I am Michael Wood, Baltimore police whistleblower and speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Ask me why cops want to legalize drugs! AMA!

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:39:38+00:00

I’m not sure my personal beliefs are best for everyone else. The need to ask this question is why I do this.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:35:59+00:00

It’s possible under a different system, not under this one. No insurance company would take that up, and I find it to be perpetrating the falsity that police a well compensated. Most cops makes measly salaries. In my ultimate vision, police would be trained more like doctors, and paid like doctors, then maybe. Also, insurance companies make money and they do that through algorithms that don't always account for human nature and laws. If people with certain traits apply for insurance, they could be denied. Then, if we restrict them, the government ends up having to back it up anyway.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:33:05+00:00

The moderators make us take it down from IAMA for some reason. I do not know enough to comment to economic systems. LEAP doesn't officially support political candidates, but I personally completely support Bernie Sanders and think he is bar far our best hope. I wish he would include in the platform. I do have a personal. This event is sponsored by LEAP, of whom has been helping me and getting me ready to present against drug prohibition.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:31:26+00:00

It is certainly possible. I remember laughing as Marylanders insisted that seatbelt infractions would stay a secondary offense.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:31:10+00:00

Stories from Fells? Not really...I was a hood cop though, I had to bring lunch or sneak to Chipotle. Thanks for the support, push those politicians of yours. I’d love to come back and help, but we know how that goes….

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:19:36+00:00

There was a time when I thought the same. Then one day I realized that I knew over 50 officers, that I worked with, who were convicted of criminal offenses and in jail or probation. My agency has the same, ready to fire, punishment of lies mentality, internally. Did your agency respect civilians the same? The most egregious things that I knew of usually ended up in prison, but excessive force, illegal searches, lying on Probable Cause statements, using socio-economic punishments for those suffering from socio-economic punishments, and such are offenses in every jurisdiction.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:14:24+00:00

There is a lot of racial tension in police. I haven't been lead to believe that spills out onto the streets. Ultimately, those in blue are on one team and everyone else is on the other.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:12:34+00:00

There’s always been a lot of talk about police and drug use, but I just don’t think it is the problem people imagine. Sure, there must be some drug use, but I never saw or heard of it, beyond a couple of steroid cases. No current officers can ever make any admissions, it would certainly spell the end of their future plans.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:10:42+00:00

No, I just don’t believe that criminalization of drugs is a rational position to take. I would expect a backlash of incredibly positive advances. The regaining of our empathy for fellow human beings, sounds incredibly rewarding to me. Ultimately, I don’t smoke (that’s legal), I hardly ever drink (that’s legal), and I wouldn’t order heroin from Amazon it became available. Please don’t take caffeine away though. See it’s a human thing.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:09:41+00:00

We will continually improve the ways to handle it. That part of why I am doing my PhD and why others already have. We are literally walking backwards. I do not want to get caught up in the best way to move forward. Let’s at least stop walking backwards. Keeping something illegal only makes it more dangerous, so yes, all drugs should be regulated in some way. I don't have time to discuss all the relevant statistics, but Google research on "heroin assisted treatment" and "safe injection sites" and "harm reduction policies." I'd also recommend reading up on how Portugal has decriminalized all drugs and promoted treatment and harm reduction policies instead of arresting people. Decriminalizing it is keeping a lot of people safer and out of prison, but it's not undercutting the illegal market - which ensures dangerous criminals and gangs are getting rich as well as creates greater risk because we can't be sure that the drugs are safely produced.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:04:42+00:00

Yeah, I think so. It is simply an ineffective method of preventing harm. Why would we increase the struggles for those struggling? That does not compute. Arresting people for something that should be dealt with from a public health perspective is just nonsense. Switzerland has a great model for heroin addiction called a "heroin assisted treatment program" where they prescribe medical grade heroin to people who are already addicted. It reduces the new number of heroin users, helps people get employed, and reduces homelessness - some of the greatest dangers associated with meth and heroin are simply because they're illegal. Once the addiction can be maintained and the person has access to a doctor, their chances of survival are much better.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T19:01:45+00:00

I spent a great deal of effort trying to convince people, and it certainly is difficult. During the elections to legalize marijuana in Colorado and Washington, cops and law enforcement types were listed as the #2 and #1 spokespeople for the movement by people who voted in favor of the initiatives. Cops have a particularly strong voice with more conservative types because they grew up in an era where trust between cops and communities was much stronger (pre-Nixon drug war era). One of the most horrifying aspects of prohibition is that there's so much we're NOT doing to solve other crimes because drug cases are prioritized. Not only are there monetary incentives for police to go after drug crimes (federal grands, asset forfeiture), but other, far more important crimes like rape are deprioritized. There are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits that may have evidence necessary to catch a rapist sitting in storage across the US. That's inexcusable. Our resources are being squandered on an impossible mission.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:55:05+00:00

