Delaware Law Enforcement Officials Eye Reinforcement Of Gun Ban For Marijuana Users

[Ron Strider]

As lawmakers consider whether to legalize recreational marijuana use, some law enforcement officials are suggesting new steps to ensure that marijuana users in Delaware are prohibited from buying guns.

William Bryson, police chief for the town of Camden and chairman of the Delaware Police Chiefs Council, told a state task force studying legalization issues Wednesday that marijuana users should be required to have an endorsement or certification on their driver's licenses indicating that they use pot.

Bryson said the proposal would help ensure that users of marijuana, whether for medical or recreational purposes, are in compliance with federal law, which prohibits marijuana users from owning guns.

"It would make sure that we are doing everything we can to ensure that prohibited people are not buying firearms in Delaware," he explained after the meeting.

Bryson noted that the federal background check form for gun purchases requires applicants to state whether they unlawfully use marijuana. It also warns them that marijuana use remains unlawful under federal law, regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized by a state.

As a result, a person who does not disclose on the background check form that he uses marijuana could be charged with a felony. On the other hand, an affirmative answer regarding marijuana use - or showing a gun store clerk a driver's license identifying the person as a marijuana user - would likely result in a person failing the background check.

"Anything we can do to keep the persons that are prohibited from getting the firearms I think is a positive step," Bryson said of his proposal, which he said arose from "brainstorming" with other police chiefs.

Meanwhile, other opponents of legalization told the task force that legalization would result in more impaired drivers and more deaths on Delaware's roads. Legalization also could hamper the ability of police to determine after a traffic stop whether a driver might illegally be carrying drugs or guns, they said.

"If we have the odor of marijuana, it furthers our investigations," said Lt. Tom Brackin, chairman of the Delaware State Troopers Association.

Brackin also warned that legalization would increase the risk of officers being injured or killed by impaired drivers while conducting traffic stops.

Opponents also noted that determining whether a driver is impaired by marijuana based on blood tests can be problematic because arbitrary legal limits are not supported by science.

Critics of legalization also say relaxing marijuana laws sends the wrong message to children that drug use is OK.

Bryson noted that juvenile arrests for marijuana possession in Delaware have more than quadrupled since lawmakers decriminalized possession by adults of an ounce or less of pot for personal use in 2015.

"They think it's fine for them to use it somehow, that's the message they've gotten," Bryson said.

Kate Bell, legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, countered that youth use of marijuana has not increased in states that have legalized pot.

The task force is scheduled to meet again Jan. 4 before finalizing its report and recommendations by the end of February.

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Full Article: Delaware officials eye reinforcement of gun ban for marijuana users
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[Nightmask]

Re: Delaware Law Enforcement Officials Eye Reinforcement Of Gun Ban For Marijuana Use

William Bryson, police chief for the town of Camden and chairman of the Delaware Police Chiefs Council, told a state task force studying legalization issues Wednesday that marijuana users should be required to have an endorsement or certification on their driver's licenses indicating that they use pot.

So the police chief wants users of a drug to "be required to have an endorsement or certification on their driver's licenses" showing they consume a drug. So will there also be a requirement on driver's licenses to display other drugs? What about alcohol? Cause that's a drug. Opioids? That's a drug. Cigarettes? Nicotine is a drug too. What about coffee? Caffeine is a drug. Okay fine, you could argue against such a broad stroke of the brush, so what about just focusing on the drugs with potentially harmful effects? Alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, SSRI's, neuroleptics, and others? These drugs can cause some of the following effects, though not every drug produces all or the same effects: anger, violence, dissociation, cognitive impairment, psychosis, homicidal and suicidal thoughts and actions, and death. Personally I'd be more concerned about someone taking a psychiatric drug like an SSRI or neuroleptic and having suicidal or homicidal thoughts or experiencing psychosis while driving (or owning a gun), but SSRI's and neuroleptics are 'legal' so there's no problem at all with those drugs. Cannabis on the other hand, that shits dangerous man, could set you off with the giggles and there's nothing more dangerous than a weed induced giggle fit where your eyes water up and you can't see through the tears of laughter.

