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lonestar2004
Live to party,work to affordit.


Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 8,978
Loc: South Texas
Last seen: 12 years, 9 months
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U.S. 'War on Drugs' Really War on Marijuana.
#4318204 - 06/20/05 06:27 PM (18 years, 7 months ago) |
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U.S. 'War on Drugs' Really War on Marijuana NewsMax.com Wires Tuesday, May 31, 2005 The federal government spends about $35 billion a year on the "war on drugs," largely to prosecute marijuana users ? but it's fighting a losing battle.
While the number of marijuana arrests has risen sharply since the early 1990s, the crackdown has done little to curtail the demand for the drug. Story Continues Below
Police make about 700,000 marijuana-related arrests each year, accounting for almost half of all drug arrests. Pot busts peaked at 755,186 in 2003 ? nearly twice the number of arrests in 1993. While marijuana arrests rose 113 percent from 1990 to 2002, arrests for other drugs increased only 10 percent. About 88 percent of marijuana busts are for simple possession, not dealing, according to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report. And the number of arrests for "sale/manufacture" includes all those caught growing marijuana for their own use or for medical reasons. Marijuana prices have fallen by 16 percent since 1992, when adjusted for inflation ? while potency has doubled. Since 1990, daily marijuana use by high school seniors has nearly tripled, from 2.2 percent of students to 6 percent. A marijuana user is arrested every 42 seconds in America, according to the Drug War Chronicle ? and the number busted yearly exceeds the population of South Dakota or San Francisco. "These number belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor marijuana offenders," said Keith Stroup, Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
"This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources. These dollars would be better served combating serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism."
And Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), said that considering the number of marijuana arrests, "it's safe to say that the drug war isn't preventing people from using marijuana."
Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the MPP, pointed out that while marijuana possession offenses usually draw light punishment, the repercussions of a pot bust can be devastating to the offenders.
"It can literally haunt them for the rest of their lives," Mirken told The Drug War Chronicle. "They lose access to federal benefits, they lose job opportunities because of the arrest record, they can't get student loans."
More than 150,000 college students or would-be students can't get access to federal financial aid because of drug crimes, most of them simple marijuana possession, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The drug war against low-level users also encourages resentment against the police, especially in the minority community. African-Americans account for 14 percent of marijuana users, but 30 percent of arrests, according to The Sentencing Project, a research group favoring alternatives to incarceration.
An editorial in USA TODAY ? America's largest circulation newspaper - has called for changes in the enforcement of drug laws: "Today's more potent marijuana carries substantial health and social risks. It can lead to depression, thoughts of suicide and schizophrenia, especially among teens, according to government research. Its use should be discouraged.
"But it's a smokescreen to suggest that rising arrest numbers show the war on drugs is working. It's time for a serious debate on whether massive arrests of low-level users are worth the cost or having any benefit." http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/5/31/120014.shtml
-------------------- America's debt problem is a "sign of leadership failure" We have "reckless fiscal policies" America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better Barack Obama
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lonestar2004
Live to party,work to affordit.


Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 8,978
Loc: South Texas
Last seen: 12 years, 9 months
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Re: U.S. 'War on Drugs' Really War on Marijuana. [Re: lonestar2004]
#4318206 - 06/20/05 06:28 PM (18 years, 7 months ago) |
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"Police make about 700,000 marijuana-related arrests each year, accounting for almost half of all drug arrests. Pot busts peaked at 755,186 in 2003 ? nearly twice the number of arrests in 1993."
LEO's are addicted to the $$.
-------------------- America's debt problem is a "sign of leadership failure" We have "reckless fiscal policies" America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better Barack Obama
Edited by lonestar2004 (06/20/05 06:37 PM)
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eligal
Noobie


Registered: 05/25/05
Posts: 7,021
Loc: California
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Re: U.S. 'War on Drugs' Really War on Marijuana. [Re: lonestar2004]
#4318260 - 06/20/05 06:51 PM (18 years, 7 months ago) |
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damn bastards...
-------------------- \m/ Spanksta \m/ "do you have the freedom to do with your nervous system what you want?" "MolokoMilkPlus said: I'll respect you if you let me give you a blow job" "tactik said: respect the can."
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joeythecatch
Stranger
Registered: 08/26/04
Posts: 36
Last seen: 9 years, 11 months
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Re: U.S. 'War on Drugs' Really War on Marijuana. [Re: lonestar2004]
#4328012 - 06/23/05 10:19 AM (18 years, 7 months ago) |
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http://www.sentencingproject.org/pdfs/waronmarijuana.pdf
It's long and I haven't had the time yet to digest all of it myself, but just the "key findings" starting on page 1 are pretty scary:
Key findings include: * Of the 450,000 increase in drug arrests during the period 1990-2002, 82% of the growth was for marijuana, and 79% was for marijuana possession alone; * Marijuana arrests now constitute nearly half (45%) of the 1.5 million drug arrests annually; * Few marijuana arrests are for serious offending: of the 734,000 marijuana arrests in 2000, only 41,000 (6%) resulted in a felony conviction; * Marijuana arrests increased by 113% between 1990 and 2002, while overall arrests decreased by 3%; * New York City experienced an 882% growth in marijuana arrests, including an increase of 2,461% for possession offenses; * African Americans are disproportionately affected by marijuana arrests, representing 14% of marijuana users in the general population, but 30% of arrests; * One-third of persons convicted for a marijuana felony in state court are sentenced to prison; * One in four persons in prison for a marijuana offense ? an estimated 6,600 persons ? can be classified as a low-level offender; * An estimated $4 billion is spent annually on the arrest, prosecution and incarceration of marijuana offenders.
I'd say that those facts, combined with the federal government's dogmatic stance on medical marijuana--contrary both to scientific/medical research and to the clear will of the people--definitely point toward a renewed emphasis on marijuana in the government's War on Drugs. It truly is a war on only some drugs, and since the 80s ended, apparently also targeting one drug in particular: marijuana. The George W. Bush Department of Justice has been especially dedicated to targeting and going after cannabis and cannabis consumers.
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LSDempire
LibertarianEnforcer


Registered: 04/23/05
Posts: 581
Last seen: 18 years, 1 month
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Re: U.S. 'War on Drugs' Really War on Marijuana. [Re: joeythecatch]
#4328186 - 06/23/05 11:10 AM (18 years, 7 months ago) |
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The war on drugs has been a losing battle from the start, they can't even curb drug use in nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia where drug users are tortured and executed. With Bush in office funding for the war on drugs, drug testing, prisons, and propaganda have all gone up. Clinton increases funding for the war on drugs, just about every president since Nixon has done the same, and they force the war on drugs on nations all over the world by rewarding brutality and punishing any country that does not wage a war on drugs.
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