Nice little story in southern Illinois about a sheriff who was being interviewed for a story about selling off seized cars.
According to sheriff Mearkl Justus…the most common drug resulting in property seizures…is marijuana.
But after thirty years as sheriff in St. Clair County, Sheriff Justus has reached a conclusion.
“It’s just a merry-go-round. I think some day, and I don’t think it’s very far off, I think maybe we’re going to see in Illinois, I think one day they’ll de-criminalize small amounts of marijuana. And I’m not too certain with what that won’t be a good idea.”
The video is worth watching as it expands on the story, and you get an actual feel for how one sheriff is coming to a realization.
And this isn’t in some enlightened community where it might be easy to make statements like that. Far from it. For example, one of the few comments to the story was:
who cares…..I hope it never happens…all it will do is to cheer up some n*&&#$
Illinois… You’d think it would be liberal, right? Yet it’s so socially conservative.
And am I the only one terrified that Mark Kirk might win a US Senate seat from Illinois? The man proposed 25-year mandatory minimums for selling pot… And not during the 1990’s. He made that proposal LAST YEAR.
I love how the guy’s statement that “I think one day they’ll de-criminalize small amounts of marijuana” get’s turned into the headline:
Sheriff Predicts Pot Will Be Legalized
Jeez, I wish folks would realize that there is a *huge* difference between the two terms. One (decrim) continues to protect massive profits of the black market, the other (legalization) effectively ends the black market by allowing legitimate sales.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/361085/october-05-2010/gang-busters—john-burnett
John Burnett, every-time you try and pin the blame for the horrible violence of prohibition on users, you diminish the culpability of those responsible for maintaining the status quo. It a dirty drug war myth that gets trotted out because it diverts peoples attention from the fact prohibition is an absolute scourge. Buying drugs is not the problem, the system that grants exclusive distribution rights to violent cartels is.
Sheriff Buford T. Justus?! Did he ever catch Smoky the Bandit?
from the comments:
(previous poster’s comment with a link to http://www.opposeprop19.com)
What A joke, I am not a pot smoker! But that crap on the link above made me want to HURL.
I quote
“Marijuana is the most violence- causing drug in the history of mankind ”
“You smoke a joint you are likely to kill your brother”
No one in there right mind would believe you or the crap you are trying to sell!!!
Thank you strayan. I couldn’t find the right words to comment on that interview so I’ll just say ditto to what you wrote.
My brother used to give me Cali pot for every A on my report card. I never felt like killin’ em when I smoked it. That kind of stupidity should be painful. Almost as stupid as the DEA putting marijuana in class 1 of drugs along with pcp and others that will make you violent.
PCP is Schedule II, actually. The violent behavior that the media trumpets about every now and then is a tiny, tiny fraction of all the PCP use out there and is most definitely not representative of the way things really are. Take the media anti-drug attention with a grain of salt.
This is likely to turn out bad. Intead of small police departments being corrupt, it’ll be heavily militarized police force .
Its insane! All the wasted effort, resources,lives…just to stop people from using a plant.
JUST LEGALIZE IT YOU FOOLS!!
Those who are in favor of continuing the prosecution of the failed war on (some) drugs often like to claim that China has done away with abuse of MADs.
When do they get it through their thick heads that they’re not keeping anyone sober as the proverbial judge.
Moralistic laws are holes to throw money in,garnering support from fear and myth but ignored by everyone.
Facebook co-founder donates %50 thousand to YES on PROP 19!
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/10/facebook-co-founder-gives-50000-to-legalize-marijuana-in-california.html
[Updated 1:42 pm: Moskovitz said in an e-mail: “More than any other initiative out there, Prop 19 will stabilize our national security and bolster our state economy. It will alleviate unnecessary overcrowding of non-violent offenders in our state jails, which in turn will help California residents.”
i sent him a thank you and a note about leap. thanks for the tip!
“who cares…..I hope it never happens…all it will do is to cheer up some n*&&#$”
I think that was former drug czar Bill Bennett who posted that comment.