NYPD Commissioner Says Most Drug Violence Due to Cannabis, Entirely Missing the Point of Legalization

By Isaac Davis

As cannabis legalization gains ground in the United States and other nations, more evidence emerges to confirm that society can benefit from not outlawing a plant. In legal states, more people are turning to cannabis as natural alternative to dangerous pharmaceutical painkillers, the judicial system is no longer being burdened by frivolous possession cases, SWAT teams are no longer being dispatched to raid potheads, and there is big money to be made in tax revenue.

But old habits die hard, as do outdated modes of thinking.

In a recent hit piece on cannabis by the Daily Mail, which makes the claim that smoking marijuana makes people more violent, journalist Steve Doughty ends with a clip of New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton speaking on a podcast about the nature of drug violence in the Big Apple.

Bratton’s comments are quoted here:

Here in New York, the violence we see associated with drugs, the vast majority of it, is around the issue of marijuana, which is ironic considering the explosion in use of heroin now in the city.

Interestingly enough, here in New York City most of the violence we see – violence around drug trafficking – is involving marijuana and I have to scratch my head as we are seeing many states wanting to legalize marijuana, and more liberalization of policies. [Source]

The NYPD is the largest police force in the world, better resembling a standing national army with almost 35,000 employees and foot soldiers. The commissioner’s comments echo those of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this year:

I believe it’s an unhealthy practice, and current levels of THC in marijuana are very high compared to what they were a few years ago, and we’re seeing real violence around that. Experts are telling me there’s more violence around marijuana than one would think and there’s big money involved.

Regarding Bratton’s comments, the New York Post noted:

His comments came two years after Mayor de Blasio introduced an NYPD policy mandating that a person possessing less than 25 grams of marijuana get a ticket instead of being arrested, as long as they have ID and no outstanding warrants. [Source]

In other words, while cannabis is outlawed, the force is having to manage and mitigate the predictable negative side effects of government prohibition. Is this kind of violence associated with the alcohol industry? No.

Commissioner Bratton is missing the biggest point of cannabis legalization. It moves the production and trade of the drug from the black market to the legitimate market. What once was an industry whereby in its very nature participants had to be criminals, becomes an economy for creative entrepreneurship and fair trade practices. Deals are no longer made in back alleys, and gangs lose a whole lot of turf.

If most drug-related violent crime involves marijuana and you replace the criminal element in this sector with legit business people, then you may actually end up stopping most drug-related violent crimes.

Read more articles from Isaac Davis.

Isaac Davis is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and OffgridOutpost.com Survival Tips blog. He is an outspoken advocate of liberty and of a voluntary society. He is an avid reader of history and passionate about becoming self-sufficient to break free of the control matrix. Follow him on Facebook, here.

This article (NYPD Commissioner Says Most Drug Violence Due to Cannabis, Entirely Missing the Point of Legalization) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Isaac Davis and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.


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5 Comments on "NYPD Commissioner Says Most Drug Violence Due to Cannabis, Entirely Missing the Point of Legalization"

  1. Well if you call kicking in people’s doors with jack boot thugs with machine guns chasing after plant matter violence then absolutely most violence of the drug war is with respect to marijuana. But the violence comes from the state. And that’s been going on for forty years…and its treason…and absurd. “Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America.” – Radley Balko; Read it fockers!

  2. Watch the TV show “COPS” the people drinking booze are the ones causing problems, those smoking some grass just want to relax, eat and enjoy themselves.
    The liquor lobby is the reason pot is still illegal, they don’t want the competition.

    • Actually, cannabis theatens several industries and special interests. It produces superior fiber to cotton, has no pests, and will grow anywhere it can get adequate water. A growing body of research indicates marijuana is effective in treating a variety of conditions. Thus, it is a danger to several interconnected Washington cash cows, including cotton, paper, agrichemicals, and the huge pharmaceuticals market. It threatens a lot of old money, and their public sector lackies. This issue illustrates the one serious mistake Donald Trump has made in his appointments. He should have passed over all of the tenured insiders like Jeff Sessions, and brought in new blood.

  3. .Au contraire…Quite the opposite… Imbibers want peace and to watch gorgeous sunsets. Generally feel best in a comfy environment, like the back yard.
    Alcohol on the other hand has ruined so many.
    Folks have the right to ingest that which they wish.
    Move to Colorado and imbibe for the health of it.

  4. Sure would like to see how they conducted this “study” about violence and cannabis. I’ll bet the only violence was against a bag of cookies or potato chips. Cocaine, crack, meth, a totally different story. LEO needs to focus on these substances. The opiod problem is largely due to “Big Pharma greed”.

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