# Forfeiture laws **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 10, 2001, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forfeiture-laws/53949 "2001-02-10T21:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Krispy\_Original](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ec9cab/32.png) [@Krispy\_Original](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krispy_Original)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2001, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forfeiture-laws/53949/1 "2001-02-10T21:20:25Z")
Forfeiture laws make me ashamed to be an American. I just can’t believe that one’s personal property can be seized and forfeited without regard for a person’s guilt or innocence, and in most cases, without due process. Yes, I understand that how the sneaky politicians get around this is by claiming property doesn’t have the same rights as a person, but come on, that’s just disgusting. Is the Constitution being trampled? Seems like it to me. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2001, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forfeiture-laws/53949/2 "2001-02-10T23:07:33Z")
I’m in whole-hearted agreement, and I think Supreme Court precedent on this is completely off-base. Fortunately, it seems the people are taking matters into their own hands. Several states have passed or are passing reforms of civil forfeiture laws, including some, IIRC by referendum. Sua ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2001, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forfeiture-laws/53949/3 "2001-02-11T06:48:39Z")
The way I see it is that using the argument of asset forfeiture laws being bound only by the rights of the property involved is like the government removing all the words from newspapers and saying that it doesn’t violate free speech, as the words themselves have no rights. Just as free speech isn’t defined by the ability to put coherent markings on paper, so property isn’t defined in any way that takes no regard for ownership. Any lawyers want to cite what SCOTUS rulings apply? Also, what do the Methamphtamine Anti-Proliferation Act and the Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act do to current asset forfeiture laws? ---
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2001, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forfeiture-laws/53949/4 "2001-02-11T14:33:19Z")
I seem to be in agreement with a whole lot of Democrats lately… 🙂