As a result, a person who does not disclose on the background check form that he uses marijuana could be charged with a felony.

The dictionary.com definition of felony is: "an offense, as murder or burglary, of graver character than those called misdemeanors, especially those commonly punished in the U.S. by imprisonment for more than a year." So someone that lies to the government (a government that constantly lies to the people, but that's okay, it's just illegal to do it the other way around) about consuming cannabis and ticks a 'no' box instead of a 'yes' box could get you a year or more in prison and being labeled as a felon on par with a murderer or burglar? Yep that sounds fair and the punishment totally fits the 'crime'.
Could you imagine if that were for any other substance? Do you drink alcohol? What about coffee? Smoke cigarettes? Take an opioid? You ticked no but we know you do so that's more than a year in jail with all the other dangerous criminals like murderers and burglars.

Critics of legalization also say relaxing marijuana laws sends the wrong message to children that drug use is OK.

Yeah you don't wanna send the wrong message on drugs. Advertising alcohol, cigarettes, and pharmaceuticals (which are all drugs by the way, but the critics of cannabis don't seem smart enough to realize this) on television at all hours of the day which is viewed by tens of millions of people, including children, on a daily and practically hourly basis is perfectly fine. Selling alcohol at sporting events that's perfectly fine. Suggesting that people should pop pills for every imaginary ill is perfectly fine. But don't you dare consume a plant that the human race has been cultivating and consuming for several thousand years, because you know, the power mad control freaks in government over the past half century know way better than the millions of people who have consumed cannabis over thousands of years with little to no negative effects yet many beneficial effects.


Oh, and I forgot that all of this was tied to guns and those in power wanting to prevent people who consume cannabis from owning guns. Well, all of the above still stands. If those in power want to claim that guns are dangerous in the hands of cannabis consumers then those same standards should apply to other substances such as alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs. But they'd never do that of course because it's not about protecting the people. It's all about maintaining and expanding the status quo of power, profit, and control.

<edit> Oops, I hit post too early. I meant to search for and post more regarding the correlation between psychiatric drugs and homicidal thoughts and actions. Simply look up "mass murders psychiatric drugs" on a search engine. An article found here states the following:

"In virtually every mass school shooting during the past 15 years, the shooter has been on or in withdrawal from psychiatric drugs," notes Lawrence Hunter of the Social Security Institute. "Yet, federal and state governments continue to ignore the connection between psychiatric drugs and murderous violence, preferring instead to exploit these tragedies in an oppressive and unconstitutional power grab to snatch guns away from innocent, law-abiding people who are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution the right to own and bear arms to deter government tyranny and to use firearms in self defense against any miscreant who would do them harm."

And this is not true for just school shootings. PsychDrugShooters.com reports that over 100 mass shooting events have been perpetrated by individuals taking psychiatric medications.

But these facts do not fuel any media frenzies for harsher regulations on psychiatric drugs. Instead, the mainstream media focus on the guns. And public policymakers and healthcare professionals continue to advocate for the use of psychiatric drugs in both adults and children because Big Pharma is far too influential.

If those in power were really interested in keeping people safe instead of simply trying to impose their power and control over other people then they'd look into the connection between psychiatric drugs and violence/homicide. These people aren't violent because of a 'mental illness', they turn violent when they are on or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs. There are numerous studies showing the link between certain psychiatric drugs and violent/homicidal/suicidal thoughts and actions. This is known scientific fact, though it's not a widely reported fact. But those in power absolutely refuse to look at the link between psychiatric drugs and violence (mass murders) because of the massive amount of money poured into lobbying *cough* bribing *cough* the government. So instead they demonize weed and guns. Gotta deflect from the real problems. Don't want people to realize that the problem isn't weed and guns but a corrupt government and greedy corporations who seek to maximize profits by exploiting and trashing the people and planet.

 

[Surf Striper]

Re: Delaware Law Enforcement Officials Eye Reinforcement Of Gun Ban For Marijuana Use

So true, and sad.