Pubdate: Thu, 14 Apr 2011
Source: Toccoa Record, The (GA)
Copyright: 2011 The Toccoa Record
Contact: https://secure.townnews.com/thetoccoarecord.com/forms/letters.php
Website: http://www.thetoccoarecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5073
Author: John Larson

WE ARE SHREDDING OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, LIBERTIES

The war on drugs is really a war on our liberties and
rights.

The police can pass by your apartment door and if they smell what they
perceive as marijuana smoke, they can break it down without a warrant,
after a quick knock under the guise that you might be destroying
evidence. This ignores the fact that in many states marijuana is legal
for medical purposes, so the smoke of the drug is not necessary
evidence of a crime. Why do we allow these kind of abuses?

Marijuana for example, is less harmful than alcohol. Men aren't
getting into fights because of smoking marijuana as they do at times
with alcohol. Indeed, a number of innocent individuals have been
killed by military style SWAT teams breaking into houses in the dark
of night.

If an innocent person is killed, than the shooting is excused or
justified as the price of doing business in the war on drugs.

If an officer dies by an innocent person defending his house by what
he believes in the heat of the moment are armed intruders, he gets put
on trial for murder one.

This has happened numerous times. People lose their cars or boats
because of small amounts of marijuana found in them.

Indeed, a person might lose money they legitimately earned during a
police stop, if it is deemed drug money, without any charges brought
against the person.

We are shredding our Constitutional rights and liberties in this dumb
war, it is time to stop.

John Larson

Toccoa
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