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97.5 People Arrested Every Hour For Marijuana
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 20, 2011
Modified Sep 20, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 20, 2011
Modified Sep 20, 2011
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Remember when President Obama's "Drug Czar" Gil Kerliokowske said that it was time to end the "War on Drugs?" Yesterday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released the country's annual uniform crime report and in 2010, 853,838 people were arrested for marijuana-related offenses, or 97.5 people per hour, the highest ever reported. 52% of all drug arrests in the US are marijuana-related, 46% of those are for possession.
Luckily, we have a massive budget surplus and infinite law enforcement resources to combat marijuana, the scourge of the modern man. Think of the untold millions who are spared the fate of fatally overdosing from marijuana when they are welcomed into the nation's vast network of empathetic drug-treatment programs instead of jail. Minorities and whites are treated equally under this system, and their arrests are spread out evenly by race.
President Obama has taken the issue of medical marijuana seriously, and the patients with AIDS, ALS, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C, pruritus, osteoperosis, theumatoid arthritis, Tourette's syndrome, glaucoma, cerebral palsy, and chronic pain, who are mistaken about the medical benefits of marijuana (there are none) will eventually learn to cope. It's not as if they're being prosecuted anyway.
So why end the War on Drugs when everything is going swimmingly? If you ever feel the need to cut loose, try the 100% legal and healthy alternative to marijuana: alcohol.
Tagged
alcohol
crime
drugs
marijuana
medical marijuana
nypd
obama
Politics
president obama
war on drugs
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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