# He Probably Thinks "Reefer Madness" Is A Documentary **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 27, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-probably-thinks-reefer-madness-is-a-documentary/682444 "2014-02-27T19:50:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-probably-thinks-reefer-madness-is-a-documentary/682444/1 "2014-02-27T19:50:20Z")
[I wonder what he was smoking when he did his research](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/like-wow-police-chief-is-hoaxed-on-pot-perils/2014/02/25/42bd0592-9e94-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html): > [@](#): > > Annapolis Police Chief Michael A. Pristoop thought he came prepared when he testified before a Maryland state Senate panel on Tuesday about the perils of legalizing marijuana. > > In researching his testimony against two bills before the Judicial Proceedings Committee, Pristoop said, he had found a news article to illustrate the risks of legalization: 37 people in Colorado, he said, had died of marijuana oversdoses on the very day that the state legalized pot… > > …[T]he Colorado overdose story, despite its deadpan delivery, had been made up for laughs by _[The Daily Currant](http://dailycurrant.com/2014/01/02/marijuana-overdoses-kill-37-in-colorado-on-first-day-of-legalization/)_, an online comedy magazine… :eek: 😃 :smack: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-probably-thinks-reefer-madness-is-a-documentary/682444/2 "2014-02-27T20:22:55Z")
I hate the idea that we allow people in Law Enforcement to have any business with Law Making. Unfortunately, our government is rife with Vested Interests ruling the roost. And this one bothers me a lot. It’s immoral because it’s illegal. It should be illegal because it’s already illegal. It’s wrong because it’s illegal. Don’t dare make it legal, because it’s immoral and wrong. Why? Because it’s illegal, duh! I swear, if you outlawed buckets solely on the basis of child drowning deaths, these same people would be arguing against overturning that law based on the idea that Buckets are immoral and wrong and harm people because they’re illegal. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-probably-thinks-reefer-madness-is-a-documentary/682444/3 "2014-02-27T20:29:40Z")
If the chief had read the article in _The Daily Currant_, he might have noticed this: > [@](#): > > “One of the those victims was 29-year-old Jesse Bruce Pinkman, a former methamphetamine dealer from Albuquerque who had recently moved to Boulder to establish a legal marijuana dispensary.” So, that’s what happened after the show. RIP, Jesse. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-probably-thinks-reefer-madness-is-a-documentary/682444/4 "2014-02-27T20:48:54Z")
Law enforcement agencies have a vested interest in perpetuating the marijuana myths. The gateway drug, the refer madness, etc. The state and local agencies confiscate hot cars, then use them as police cars in the DARE programs, they confiscate cash money from so called illegals during traffic stops and claim that the money is drug related, even when no drugs are found. Because if you don’t have a bank account the money is illegal. These activities are self-perpetuating. It is a huge cash cow for local agencies. There is an entire industry of drug testing, incarceration, required diversion programs, etc, that is now threatened by the liberalization of drug policies. Make no mistake, the issue boils down to money, as it usually does. You can expect the new found lax pot policies to be swiftly followed by more stringent monitoring in ways that will restore lost revenue. And create new business’ to gather and exploit the new paradigm.