By Duke London

 

According to a fascinating new survey, more than two-thirds of our Nation’s police officers want to see prohibitionist marijuana laws relaxed — or done away with completely.

Pew Research Center polled almost 8,000 active law enforcement officers from all across the United States and asked them whether marijuana should be legal for adult and medical use, legal for medical use, or not legal at all. Surprisingly, only 30 percent of the 7,917 officers polled believed that marijuana should not be legal in any form. Of the remaining choices, 32 percent of respondents believe marijuana should be legal for both recreational and medical purposes while 37 percent of those polled believe the plant should only be legal when prescribed as a medicine.

Once the data is pulled back a layer further, a generational dissension becomes visible. Among officers surveyed who were under 35 years of age, 37 percent said they support recreational marijuana reform, whereas only 27 percent of officers in their 50s agreed with legalizing cannabis completely.

Diane Goldstein, a retired Redondo Beach PD Lieutenant Commander and board member of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), wasn’t shocked by the numbers. She attributes the remaining detractors within the police community to a failure in education.

“Law enforcement continues to represent an outlier view on this issue because police are trained with outdated, unscientific, drug-war-oriented materials,” said Goldstein.

She added that “the poll reflects a positive attitude shift when you see that it’s only 1 in 3 police officers who believe marijuana should remain illegal.” LEAP, which was founded in 2002 by a group of officers fed up with drug policies that were clearly failing, was instrumental in legalization campaigns across the country, including in Colorado and Washington.

Even though they are outnumbered, law enforcement groups that are steadfast in their continued support of archaic marijuana laws still have an enormous impact on legislature. Large groups of officers in opposition of legalization were some of the most influential donors to campaigns against marijuana reform in states like Arizona, where Prop 205 (and recreational marijuana for adults) was narrowly defeated.

To provide some context, the general population is far more liberal on the issue of cannabis legalization. Pew conducted the same survey on 4,538 civilian adults in the United States and found that cannabis legalization was viewed even more favorably than among law enforcement. When asked how marijuana should be made legal, if at all, 49 percent answered that they would support recreational laws, while another 35 percent supported medical legislation. Only 15 percent of survey participants believed in a complete prohibition on marijuana.

We spoke with Keith Higgins, a 14-year veteran of Orange County PD who spent time in patrol, gang investigations, and seven years on the SWAT team during his time on the force. Higgins currently works in the marijuana industry, so he was able to give us a really unique perspective on this topic. We asked Keith the same question about marijuana legalization that the Pew survey posed to law enforcement professionals. The following was Keith’s answer to the survey question:

I definitely believe marijuana should be legalized. If the legalization is done correctly, it will bring enormous amounts of tax revenue to the cities and the state and will cut down drastically on the black market.

During my career, I had way more issues with people under the influence of alcohol than I did with people using marijuana. Legalization can legitimize the growers who have been living in the shadows and help them become business owners.

The business of marijuana can affect law enforcement in a few ways. You have to have clear cut laws on what is allowed, and what is not allowed. Each city has to have clear cut regulations for the operation of dispensaries, zoning, licenses, security, etc.

As more and more of the older generations of police chiefs and managers start retiring, I think you are going to see a big shift in law enforcement’s thinking towards cannabis. When some of these guys started in law enforcement in the early 1980s, possession of even a seed of marijuana was a felony. You’re not going to change their thinking. But as these guys retire and the younger guys start getting promoted through the ranks, the prohibitionist mentality is going to disappear — as it should.

Banking is also a huge issue that affects marijuana business owners and law enforcement. That is why the cannabis industry can be very dangerous. Ninety percent of business transactions are done with cash. The federal government needs to step in, deregulate cannabis from a Schedule 1 drug, and lift the banking restrictions. I think when that is done, it will relieve a huge burden from business owners and law enforcement. It will legitimize businesses and cut down on the robberies police have to deal with.

It isn’t just the human police officers who are ready to move on from marijuana, either. In Massachusetts, where marijuana was just recently legalized for adult-use, a new wave of police K-9 units are being trained to completely ignore marijuana, as the plant’s scent can no longer warrant further searches of homes or vehicles.

A recent story in The Patriot Ledger focused on the process of phasing out marijuana-sniffing dogs in Massachusetts:

Before he was cleared to join the force, the newest dog at the Quincy Police Department was brought into a room with (more) than 200 pounds of marijuana so his handler could see what he would do.

“No interest whatsoever,” said Lt. Robert Gillan.

The dog, Charlie, had passed the test with flying colors. Unlike previous generations of police dogs, Charlie had been trained to detect only the smell of cocaine, opioids and methamphetamines – not marijuana, which today became legal for recreational use in Massachusetts.

Charlie is not alone. As Massachusetts has gradually legalized marijuana – starting with decriminalization of small quantities in 2008 and advancing with the legalization of medical use in 2012 – many police departments have already phased out dogs trained to detect the drug and brought in new dogs with different training. But with marijuana now on pace to become no less legal than alcohol in the state, some officials say many more dogs will have to be replaced or retired soon.