Pubdate: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ) Copyright: 2002 East Valley Tribune Contact: http://www.aztrib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1795 PROP 203 WOULD WORSEN STATE'S DRUG CRISIS Proposition 203 requires the Arizona Department of Public Safety to distribute the "free" marijuana. Requiring law enforcement personnel to sort, grade, and distribute marijuana is not an efficient use of our tax dollars and takes needed resources off the streets. Additionally, Proposition 203 requires DPS to distribute marijuana seized from the drug dealers. What if a marijuana trafficker dipped the marijuana in PCP or laced it with cocaine? Think of the risks involved in redistributing seized marijuana. Criminals convicted of marijuana possession will be freed from prison. If someone is in prison for possession of marijuana, it was probably the result of a downward plea agreement from the more serious crime (trafficking). The illicit drug trafficking industry is a multimillion-dollar illegal industry. These illegal assets will no longer be subject to seizure under Proposition 203. In order to successfully dismantle drug trafficking organizations, it is essential that law enforcement take away the resources that these organizations will use to further their criminal drug trafficking enterprises. Proposition 203 will reduce the effectiveness of law enforcement in Arizona. Why do we care? The Arizona Narcotics Officers Association is a non-profit, member-run organization made up of local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers. ANOA members are currently assigned to duties such as narcotics enforcement, gang units, street crimes units, crime labs, major offender units, and neighborhood enforcement units. We see the destructive effects of drug abuse on a daily basis, and we care about our children; most of us are parents, too. We have also posted information on our Web site at www.aznarcoticsofficer.com. Statistics for 12th grade drug use were taken from the "Monitoring the Future" study. James Womack, President Arizona Narcotic Officers Association Tucson - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom