L.a. Sheriff: Pot Legalization ‘Not Going To Pass, Even If It Passes’

[Brad]

L.A. Sheriff: Pot Legalization ‘Not Going To Pass, Even If It Passes’

 

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said on Friday that the voters don’t matter. His deputies’ enforcement of marijuana laws would not change even if voters approved Proposition 19, which would legalize cannabis in California, on November 2, according to the Sheriff.

 

“Proposition 19 is not going to pass, even if it passes,” Baca said in a news conference Friday at sheriff’s headquarters in Monterey Park, reports Robert Faturechi in The Los Angeles Times.

 

The department run by Sheriff Baca polices 75 percent of Los Angeles County. His staunch opposition to marijuana — even if it is legalized — was echoed Friday by an announcement from Attorney General Eric Holder that federal officials would continue to “vigorously enforce” cannabis laws in California, even if state voters pass the measure.

 

Baca, who is sworn to uphold California state law, claimed Prop 19 was superseded by federal law and if passed, would be found unconstitutional.

 

Standing onstage with other prominent opponents of marijuana legalization, including Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, Sheriff Baca colorfully assailed marijuana use, users and sales.

 

Asked if he had ever experimented with pot, Baca left no room for doubt. “Hell, no,” he said.

 

Baca claimed legalizing cannabis would have far-reaching effects, including increasing the costs of drug rehabilitation (although most people in rehab for marijuana have been forced there by court order), causing traffic accidents (although marijuana is not a significant factor in auto wrecks), prompting labor disputes with employees getting high on the job (although Prop 19 gives employers the right “to address consumption that actually impairs job performance“), and providing a safe cover for drug cartels selling hard drugs.

 

California’s laws for pot smokers are already lenient enough, Baca claimed.

 

“If you a need for an ounce or less… then use your marijuana, but use it privately,” Baca said. “If you want to do a joint in your house, do it. Leave the rest of us alone.”

 

Baca claimed personal users smoking at home were already a non-priority for police agencies, including the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. His department does target pot dealers, he said.

 

The sheriff came out against Prop 19 early on, joining with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to try to prevent its passage.

 

Polls have shown California voters are almost evenly split on legalization.

 

Incredibly, Baca claimed on Friday that local law enforcement agencies — which, again, are sworn to uphold state laws — should abide by federal drug laws prohibiting marijuana, even if Prop 19 passes.

 

“[Prop] 19 has no effect on what we’re going to do,” Baca said.

 

Originally posted on:

http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/10/16/l-a-sheriff-pot-legalization-not-going-to-pass-even-if-it-passes/

[Marijuana Ranch]

420Peace Brad,

 

Nice post, thanks

 

You have a Person/Public Official and a Problem,

No Person No Problem.

Just Vote the Person out of Power

It's Called Democracy...

The Marijuana Haters are going down hard,

Just like the Raciest during the Civil Righte Era..

Never the less they are going down!

[Brad]

Undeniable legal safeguards for medical cannabis patients in California, let alone Michigan, will not be assured even if legalization efforts in California prevail. Sheriff Baca's comments are evidence that there's still plenty of cops out there fanning the dying flame of cannabis prohibition.

 

Sheriff Baca has a clone right here in Michigan named Sheriff Bouchard. You can bet the farm that his forked tongue will be spewing the same kind of self-serving venom that Sheriff Baca's already has. Any legalization or decriminalization will cut into the almost 900,000 customers that these cops service every year (cannabis consumers). These customers are very profitible for law enforcement and provide financial support to judicial systems and county budgets across the country. They claim that cannabis users are not a priority, yet they refuse to reschedule cannabis and stop making criminals out of good Americans.

 

Understand our opposition and why they are fighting so hard to keep pot illegal. Our struggle is far from over and we must stay strong and fight for our rights like the Judicial Cartel (cops, judges, corrections, counselors, and the other governmental parasites) fights to keep cannabis illegal and our dollars flowing into their accounts.

 

Stay safe, stay discrete!

[-TJ-]

This guy is a toolbag and has no idea what he's talking about. Same with the michigan one.

[+420Atheist]

Isn't this the same guy who lets the stars out of jail when only spending a fraction of their time ignoring all court orders? The good people of LA need to vote him out.

[Kingdiamond]

This just shows the arrogance of law enforcement basically what hes saying is no matter what the people decide hes still going to waste tax dollars and possibly civil judgment settlements to contiue the ridiculous war on a herb that the majority of voters agree is harmless.

 

I now see why the hippies in the 60s and 70s fought so hard against this country's despicable government we no longer have any say in anything in this country.

[Marijuana Ranch]

[i now see why the hippies in the 60s and 70s fought so hard/quote]

This just shows the arrogance of law enforcement basically what hes saying is no matter what the people decide hes still going to waste tax dollars and possibly civil judgment settlements to contiue the ridiculous war on a herb that the majority of voters agree is harmless.

 

I now see why the hippies in the 60s and 70s fought so hard against this country's despicable government we no longer have any say in anything in this country.

 

 

 

 

420Peace Kingdiamond,

 

Ah the 60s the Hippies...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNVit7cesj8

 

And now these Marijuana Haters want to take us on..

If it were not so sad I would laugh

We took on Nixon

These guys are no Tricky Dick!

[solabeirtan]

420Peace Kingdiamond,

 

Ah the 60s the Hippies...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNVit7cesj8

 

And now these Marijuana Haters want to take us on..

If it were not so sad I would laugh

We took on Nixon

These guys are no Tricky Dick!

Ron the truth is we never recovered from the damage done to this country by RM Nixon. He Silenced the demonstrators when he whacked the 4 at Kent State. He started the War on Drugs. He gave the Vietnam War to the Chinese. He Created the DEA in 1972, most likely employing 'intelligence sources' left over from the massive troop buildup from Vietnam . He took us off the Gold Standard. While he slid out the back door and appointed Gerald Ford to clean up the mess and give him a pardon to boot .

 

The battle continues ...

 

ps Hopefully we'll learn from our mistakes ...

[David1946]

That comment from the sheriff borders on voter intimidation same as holders comment about the DEA "vigorously enforcing FED drug laws if prop 19 passes"

[mizerman]

Undeniable legal safeguards for medical cannabis patients in California, let alone Michigan, will not be assured even if legalization efforts in California prevail. Sheriff Baca's comments are evidence that there's still plenty of cops out there fanning the dying flame of cannabis prohibition.

 

Sheriff Baca has a clone right here in Michigan named Sheriff Bouchard. You can bet the farm that his forked tongue will be spewing the same kind of self-serving venom that Sheriff Baca's already has. Any legalization or decriminalization will cut into the almost 900,000 customers that these cops service every year (cannabis consumers). These customers are very profitible for law enforcement and provide financial support to judicial systems and county budgets across the country. They claim that cannabis users are not a priority, yet they refuse to reschedule cannabis and stop making criminals out of good Americans.

 

Understand our opposition and why they are fighting so hard to keep pot illegal. Our struggle is far from over and we must stay strong and fight for our rights like the Judicial Cartel (cops, judges, corrections, counselors, and the other governmental parasites) fights to keep cannabis illegal and our dollars flowing into their accounts.

 

Stay safe, stay discrete!

I couldn't agree with you more about Sheriff Bouchard, Jessica Cooper, L. Brooks Patterson. and Beth Hand of Oakland County.

 

 

Mizerman

[greenbuddha]

I couldn't agree with you more about Sheriff Bouchard, Jessica Cooper, L. Brooks Patterson. and Beth Hand of Oakland County.

 

 

Mizerman

 

It's MONEY and POLITICS.

 

Along with fear tactics and a heavy doses of BS and intimidation... 'hoping' it will work.

 

If Prop 19 passes in Cal the courts will be so tied up with BS cases that the Sheriff in L.A. KNOWS he won't be able to bust everyone EVEN if a Federal or State 'court' says he can.

 

TWO WEEKS TO ELECTION TIME... NOVEMBER 2ND... DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR VOTE IS GOING?

