Marijuana busts more important to metro Detroit law enforcement?

Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 5:08pm
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By. Michael Velardo

Marijuana busts in and around Detroit in the last couple of months appear to be more important than heroin or cocaine as area law enforcement continue their ramped-up efforts to rid the Motor City, and surrounding area of illicit drugs.

The arraignment of a couple in Detroit on February 3rd, 2010 are two of the most recent to fall under the seige on marijuana dealers. Police allegedly found about 1000 pounds of pot in their home. The couple turned themselves in to authorities on Tuesday the 2nd of Feb.

However, why the apparent focus on marijuana?

While removing heroin and cocaine is understandable, marijuana busts are a waste of valuable resources. Might not it be more effective educating kids much earlier about risky behaviors, rather than authorities running around the planet getting countries to grow tomatoes instead of poppies, or busting people growing and/or smoking pot?

Busting the suppliers and upper level dealers is a tactic that has been going on for many years in our "War on Drugs" throughout the U.S., and other countries with absolutely no demonstrable effects of paring down the supply, or demand of those who would manufacture, sell, or use hard core drugs.

Pointedly, these so-called mid, and upper level dealers have often turned out to be low level street sellers with heroin, cocaine, or crack cocaine habits themselves. Our prisons are full of them.

It's obvious sweeping the streets of mid, and upper level drug dealers needs to continue, or else we might end up seeing storefronts advertising specials with 3, 5 and 7 dollar specials on packs of heroin, or other drugs, if no action was taken at all by law enforcement to keep these people in check.

Going after the marijuana crowd just seems ridiculous in light of the prescription drug epidemic, increased heroin problems, and other crimes that make pot look like a Sunday summer afternoon picnic.

With the prescription drug abuse epidemic picking up 2500 new teens everyday in this country, more must be done about the ease at which these drugs can be obtained.

Did you know drug dealers are for the most part not responsible for supplying your teen with drugs when they started using? No, their friends, relatives, and the medicine cabinets are the problem. It is only later when the person becomes addicted that dealers come into play, doctor shopping materializes, and if addicted to prescription narcotics, the switch that is often made to heroin because it is cheaper.

But again, so much money has been wasted on enforcement through interdiction, raids, and other actions, that more of an impact could be made had the money been channeled toward education, prevention, intervention, treatment, and aftercare.

The issue with busting these heinous marijuana smokers, and cultivators, as some people still look upon them as, has gotten stale. These actions are also a giant waste of money on enforcement, prosecution, and incarceration costs.

If we don't get at children early enough in their lives there will always be a demand for illicit drugs as they enter the years when they become most vulnerable to drug use, and addiction, and that is in their teen years.

Drug education classes should be part of the school curriculum starting in at least 3rd grade minimum, if not sooner. These classes should run each and every year, and be mandatory for graduation.

As for the marijuana busts the Detroit police seem to be so proud of, and focusing their attention on, give it a break dudes. There are much more important problems facing citizens of Michigan, and in particular, those in the metro Detroit region.