Drug Arrests Dwarf Those For Other Crimes

[greenbuddha]

US OH: Drug Arrests Dwarf Those For Other Crimes

 

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URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n476/a03.html

Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

Votes: 0

Pubdate: Wed, 18 Sep 2013

Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)

Copyright: 2013 The Columbus Dispatch

Contact: letters@dispatch.com

Website: http://www.dispatch.com/

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93

Author: Alan Johnson

Page: 23

 

DRUG ARRESTS DWARF THOSE FOR OTHER CRIMES

 

While violent crimes showed a slight uptick for the first time in six years across the U.S.  in 2012, drug arrests continued to dominate the Ohio and national crime picture.

 

There were more than four times as many arrests for drugs as violent crimes in Ohio last year - 26,936 to 6,236 - according to new Uniform Crime Reporting statistics released on Monday by the FBI.  The report is compiled using statistics provided by more than 18,000 law-enforcement agencies across the country.  Violent crimes include murder, voluntary manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and assault.

 

Violence has shock value in the report: A violent crime happened every 26 seconds, a rape every 6.2 minutes, and a murder every 35.4 minutes in the U.S.  FBI Director James B.  Comey noted in releasing the statistics that violent crime rose 0.7 percent last year.

 

But a group called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition also underlined numbers showing law enforcement made a drug arrest every 20 seconds and a marijuana arrest every 42 seconds.  The group is composed of police, prosecutors, judges and others who argue that the U.S.  is losing a lengthy, massive and costly war on drugs.

 

"These numbers represent a tremendous loss of human potential.  Each one of those arrests is the story of someone who may suffer a variety of adverse effects from their interaction with the justice system," said Neill Franklin, executive director of the group and a police officer for more than three decades.

 

"Every time a police officer makes an arrest for drugs, that's several hours out of his or her day not spent going after real criminals," added Diane Goldstein, a retired police lieutenant commander.

 

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has pushed hard for arrests for possession and sale of narcotic prescription pills, heroin, methamphetamines and synthetic drugs, but has not made a similar move against marijuana.

 

The FBI report showed that nationally, 80 percent of all drug arrests were for possession as opposed to sale or trafficking.  There were 1,531,251 U.S.  drug arrests, more than theft ( 1,264,986 ), and drunken driving ( 1,215,077 ).

 

Midwest law enforcement had the highest percentage of any region in marijuana-possession arrests compared with all drug arrests at 51.9 percent; the West had the lowest at 22.1 percent.

 

The full report is at http:// tinyurl.com/lh88zks. 

MAP posted-by: Matt

[Chauncy Gardner]

The FBI report showed that nationally, 80 percent of all drug arrests were for possession as opposed to sale or trafficking.  There were 1,531,251 U.S.  drug arrests, more than theft ( 1,264,986 ), and drunken driving ( 1,215,077 ).

 

 

It should be pointed out that a lot of theft cases are the result of people trying to obtain money in order to pay the inflated price of illegal drugs.

[Dr. Bob]

So is your argument we should have price control on illegal drugs? 

[Chauncy Gardner]

So is your argument we should have price control on illegal drugs? 

 

No. I guess my argument is simply that drugs would cost much less if they were legal.

 

This is a real conundrum for society. Neither prohibition nor treatment seems to work all that well. Maybe a drug will be developed that mimics heroin or cocaine but isn't harmful.

 

If marijuana becomes legal, the price will fall into the basement - if it's done right. Doing it right would mean no restrictions on growing.

[Wild Bill]

No. I guess my argument is simply that drugs would cost much less if they were legal.

 

This is a real conundrum for society. Neither prohibition nor treatment seems to work all that well.

 

 

He drew his chair closer to mine, and began to talk in a quiet, persuasive voice. " It's this way, my dear Sir Peter, The workings of Providence are indeed strange. just before the passing of my Act, I had invested what little fortune I possessed in the purchase of a Cocaine Factory in Switzerland, with the intention of putting an end to its nefarious activities. Now here is an instance of what I can only refer to with reverent gratitude as the Moving of the Divine Finger."

 

 " Well, on the other hand, I discovered that,thanks to the very Act which I had so arduously laboured to put upon the Statute Book, that little bottle of yours which costs me less than five shillings to manufacture, and was sold retail for a matter of fifteen shillings, can now be sold-discreetly, you understand-in the West End for almost anything one cares to ask-ten, twenty,even fifty pounds to the right customer. Eh? What do you say to that?"

 

He laughed gleefully. "Why,ill-natured people might say I had put through the Act for the very purpose of making a bull market for my produce!"

 

"And you save humanity from its follies and vices at the same stroke!" The cocaine had cleared my mind-it was like one of those transparent golden sunsets after a thunderstorm in the Mediterranean. I revelled in the ingenuity of Mr. Platt's proceedings.

 

I gloated with devilish intensity upon the jest of carrying out so magnificent a scheme beneath so complete a camouflage. It was the vision of Satan disguised as an angel of light.

 

THE DIARY OF A DRUG FIEND - ALEISTER CROWLEY (1922)

Edited September 22, 2013 by Wild Bill

[greenbuddha]

So is your argument we should have price control on illegal drugs? 

 

 

I took the underlying basis of CG's comments to be that 'drug use / abuse' should be treated as a social / medical problem, so that the issue is taken out of the hands of law enforcement.

 

And if that became the case then LEO would have to look at possible pay cuts, and I'm sure that's why all LEO unions and federations are totally against such a move.