 

I know where mine is headed.

[Frank R]

At what point does the term "coup" begin to be applicable?

When military forces, which is what LEO has become, act of their own accord against the expressed wishes of the civilian authority, which would be American voters, and impose their policies with threat of violence to supersede civilian policies, that sounds like a coup to me.

 

Do we need to call in the UN as third party arbitrators, because clearly our current form of governance isn't working...

[LansingAreaCaregiver]

It's MONEY and POLITICS.

 

Along with fear tactics and a heavy doses of BS and intimidation... 'hoping' it will work.

 

If Prop 19 passes in Cal the courts will be so tied up with BS cases that the Sheriff in L.A. KNOWS he won't be able to bust everyone EVEN if a Federal or State 'court' says he can.

 

TWO WEEKS TO ELECTION TIME... NOVEMBER 2ND... DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR VOTE IS GOING?

 

I know where mine is headed.

 

You know, the point about the courts is a good question. If prop 19 passes, and the sheriff continues arresting folks for marijuana, it will cost the taxpayers and the county a LOT of $$ to prosecute the cases all the way up the legal chain. I wonder how much of this cash-strapped California voters and municipalities will tolerate his personal opposition to the voters' will? I mean, we're talking millions and millions of taxpayer and municipal funds being used to drag each of these cases to the highest levels...

[greenbuddha]

You know, the point about the courts is a good question. If prop 19 passes, and the sheriff continues arresting folks for marijuana, it will cost the taxpayers and the county a LOT of $ to prosecute the cases all the way up the legal chain. I wonder how much of this cash-strapped California voters and municipalities will tolerate his personal opposition to the voters' will? I mean, we're talking millions and millions of taxpayer and municipal funds being used to drag each of these cases to the highest levels...

 

The FEDS and this sheriff KNOW that they WILL NOT be able to keep up with the arrests IF Prop 19 is passed.

 

IF they attempted to go against the 'law' as voted in by the 'people' of California OR ANY WHERE ELSE the State and Federal courts would become a 'circus'.

 

The State would go broke and the Feds would NOT be able to resupply the 'money' to keep up 'enforcement' needs.

 

'THEY' know this. As usual when they can't control the political agenda so they use threats and intimidation.

 

But in the end it is 'ALWAYS' MONEY that talks... and it will talk in this situation also.

[dutch&Dutchess]

I think the fact that Oakland county has seen asset forfeitures drop from over 4 million a year to 1.3 million since the MMMA passed has been mirrored and magnified all across the country. The greedy basturds are feeling the pain.

[dutch&Dutchess]

The FEDS and this sheriff KNOW that they WILL NOT be able to keep up with the arrests IF Prop 19 is passed.

 

IF they attempted to go against the 'law' as voted in by the 'people' of California OR ANY WHERE ELSE the State and Federal courts would become a 'circus'.

 

The State would go broke and the Feds would NOT be able to resupply the 'money' to keep up 'enforcement' needs.

 

'THEY' know this. As usual when you can't control the political agenda they use threats and intimidation.

 

But in the end it is 'ALWAYS' MONEY that talks... and it will talk in this situation also.

 

If we have to break the court system then bring it on and let's march

Full RE-Legalization in this state next

[Mememe]

Message to LA sheriff : Californians were growing it before it was legal, you won't be able to stop them and they don't care what you have to say. (isn't it obvious?) You could stop trying to sound like you're a tough guy though.

[+Silverblue]

CA is filthy rich, they're bilking the taxpayers for all they got. I lived there, I seen a LOT of misery there, that beautiful place is being ruined just like everywhere else, because of GREED, they'd rather build luxury housing than affordable low income places, people are dying while waiting to be on a list for subsidized housing benefits, people making decent incomes are living in sub-standard housing, people are renting rooms that cost as much as they used to pay for an 1 bdrm apartment, rents have skyrocketed, in some places, there's NO rent control..., many are homeless, property taxes are sky high, disabled people lost some benefits altogether.. poor state, my rectum. ...The greed mongers are ruining it here, too, and, like everywhere, there's too much money in the WRONG darn pockets, the cost of living goes up, politicians vote themselves pay raises. They're full of shyt, but the illusion of poverty will bring prop 19 to pass in CA; we'll see who really benefits... ehehehem... profits from this, it'll be interesting to see what really does happen and how it affects the rest of us. Can I get off this miserable rock? I don't feel well and I'm feeling worse by the minute.

