Law Enforcement Leaders Ask Department of Justice to Respect State Marijuana Laws
Group Cites Public Safety Concerns Created by Illegal Marketplace; Teleconference With Colorado and Washington Law Enforcers at 12:00 PM ET
WASHINGTON, DC – This morning a former narcotics cop delivered a letter signed by 73 current and former police officers, judges, prosecutors and federal agents to Attorney General Eric Holder urging him not to interfere with the wishes of the voters of Colorado and Washington State to legalize and regulate marijuana
"We seem to be at a turning point in how our society deals with marijuana," said Neill Franklin, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, the group that authored the letter. "The war on marijuana has funded the expansion of drug cartels, it has destroyed community-police relations and it has fostered teenage use by creating an unregulated market where anyone has easy access. Prohibition has failed. Pretty much everyone knows it, especially those of us who dedicated our lives to enforcing it. The election results show that the people are ready to try something different. The opportunity clearly exists for President Obama and Attorney General Holder to do the right thing and respect the will of the voters."
There will be a teleconference for reporters interested in speaking with Mr. Franklin and other law enforcement signatories of the letter, as well as an NAACP leader, today at 12:00 PM ET. Please call 1-800-311-9403 (Passcode: "Marijuana"). Individual interviews are also available.
The text of the letter delivered today to Eric Holder is online at http://www.leap.cc/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/leap-letter-to-doj.pdf
The signatories collectively represent more than 1,100 years of experience in law enforcement.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is a group of police, judges, prosecutors, corrections officials and federal agents who, after witnessing the harms of the drug war firsthand, are now devoted to ending that war. More info at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeMarijuana.com.
# # #
Tom Angell, Media Relations Director
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
phone: (415) 488-6615 or (202) 557-4979
e-mail: media@leap.cc
http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com
Videos of LEAP cops: http://YouTube.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs
LEAP on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CopsSayLegalize
LEAP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs
Tags:
