance.

lots of repubs and democrats (the general populace) support killing the drug war on pot, but when it comes to the parties and their official stance- only the fringe candidates ever support it e.g. sharpton and ron paul.

it's a RIDICULOUS sink of resources, lives wasted, etc. frankly, legalized and taxed MJ could pull my state out of its financial mess imo

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
pscot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 07:17 PM
Response to Original message
4. A war waged by the US government
against its citizens.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Mythbuster Donating Member (269 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 07:35 PM
Response to Original message
5. I still have hope that in the future
we'll be able to stroll into a legal "Smoke Shop" and browse through their variety of goods. I wonder if they'll give samples??
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
patrice Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 07:41 PM
Response to Original message
6. What % of those doing the arresting and prosecuting are alcohol abusers?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Grassy Knoll Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 08:46 PM
Response to Original message
7. BC BUD......peanut butter jelly time....
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
bertman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Nov-08-09 12:36 PM
Response to Reply #7
11. DAMN!!!!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Uncle Joe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Nov-07-09 08:48 PM
Response to Original message
8. Whether intentional or not, the so called War on Drugs is evil and has no redeeming value.
Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
jotsy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Nov-08-09 10:57 AM
Response to Original message
10. Municipalities gain great revenues through restitution fees.
If a monetary agenda can be identified going in, it taints the rest of the process for me.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
bertman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Nov-08-09 12:41 PM
Response to Original message
12. Just another excuse to allow the police to monitor citizens' activities. Just another
excuse for the "justice system" to look like it's doing something. Just another excuse for the cops to make an easy, rarely dangerous bust. Just another excuse to build more prisons. Just another excuse to help Wackenhut make gigantic profits off the government tit. Just another excuse for lawmakers to be TOUGH ON CRIME. Just another excuse for creating felons out of otherwise law-abiding citizens.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Yehonala Donating Member (163 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-10-09 02:11 PM
Response to Original message
13. We Need Corporal Punishment
We need to institute some sort of punishment for nonviolent offenders. Something like a quick whipping or something where we can punish people, standardize punishment, and avoid all these stupid trials that really just waste court time. Also something that prevents the wealthy from getting away with vandalism and other crimes less savvy people get punished for.

If did that, instead of putting essentially harmless people in jail, we would end up having more space to keep pedophiles, rapists, hardcore killers, and other dangerous felons in jail and keep kids who likely won't commit another crime out of jail/prison and getting taught stuff they have no business learning.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Wed Apr 10th 2024, 01:14 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Editorials & Other Articles Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC