It isnt gang violence. It isnt even domestic violence. What is the leading cause of murder in Carson City? According to Sheriff Ken Furlong, its marijuana.
Its against that law, Furlong told local ABC affiliate, KOLO 8. It does change peoples attitude and we do see people dying as a result of it, needlessly, and theres no excuse for it.
In the last 13-15 years, all of the violence weve seen that has turned deadly, have [sic] been in someway related to a marijuana issue.
Before you get too excited, thinking Furlong nailed it the fact cannabis remains a federal Schedule 1 drug and thus technically illegal in the ongoing yet utterly failed war on drugs that isnt all he had to say on the matter.
KOLO 8 noted the 2016 deaths of 18-year-old Grant Watkins and 40-year-old Dennis Watkins, Jr. both killed during transactions involving the sale of cannabis.
During a transaction, they set it up, Im going to sell this to you, then all of a sudden someone gets shot and killed, Furlong continued. Its not because they were under the influence; its because they were doing something deadly and it turned out that way.
As Furlong explained, the threat to life isnt due to the drugs effects on the system, per se, but the culture and crimes surrounding it that can be overwhelming, as KOLO 8 paraphrased.
Its a very cherished culture and people have very strong beliefs, the Sheriff elaborated. When you violate someones beliefs, you put them in a position where they can act out.
But Furlongs complete lack of understanding of all things cannabis including both medicinal and recreational aspects didnt stop there. According to the Sheriff, the community faces repercussions following a law enforcement drug bust because addicts suddenly have no way to procure their cannabis.
Were watching very closely, not only for a spike in crime, but for people who are in critical need of medical care because of that lack of treatment, based on withdrawal from the drug, he asserted.
Yes, you read that right. Carson Citys Sheriff-in-charge firmly believes depriving people of cannabis a plant scientifically and anecdotally proven to save lives will lead to a crime wave and health crisis of no small proportions.
But what he explained next, as paraphrased by KOLO 8, harkens back to the earliest days of cannabis prohibition and the propagandist classic, Reefer Madness:
Sheriff Furlong says unlike other drugs like heroin or methamphetamines that can distort your mind, people using marijuana usually have rational trains of thought which give them the ability to act out and become violent when someone takes away or violates their drug.
At this point, if youre having a good laugh, stunned, or shaking your head, you most certainly are not alone.
Obviously, Sheriff Furlong grasps the potential perils in black market trade but he wholly fails to recognize removing cannabis illegality would thus remove the risk of violence. When the State is removed from consensual business transactions, individuals are free to conduct trade as they see fit if cannabis were abundant and legal, it would be highly unlikely people would continue killing each other over soured deals.
But Furlongs stupefying lack of knowledge concerning the effects cannabis has on the body, though certainly laughable, also should concern the residents hes tasked with overseeing.
Mischaracterizing cannabis so broadly as to believe it will warp peoples minds to a heightened frenzy where theyre likely to commit violence is downright dangerous.
For one thing, this inexcusable misperception could color the training Sheriff Furlong decides to give law enforcement trainees and officers. Considering the absolutely epidemic national spate of violence inflicted by trigger-happy cops who already seem to have an irrational fear of the public, training them to further view cannabis users as likely to act out physically is nothing short of dangerous.
If sheriffs deputies conduct a raid on a residence known for cannabis transactions with the preconception the people inside could turn violent instantly, its arguable they would be more likely to misinterpret anything they encounter. This unnecessarily heightened fear that their life could be in peril from a cannabis-crazed maniac would have obvious influence on their decisions for whether or not to employ deadly force.
Sadly, Sheriff Furlong likely isnt alone among law enforcement in the United States. As long as the drug war remains firmly entrenched in policy and culture, dangerous misunderstandings and lack of knowledge will arguably be the greater source of violence than would the substances be were they not illegal.
In the meantime, while forced to pick apart drug laws state by state, perhaps drug and cannabis education not fear- and prohibition-based propaganda, but serious education should be mandatory in law enforcement training.
#1: Gatlin To: Deckard (#0)
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 09:30:11 Reply Private Reply
#2: misterwhite To: Gatlin (#1)
Just in the UK!
misterwhite posted on 2016-05-10 09:48:16 Reply Private Reply
#3: misterwhite To: Deckard (#0)
Studies have shown that marijuana can trigger psychosis.
Chris Kyle's murderer pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity by saying that he was psychotic because he was high.
misterwhite posted on 2016-05-10 09:56:20 Reply Private Reply
#4: Deckard To: Gatlin (#1)
Bullshit.
