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"Would Legalizing Marijuana Cut Law Enforcement Costs?"

By Douglas A. Berman

The question in the title of this post is the headline of this effective California piece taking a hard look at one aspect of the debate over the state's marijuana initiative on the ballot next month.  Here are excerpts: Supporters of Proposition 19 say legalizing and regulating marijuana would save debt-plagued California hundreds of millions of dollars in public safety costs. But, could it?... If you ask local law enforcement officials, they say they are focusing on real criminals. It just so happens that some of those real criminals happen to have marijuana on them, they said. San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore says there isn?t a focus in his department on finding and arresting small-time marijuana users. ?There could have been 20 or 30 years ago," Gore said...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on October 08, 2010 (boomark / email).