In what must be the biggest shocker in the history of the War on Drugs, a bunch of cops and county attorneys in Arizona don’t want pot legalized in Arizona. We’re kidding, of course. It’s not shocking at all.
The Arizona County Attorney and Sheriff’s Association yesterday took a “voice vote” on a resolution that officially opposes marijuana legalization in Arizona. The do-nothing resolution comes as a push for the legalization of limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and up in 2016 is starting to build.
The cops resolution is filled with failed War on Drugs statements, including:
– Marijuana is like cigarettes and is as addictive (wrong)
– Marijuana use among teen is on the rise and legalizing it would mean 32,000 new students would use it (teen pot use is actually down in Colorado)
– Marijuana use makes you stupid (wrong)
– Marijuana leads to poor academic performance (wrong)
– Marijuana leads to schizophrenia (nope)
– Marijuana is the second-leading cause of emergency room visits (no)
– The police are committed to the health and safety of their citizens (more like they are concerned with criminalizing and incarcerating)
Laughably, Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery – who has unfairly attacked medical marijuana users in his district – said he supported the resolution because it somehow ensures a “full and fair discussion” in the marijuana debate. This coming from the guy who backs Sheriff Joe Arapaio and his questionably degrading treatment of prisoners. Fair isn’t really in his vocabulary.
Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project which is backing the 2016 ballot initiative, said the police are just trying to maintain their well-funded status quo.
“Some law-enforcement officials view this as a loss of power for their offices,” he told the Arizona Republic. “If they no longer need to arrest and prosecute thousands of adults for marijuana, they might not need as many resources as they’re receiving.”