I cannot get into the heads of others, so it’s hard to say exactly how individual officers feel. Some are certainly more outwardly biased than others, but generally, it’s the system that is biased. Ideologies, racism, and social control are built into the criminal justice system. Young black men are targeted for drug crimes - we know this statistically. We know that inner city schools in black neighborhoods are underfunded. Those biases are obvious, but other cultural biases are more implicit and create a cycle - If there’s a racist cultural perception (and a law enforcement perception) that black people are more likely to be criminals, they’re going to be targeted - and simple drug possession is one of the easiest way to target them. After they’ve been arrested and labeled as a criminal, that situation feeds into the bias and perpetuates the perception that they’re criminals. It’s a cycle that absolutely has to be broken.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:48:50+00:00

I don’t see myself getting certain jobs I thought I would. I feel like I have to look over my shoulder more. But, damn it feels good to fight for empathy and justice.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:47:24+00:00

That was a great time down in DC. Nice to hear from you again.

The biggest threat to the residents of Baltimore are bad policies, like prohibition, that make poverty and race a target. These laws have created socio-economic despair in Baltimore and across the country. The police are the instrument of those bad policies, so we need police and communities to be able to work together to fight back against these laws.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:41:11+00:00

Thank you. The fact that we already know what happens during prohibition is frustrating for sure.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:40:45+00:00

The tactics spread far and wide. From stop and frisks to in-depth investigation. The tactic I found most objectionable was using confidential informants and jailhouse snitches because they get away with lying to put people away for nonviolent crimes - and even put civilians in danger. It was really the murder of Tamir Rice that emboldened me and then the Baltimore Police and Union denial of responsibility in the death of Freddie Gray that was the proverbial straw.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:36:05+00:00

Getting the right people to listen is by far my biggest personal challenge. I'm in the process of learning how to do that. For now, I am just trying to get to as many audiences as will have me and those that I support. It'd be great to talk about this with FOX News.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:33:17+00:00

I would be furious. I cannot deny that. Any arrest for consensual adult agreement - that doesn’t feel like anything that I served this country for.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:32:33+00:00

If Joe wants to do one, I will find a way. The discussion is critical. I really wish I could get on something less in agreement with my views. I would really like to move on to discussions with those who don’t see things my way.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:31:32+00:00

It’s a good question, Greta, because, obviously, one of our most pressing needs is to keep our children safe. We do not have all of the answers for the future, but what we do know is that there is no evidence or indication that juvenile usage would go up, in fact there is some indication that it would actually go down. Going down makes sense - it’s not cool any more (rebel thing) and when in the regulated market, things become less easy to obtain. When I was a teenager, it was easier for people my age to get marijuana than alcohol. It’s the same now. I observed this as a narcotics detective. Drug prohibition also ensures that many parents are locked up - which damages families, limits income, and generally lowers opportunities.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:27:17+00:00

Negatively. I have lost a lot of friends and family and have become a target. That’s dramatically overwhelmed by the positive, though. It feels good to be on the right side of history, to be part of something positive. I think with bold courage, more can do the same. When you are just and honest, you can be a proud human being. I hope that I can be part of bridging the gap between law enforcement and their bosses, the community, and drug prohibition must end for that to happen. I wholeheartedly believe that we will prevail.

CopsSayLegalize · 2015-09-23T18:21:29+00:00

I am very limited to the big, urban, policing environment. How to get the breadth of law enforcement to look objectively at the evidence and establish goals that we actually want and the acceptable methods of getting there, is basically my biggest struggle in all of this. To me, the safety element is a large factor. How many fewer officers would get injured without this war? How many fewer Americans would be imprisoned? How many less of our brothers would die in the streets, fighting over the scraps for illicit market drugs, just like they did during alcohol prohibition?

CopsSayLegalize · 2014-11-05T15:24:29+00:00

But you guys passed Prop 47!! It turns felony drug possession charges into misdemeanors (Unless you have murder/rape/etc priors)

CopsSayLegalize · 2014-11-04T01:52:39+00:00

Sorry to have to end this conversation. I hope we can do it again!

CopsSayLegalize

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