Pubdate: Sat, 20 Oct 2012
Source: Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)
Copyright: 2012 The Spokesman-Review
Contact:  http://www.spokesman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/417
Author: James Doherty
Note: James Doherty is a Washington resident, former prosecutor and
corrections official, and a member of Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition, a group of law enforcement officials opposed to the war on 
drugs.

INITIATIVE 502: LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

Pro: Law Enforcement Should Have Time, Resources To Focus On
More-Serious Crimes

Over my 30-year legal career, I've worked as a prosecutor, public
defender and corrections official. I encountered many disturbed
individuals and saw a lot of horrifying cases  rape, murder and child
abuse. Sometimes it was difficult to go to work knowing what awaited
me. But I did go because I wanted to believe my actions were making
the community safer. As time went on, however, it became increasingly
apparent that the criminal justice system's focus on consensual
"crimes," like those involving marijuana, destroys lives rather than
protecting them. Today, with Initiative 502, the initiative to
legalize and regulate marijuana, Washingtonians can vote to reverse
this trend. I hope we do.

In 2006, police in Washington solved just over 16 percent of violent
and property crimes. That means no matter what toll it took on their
life, no matter how they were hurt or what was taken from them, 84 of
100 victims went to sleep knowing that the people who hurt them were
still out there.

As someone who worked closely with police for years, I can tell you
this is not the result of apathy on their part. They dedicate their
lives to the pursuit of justice. But they are not able to fully pursue
it because so many criminal justice system resources are focused on
marijuana.

While more-serious crimes were going unsolved, there were almost 7,700
marijuana arrests made statewide in 2007. Each one of those arrests
meant time and money spent by cops, prosecutors, defense attorneys,
judges, and possibly corrections and parole officials. Each bust meant
the real criminals in our society were a little less likely to get
caught, a little more likely to victimize someone else. As someone who
takes seriously his oath to protect people, this skewed prioritization
angers me.

Many will say marijuana use is a victimless crime. I think that in the
war on marijuana there are nothing but victims. Each arrest and
conviction represents something else, too: lessened opportunities for
a lifetime. Many of those convicted will forever after have trouble
getting a job, finding a place to live, applying for student loans,
voting  the list goes on. They will be branded with a modern day
scarlet letter that will forever limit the opportunities available to
them. Why should we care? Two reasons:

First, when we start arresting and imprisoning people for consensual
moral crimes, we erode the legitimate authority of the police.
Communities  particularly poor communities and communities of color
that have been disproportionately affected by marijuana laws  stop
seeing the police as a protective force and see it instead as an
instrument of aggression. They become less likely to cooperate in
investigations, or to report crimes in the first place. Few things
hinder the effectiveness of a police force more than this loss of
trust and cooperation.

Second, petty criminals tend to emerge from jail real criminals.
Because of mandatory minimums, many people imprisoned for marijuana
are there longer than many violent criminals. During that time, they
are both socialized as criminals and apprenticed in the trade. When
they find they can't re-enter society, many find their only option is
to graduate to more serious crime.

I-502 will allow police to focus their time on real crimes and real
criminals, and reverse this erosion of trust that has plagued our
criminal justice system for far too long. For our police. For our
communities. For all those who would be better served by treatment
than by jail time. Please vote yes.

[sidebar]

Many costs

The criminal justice system's focus on consensual "crimes," like those
involving marijuana, destroys lives rather than protecting them and
further strains police budgets.
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MAP posted-by: Matt