Deckard posted on 2016-05-10 10:34:12 Reply Private Reply
#5: Deckard To: misterwhite (#3)
He was psychotic to begin with.
Saying "the marijuana made him do it" is beyond absurd.
Deckard posted on 2016-05-10 11:03:07 Reply Private Reply
#6: misterwhite To: Deckard (#5)
Attaboy.
misterwhite posted on 2016-05-10 11:33:26 Reply Private Reply
#7: Gatlin To: Deckard (#4)
Early deaths caused by psychological dependence on marijuana muat not be considered bullshit.
Potheads whose psychological dependence has developed through the consistent and frequent exposure to the stimulus need help.
We need to figure out how to make problem correcting effective strategies available to these dopers at the earliest opportunity.
I urge you to join in this effort.
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 11:37:46 Reply Private Reply
#8: Hondo68 To: Gatlin (#1)
Hondo68 posted on 2016-05-10 11:38:34 Reply Private Reply
#9: Gatlin To: hondo68, Deckard, misterwhite (#8)
Now is the time, TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE and help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN !!!
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 11:42:28 Reply Private Reply
#10: ConservingFreedom To: Gatlin (#1)
So should we ban both cannabis and tobacco, or neither?
ConservingFreedom posted on 2016-05-10 11:53:58 Reply Private Reply
#11: Gatlin To: Deckard, misterwhite (#5)
Au contraire mon ami.
You are definitely suffering through a chicken or the egg causality dilemma.
Potheads should be aware of potential undesired acute marijuana effects the effects of being high on pot.
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 12:09:10 Reply Private Reply
#12: Hondo68 To: Gatlin, Trophy Bock, trippin out (#9)
Good luck at the dry out clinic.
Hondo68 posted on 2016-05-10 12:11:57 Reply Private Reply
#13: Gatlin To: ConservingFreedom (#10)
If data is released to show that the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes using tobacco more than doubled since 2013, like those using marijuana did then we should give consideration to both.
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 12:25:34 Reply Private Reply
#14: Gatlin To: ConservingFreedom (#13)
Data released by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) this week indicate that the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes with active THC in their blood jumped from 38 in 2013 to 75 last year. As The Seattle Times notes, the reasons for that increase are not entirely clear:
A little research reveals news articles, police reports, and academic studies on a number of marijuana- attributable deaths:
These are just a few reports on deaths linked to marijuana there are many, many more.Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 12:27:21 Reply Private Reply
#15: Gatlin To: hondo68 (#12)
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 12:28:42 Reply Private Reply
#16: Fred Mertz To: Gatlin (#15)
Fred Mertz posted on 2016-05-10 12:47:34 Reply Private Reply
#17: ConservingFreedom To: Gatlin (#14)
More from that source:
"state-regulated pot stores opened in 2014, providing access to legal weed. But the first few stores didn't open until July, and their supply was scarce. Seattle, allotted 21 stores by state officials, saw only one shop selling pot until late September.
"What's more, there were more marijuana-involved fatal crashes in the first half of 2014, before stores opened, than in the second half of the year.
[...] "The Times notes that "half the drivers with active THC in their blood also were under the influence of alcohol, and the majority of those were legally intoxicated." Alcohol has a much more dramatic impact on driving ability than marijuana does"
ConservingFreedom posted on 2016-05-10 13:31:02 Reply Private Reply
#18: Gatlin To: ConservingFreedom (#17)
It is entirely clear that potheads under the influence with active THC in their blood should definitely not be driving and involved in fatal crashes. Marijuana and driving simply do not go together!
Saying that alcohol has a much more dramatic impact on driving ability than marijuana does not lessen the severe impact that marijuana use has on the potheads health, their families and their communities. These scumbags need to address the severe impact of their substance use.
Marijuana and alcohol thats double trouble and twice the stupidity.
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 21:53:00 Reply Private Reply
#19: buckeroo To: Gatlin (#18)
OMG! REFFER MADNESS! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!
buckeroo posted on 2016-05-10 22:16:36 Reply Private Reply
#20: Gatlin To: buckeroo (#19)
Gatlin posted on 2016-05-10 22:31:25 Reply Private Reply
#21: ConservingFreedom To: Gatlin (#18)
Of course. The point is that since legalization hasn't been shown to cause increased impaired driving, the latter is no argument for "giving consideration to" a cannabis ban. Just as drunk driving isn't an argument for banning alcohol, or cars, stoned driving isn't an argument for a ban on anything but stoned driving.
ConservingFreedom posted on 2016-05-11 11:34:08 Reply Private Reply