Madison, WI Police Chief Endorses Legalization of Marijuana for Recreational Use

[Origanalist]

By: Barry Donegan Sep 17, 2014 3
Madison, WI Police Chief Mike Koval endorsed the legalization of marijuana for recreational use during a recent interview with the Wisconsin State Journal.

In a recent interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, WI Police Chief Mike Koval called the War on Drugs an “abject failure” and endorsed the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. He bolstered his argument by pointing out the fact that the city’s African American population is being cited or arrested for marijuana offences at twelve times the rate of Caucasians, parroting the concerns of national figures like US senators Rand Paul and Cory Booker, who have been pushing for criminal justice reform in the wake of the drug war’s disproportionate application on the basis of race. Chief Koval said that he believes that taxes taken from marijuana sales should be used to fund drug treatment programs and drug courts to help addicts beat hard narcotics like heroin without facing incarceration.

continued...http://benswann.com/madison-wi-police-chief-endorses-legalization-of-marijuana-for-recreational-use/

[Keith and stuff]

Not a bad idea. Plus, my guess is that 75% of the people in the city feel that it should be legalized so he is taking an extremely popular position.

[helmuth_hubener]

Not a bad idea. Plus, my guess is that 75% of the people in the city feel that it should be legalized so he is taking an extremely popular position. Accurate estimate. Very true.

[jkr]

BUT THEN WHO WOULD COPS BEAT UP AND ROB?

we'll need another scapegoat...

[Snew]

it's a start.

[ghengis86]

Not a bad idea. Plus, my guess is that 75% of the people in the city feel that it should be legalized so he is taking an extremely popular position.

Right on point.

But the comment that the entire "war on drugs" being an abject failure is encouraging for many reasons.

The "tax it" model for drug treatment and rehab isn't perfect, but a hell of a step in the right direct. Drug addiction is a medical affliction and should be treated medically. The consequences of turning to crime to find the addiction is the symptom of the medical condition. We don't treat the main cause of the criminal consequences in the US, thus never 'win the war on drugs', which is probably the purpose of the drug war.

[tod evans]

I'm all for decriminalizing weed but I'm dead set against portraying weed legislation as primarily a "black" problem..