The California Beer & Beverage Distributors has contributed money to defeat the marijuana-legalization measure, as have police groups. One consideration that might shed light on the latter stance: “Police forces are entitled to keep property seized as part of drug raids and the revenue stream that comes from waging the drug war has become a significant source of support for local law enforcement.” Surprisingly, the politically active prison-guards union has not (yet) thrown its weight onto the “no” side, though prison supervisors have. [Ryan Grim, HuffPo via Tabarrok]
6 Comments
It’s a case of “hops, not hemp”.
lol@kdp đŸ™‚
Prison guards will have to calculate what’ll cost them more (in money and time at work) before they chime in.
Fewer people behind bars for posession of pot may mean more people behind bars for other crimes like mugging or burglary (as more people will use the stuff and they’ll largely finance their addiction through those crimes).
But on the side for the initiative is every single fast food joint, chip and snack maker, plus the company that makes those burritos you can get at 7-11.
I don’t know whether the greater shame is that California prison guards lobby for longer sentences, or that California legislators actually listen to them.
Probably the latter. But the shamelessness of the former is a thing to behold.
JT:
Any cop will tell you that potheads are harmless. Cops on teh street are happy to deal with stoned people. It’s the drunks and the crackheads who are the problem.
Any cop will tell you that potheads are harmless. Cops on teh street are happy to deal with stoned people.
You must know different cops than I do. The cops I know hate pot as they have seen the devastation it can lead to.
I also don’t know of any drug counselors that thing pot is “harmless.”
Both of our experiences are anecdotal, so your mileage may vary.