Ex-officer: War on drugs 'far worse' than a failure

I dont know about you guys but that vehicle makes me smile from ear to ear

 

"It's not like cops are walking around looking for kids smoking pot." - Mr. Evans

I beg to differ, I'd have to say that a very large part of what cops do is simply drive around, see if there's anything suspicious on the road, and if they can get an in through a traffic stop, the main thing they want to do is try and search the car, or the people in the car, for drugs and/or drug paraphernalia.

And, obviously, more to the point in response to David Evans, YES, the cops are looking around for kids smoking pot, what the fuck do you think drug prohibition means???? When cops are driving around, they are actively looking around at the other cars around them and if some people are blatant enough to be smoking pot in their car in plain sight, the cops will pull them over. I almost feel dumb writing this out because it's so obvious...

Also just wanted to point out how much the government does not want the war on drugs to end. There are two ways for it to end, IMO - legalization of all drugs, is 1st, and the vastly easier option, BUT, what about if all drug users suddenly stopped using at the same time for a period of 5 years (like one of Stalin's 5 year plans)?? 5 years without any drug arrests of any kind would cripple police forces across the nation with immediate effects - the devastation would be lovely. This is totally hypothetical, but if you think about the situation like this, you have to admit police actually want people to be using drugs in droves, so then they have plenty of chances to arrest and catch at least a fraction of users/dealers, like has been going on for decades now.

 

And props on the car, wish I could drive that in my neighborhood - would be attracting all kinds of attention!

 

Too bad this guy wasnt as outspoken back when he was a police officer....but as everyone knows you would be alienated by everyone in the dept and basically become a pariah

 

^^

Yeah exactly. Cops who don't play ball just get blacklisted hard. That's why they all wait to speak out about shit until they're retired.

 

"It's not like cops are walking around looking for kids smoking pot." - Mr. Evans

I beg to differ, I'd have to say that a very large part of what cops do is simply drive around, see if there's anything suspicious on the road, and if they can get an in through a traffic stop, the main thing they want to do is try and search the car, or the people in the car, for drugs and/or drug paraphernalia.

And, obviously, more to the point in response to David Evans, YES, the cops are looking around for kids smoking pot, what the fuck do you think drug prohibition means???? When cops are driving around, they are actively looking around at the other cars around them and if some people are blatant enough to be smoking pot in their car in plain sight, the cops will pull them over. I almost feel dumb writing this out because it's so obvious...

Also just wanted to point out how much the government does not want the war on drugs to end. There are two ways for it to end, IMO - legalization of all drugs, is 1st, and the vastly easier option, BUT, what about if all drug users suddenly stopped using at the same time for a period of 5 years (like one of Stalin's 5 year plans)?? 5 years without any drug arrests of any kind would cripple police forces across the nation with immediate effects - the devastation would be lovely. This is totally hypothetical, but if you think about the situation like this, you have to admit police actually want people to be using drugs in droves, so then they have plenty of chances to arrest and catch at least a fraction of users/dealers, like has been going on for decades now.

I beg to differ as well. Last time I was in court, there was a group of 19-20 year old guys seeing the judge before me. They had been busted by a cop who had been eavesdropping on them while they were walking some trail. The cop heard them talk about a "secret spot" and decided to follow them and then made the arrest for pot possession and spray painting some cave.

 

Really weird event the other night: a small group of us were smoking some Misty in a school at night (and yes, I know I need to grow up), and really blowing clouds of this very strong smelling weed. Anyway, a cop kinda skulks towards us from the shadows, very creepy. We manage to put out the joints, hide the shotty, and look "normal" even though we had serious red-eye, and the smell was obvious. I wouldn't have bet on it, but the cop was actually perfectly reasonable, even amiable, and just politely asked us to leave private ground. Very strange.

I guess not all British bobbies on the beat are utter cunts, after all. (But I've known plenty).

 

"Its not like cops are walking around looking for kids smoking pot."

lol in my hometown thats all the police departments did and from my understanding a majority of the surrounding wealthy areas were the same...big waste of resources.

 

From what I've read, when drugs are legalized at first there's a spike in use. 6 months to a year later, the drug use levels out, and starts to decrease.
We really need to see where the use is at five-year and ten.years. Of course money from taxes should be used to educate, open mmt clinics, offer treatment to whoever wants it, etc.
Then the police could focus on real crime.

 

Then the police could focus on real crime.

i think thats where you run into problems

 

Mr. Evans is just an hypocritical jerk: America won't be drug free as long as alcohol (one of the worst drug among them all), tobacco and Big Pharma products are sold (with or without prescription). And I also think that Nancy Reagan's "Just say no" bullshit has been one of the worst thing that ever happened to America. Just say no has never ever promoted anything else than sheer ignorance instead of educating people. There, I feel better now.

