COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of February 20, 2015

COP on the Hill

Stories from the week of February 20, 2015

Please, arrest me: On Friday I was chatting with two Capitol police officers at a door checkpoint. I started by informing them they had missed the chance for a big bust this morning. I had had my briefcase full of free, MJ samples for Congressional staff but at 1500 they were all gone.

They countered with the story of a guy earlier this week. They asked what is in the 303 shell casing (fairly large rifle bullet)…the guy extracted a small bud of MJ. He then demanded the police arrest him, putting his hands together to be cuffed. My colleague didn’t miss a beat. “You wanted to be arrested for that much marijuana? Take it outside and give it to a Metro DC officer.” And escorted him out of the building. Times are a changin.

Two weeks ago recall I asked the Drug Czar a question…did not know CSpan covered it…my question starts around 1:07 & 45 seconds…the non-reply is a few minutes later.   CSPAN: http://www.c-span.org/video/?324232-1/discussion-us-domestic-foreign-drug-policy

It’s working: It is worth noting I heard my first full-throated defense in six months for drug prohibition this week. The WV office and his staffer were absolutely convinced that current policies are working to reduce crime, death, disease and drug use. !Yikes! Still having two out of 435 offices clueless. The Senate is worse with about 20 out of 100 being clueless.

My colleague from MPP Don Murphy gave me an excellent tip at lunch…if Congress allows states to legalize, there will be more money for states that don’t…i.e. if you are a vegetarian, that leaves more meat for me…I will try next time… thanks Don.

Published LTE in Baltimore Sun: At very bottom “Heroin Prohibition is the Problem.”

This week’s raw data:

1755  Presentations to Congressional staffers..  16 this week

81 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $80,000).. 01 this week

   02  meetings this week

•   COP stats since inception: August 2009

               60 brief chats with Members of Congress..   0 this week

108 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc.     0 this week

12 Conversations (five minutes or longer) with Member of Congress..  0  this week

• 20 major conferences attended..   (United Nations drug conf, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review,  etc) 0 this week
• 81 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc..    0 this week

53 Radio Interviews..  0 this week

 38  Appearances on major TV networks..this week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC)…0 this week (BBC)

• 28published interviews in major (daily) newspapers or magazine…this week

      *   2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position

• Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders.   Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
• Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 or more per year.   All contributions are tax-deductible.  30 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year.   Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal prohibition.  COP provides that voice.  www.citizensopposingprohibition.org

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n103/a02.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2015
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2015 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact: talkback@baltimoresun.com
Website: http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Howard J. Wooldridge

HEROIN PROHIBITION IS THE PROBLEM

Tsunamis of drugs have rolled into and around Maryland since the 1960s.  As a retired detective, I worked the trenches of our drug war.  Polls show 80 percent of the people recognize the total failure of policy.

Indeed, the police are a mosquito on the butt of an elephant.  We have never, ever been able to make more than a dent in drug availability.  Attorney General Brian Frosh needs to come clean to Maryland residents and admit that heroin prohibition is more the cause of deaths than a way to reduce them ( “Maryland joins multistate task force to combat heroin,” Feb.  12 ).

Howard J.  Wooldridge, Buckeystown

The writer, a retired police detective, is co-founder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.