Columbia, Missouri Police Chief endorses marijuana legalization

We really made an impact here. I don’t know if he’s saying it because he thinks it’ll get the protesters off his back, or because he really does see the value of it, but it’s good either way.

Via Morgan Fox at MPP:

During a press conference yesterday, Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton went out of his way to state his support for ending marijuana prohibition.

“I applaud your efforts,” he told a reporter who asked about campaigns to change marijuana laws. “If we could get out of the business [of going after marijuana offenders], I think there would be a lot of police officers that would be happy to do that.” […]

Chief Burton also acknowledged that violence surrounding marijuana is often associated with the illegal market created by prohibition, and not the drug itself. “Crimes do occur because of marijuana,” he said. “And you may make the argument that it’s because it’s not legal, and you may be right.”

Of course, he’s not going to stop enforcing the law, but he’s indicated that he’s behind efforts to change the law.