 

Just a matter of time before shit gets better imo. somethings gotta give eventually imo.

 

I wonder if he's Krystle Cole's dad.

 

"David Evans, a New Jersey lawyer who works as a special adviser to the Drug Free America Foundation, a nonprofit that has opposed marijuana legalization, said calling the war on drugs a failure was akin to calling the fight against cancer a flop because the disease still exists."

Considering the Drug Free America Foundation was basically funded from the very beginning by pharmaceutical companies, I find this statement by David Evans to be absolutely, utterly abhorrent and completely reminiscent of the problem.

 

yea that guys an idiot, because just like the war on drugs, the US government has vested interest in "enforcing" these things. there is a cure for cancer, but its more lucrative for the government to keep people sick.. anyone notice a trend? fuck the us government.

 

War On Drugs = War On Me When is America and the drunkards at the United Nations going to realize that their war "to save the children" has actually resulted in more deaths than any of us care to count or think about?

 

The War On Drugs has become past the point of being ridicules... Cops raiding houses( the wrong houses)..people getting killed , dogs being shot left in right when they the raid wrong house.. I live in a college/airforce town. kids riding their bike to school with backpacks get searched all the time for no reason.. I do believe people just have had enough.. Just like "FadeTtryptamine" stated "Just a matter of time before shit gets better imo. somethings gotta give eventually imo."

 

the US police drug force are not heroes.they're cowards.
i crossed on a red light and a police car stopped me,strip searched me right in the street.
for nothing.because they can(crossing a red street light is illegal)
luckily i didn't have any pot on me.imagine what could have happened?
my green card revoked,deportation,losing my kid….for 2 grams of weed in my pocket.
they DO drive around,hunting down people who looks a little strange to their eyes or who
they personally don't like.this is wrong and misuse of power.they are on a power kick.
you kind of have to play the game "yes officer","I'm sorry",because u can end up in trouble
unimaginable because of weed or talking too loud or whatever.
I try to stay away from any kind of police.they scare me.
and I have never harmed anyone but myself w drugs.

 

Ist. It was mega multi state Lotto. Finally passed: dug out many states / large citie in
a ression. Then. We have a decade or so later the Riverboat Gambling...more money, jobs... and taxes. Now we have a drug people smoke in spite of the consequences. And from this jobs increase city / state revenue... And satisfied citizens ...Heck CA ought to be out of their financial problems of it's not already made pot legal for casual use

 

I dont know about you guys but that vehicle makes me smile from ear to ear

I eould fucking love to see that thing drive around town. hell even pull in my driveway ;]

times they are a changin

 

Yeah these people just do not see that the reason for all the crime and negatives regarding drugs, is because of the laws... so, they see crime and drug problems, and they crack down.. not realizing that they're just making it worse, so then they keep cracking down and it's a vicious cycle.

The real issue, is that the government doesn't want the drug war to end. The entire thing is a facade to make it look like they actually want to stop the use of illegal drugs, but they don't, which is why it's all bullshit and the police are basically just pawns of the politicians to make it look like to the public that they are being tough on drugs.

If the United States government really wanted to stop the drugs from getting in... they could do it. Very easily. But they don't want to because the wheel of people making money because of drugs is so large. There's the money from the direct sales of the drugs that you know parts of the government had a hand in, there's all the money the pharmaceutical companies make, the rehab/recovery industry, all the social workers and people who only have jobs because of drug addiction, the politicians/police officials who use drug stats to get elected and get more money from the state, etc, etc.

It's a never ending wheel and the only people loosing are the actual addicts, because they don't give a fuck or actually want us to stop.

I agree with most of this, but I think organized crime spends quite a bit to keep politicians supporting prohibition. And I believe approximately the SAME amount of effort and interest in continuing this "war on plants" or what we should really refer to it as, the "war on personal freedom" would be the flip side of crime; law enforcement in general. Specifically, the DEA and DOJ have the most to lose if prohibition ended because over half of their size would be cut virtually overnight. This is the only reason the "war" continues despite how clearly out of proportion it has and continues to grow and if anyone believes its saving lives, they must be deaf dumb and blind because all its doing is contributing to death and suffering for "addicts" and their families not to mention the cartels which are just corporations that operate like I would expect a criminal corporation to act, completely indifferent to laws or morals of any kind except greed. Law enforcement is necessary to maintain balance, but not to "protect" people from themselves its impossible anyway. The food I eat and exercise I never do are just as harmful as drugs if I abuse them. Especially alcohol! Anyway, my point is any rational person can see what a waste of resources, time and lives it is to try and control peoples self destructive desires.