Sb

[+Silverblue]

hey Gb, do you still wanna move to CA???

 

Sb

[THC-Farmer]

That comment from the sheriff borders on voter intimidation same as holders comment about the DEA "vigorously enforcing FED drug laws if prop 19 passes"

That's precisely what all this actually is... They are affraid to lose status quo.

 

The justice system benefits from Cannabis prohibition too much to even consider changing anything.

 

The question is, who sees these benefits and why?

 

It sure isn't the American people...

[greenbuddha]

hey Gb, do you still wanna move to CA???

 

Sb

 

Hell yes. I keep my expectations EXTREMELY low... and then EVERYTHING is UP from there, Baby.

 

And then I'll move to the NEXT State that 'legalizes it'.

 

Just call me 'the travlin' man'.

 

I'll take my smile ANYWHERE.

 

If I paid attention to all the negativity that is 'supposed' to be out there in the world, I might as well 'really' be living in a cave.

[Kingdiamond]

Ron the truth is we never recovered from the damage done to this country by RM Nixon. He Silenced the demonstrators when he whacked the 4 at Kent State. He started the War on Drugs. He gave the Vietnam War to the Chinese. He Created the DEA in 1972, most likely employing 'intelligence sources' left over from the massive troop buildup from Vietnam . He took us off the Gold Standard. While he slid out the back door and appointed Gerald Ford to clean up the mess and give him a pardon to boot .

 

The battle continues ...

 

ps Hopefully we'll learn from our mistakes ...

All the while making pill popping Elvis Presley a honorary marshall lol aint that just something ?

[floweralliance]

Ron the truth is we never recovered from the damage done to this country by RM Nixon. He Silenced the demonstrators when he whacked the 4 at Kent State. He started the War on Drugs. He gave the Vietnam War to the Chinese. He Created the DEA in 1972, most likely employing 'intelligence sources' left over from the massive troop buildup from Vietnam . He took us off the Gold Standard. While he slid out the back door and appointed Gerald Ford to clean up the mess and give him a pardon to boot .

 

The battle continues ...

 

ps Hopefully we'll learn from our mistakes ...

 

well said - I was thinking of Kent State myself - however, I doubt the ignorant class would ever learn from a mistake much less a book.

[freakydawg420]

L.A. Sheriff: Pot Legalization ‘Not Going To Pass, Even If It Passes’

 

“Proposition 19 is not going to pass, even if it passes,” Baca said in a news conference Friday at sheriff’s headquarters in Monterey Park, reports Robert Faturechi in The Los Angeles Times.

 

Baca, who is sworn to uphold California state law, claimed Prop 19 was superseded by federal law and if passed, would be found unconstitutional.

 

Incredibly, Baca claimed on Friday that local law enforcement agencies — which, again, are sworn to uphold state laws — should abide by federal drug laws prohibiting marijuana, even if Prop 19 passes.

 

“[Prop] 19 has no effect on what we’re going to do,” Baca said.

 

 

Isn't that last statement proof that he intends to not do the job he was hired to do? His job is to enforce state law, yet here he is clearly stating he will not do his job if a state law he dislikes is passed.

 

That sounds like reason for immediate removal from position of power to me.

 

If the man is payed by the voters to do a job, and refuses to do the job they are asking him to do (enforce state marijuana laws) then he should be fired and not payed.

 

Now that the laws are changing, they don't like it. I personally like watching the LEO's grasp for straws though

[DT61]

For some strange and odd reason - and they do not have legal grounds to stand on (quite the opposite) - all of a sudden every negative minded LEO becomes a Federal Officer - in their twisted logic some how they come to that conclusion and will only end up costing yet more taxpayer dollars because that issue has already been decided.