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To The Editor:
This is in response to the article, "Norwalk Hosts Presentation On Marijuana Legalization".
The Norwalk presentation on cannabis legalization is being hosted by a police officer. How are police officers qualified experts on drugs and their effects on individuals or society?
The entirety of their knowledge is anecdotal, biased, cherry-picked data. Police are not called to the scene of the vast majority of all drug use because, according to federal government data, 80 to 90 percent of all drug use is not problematic.
To the extent it is, make drugs illegal and nobody will call the cops when they should. The idea that cannabis causes crime is laughable. Prohibition causes crime by making crimes out of things that aren't crimes and making entire marketplaces illegal where conflicts are settled with guns not lawyers.
The experts on this issue are economists, statisticians, researchers and healthcare professionals. Police are supposed to follow the laws we make after we consult experts. Police driving this train is the tail wagging the dog.
Of course, police want drugs to be illegal. It's a wonderful way to bypass that annoying Fourth Amendment. It's a great way to fund police departments through Byrne grants and asset seizures that don't require any proof a crime was committed.
Why would police want to get rid of that gravy train? Why risk your life chasing violent criminals when you can spend hours booking a passive cannabis smoker? Prohibition is a jobs program for law enforcement. Police are our employees. It's time we acted like it and asked them to listen to us, not vice versa.
Wayne Reiss
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