War on Some Drugs

Overall Massachusetts is an overbearing nanny-state that’s a drag to live in if you’re a grown-up. (Thankfully its full of “Progressives” who are simply adult children who still need a Mommy standing over them….unfortunetly “Progressives” by nature are hateful and miserable people anyway, so the point is moot) Still sometimes we get things right:

The law established a civil fine of $100 for those caught with an ounce or less of marijuana. That replaced what had been a criminal offense carrying a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine, also for possession of an ounce or less of the drug.

It was actually a very popular initiative. Also with the wide-spread problems of Violent crime, sexual assault, and Political corruption here, I’m also glad to hear that the penal system isn’t bothering with a bunch of goofy potheads. But there’s a new wrinkle:

Some Massachusetts towns have given up enforcing a law that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, saying the law is written with too many loopholes to be effective….Police officials say that with most civil citations, such as speeding tickets, there are repercussions for those who don’t pay the fines. In some cases, police can even levy criminal charges against people who fail to pay.

But they cannot do so in the case of possession of less than an ounce of pot. The only recourse for city and town clerks offices is to take offenders to small claims court, which clerks say isn’t worth the time or effort to recoup $100.

“The ticketing of the individuals isn’t effective without a back up or other consequences for nonpayment of fines,” New Bedford Police Chief Ronald Teachman said.

Other officers say they’re handcuffed because the law doesn’t require people caught with small amounts of marijuana to provide identification.

“If they tell you their name is Yogi Berra or Ronald McDonald, nothing allows for further positive identification,” Sampson said.

Very amusing. Now here’s the kicker, go click the above link and read the whole story. See if you can find what’s missing from the report. I’ll wait….

Ok notice what was missing? How about a PROBLEM with this loophole? Cops are writing tickets that they can’t secure the fine. Turns out a ballot initiative that didn’t legalize a drug, essentially DID legalize it. Anything else?

Not as far as I can see. The cops are saying essentially people are smoking pot, and the cops can’t really stop them….and the problem is? Is there more violent crime? Are young girls prostituting themselves on the streets to buy some Mary-Jane? Are students showing up tweaked out of their mind? Has Reefer Madness Descended on the Bay State?

Nope. Much like the “Blood in the Streets” anti-gun doom-and-gloom prophets, relaxing our pot laws have done jack-and-crap to our society at large, and the only people suffering is the Police force who is acting butthurt because they can’t generate revenue as effectively with this law as with speeding tickets.

Maybe rather than fixing a non-problem, we’ll just dump the bullshit law?

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0 Responses to War on Some Drugs

  1. maddmedic says:

    Legalize them.
    Regulate and Tax.
    Like booze and tobacco.
    Might as well.
    So called War on Drugs is a big FAIL!!
    And money pit.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Yep, Hasn’t been any St. Valentine’s Day Massacre since booze became legal. Of course there are massive shootouts on the Mexican boarder over smuggling pot (and other drugs).

      Sure selling drugs at the drug store will cause some vice problems, but I can’t imagine it will be any worse than what we have.

      • Bob S. says:

        Right, problems like all those food poisonings from stuff sold at gas stations and small restaurants all over America.

        Or the problems with licensed and unlicensed cosmetologists giving hair cuts, coloring hair, or using fish to give pedicures, eh?

        Licensing and such are entry barriers, not safety precautions for the most part and have been for a long time. Make it permissible to sue a person for providing bad pot and go after their not inconsiderable profits — that will take care of any massive problems.

  2. Jake says:

    The only recourse for city and town clerks offices is to take offenders to small claims court, which clerks say isn’t worth the time or effort to recoup $100.

    “The ticketing of the individuals isn’t effective without a back up or other consequences for nonpayment of fines,” New Bedford Police Chief Ronald Teachman said.

    That’s not a bug, it’s a feature!

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