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Blue Byline

A cop's perspective of the news and South Sound matters

Tag: federal government

Oct.
14th

I-502 discussion important – and entertaining

Many local and national issues await our decision on November 6. One of those guaranteed to resonate on many levels is Initiative 502, the measure to legalize marijuana. Its controversial presence on the ballot may be the final lap for legalization- but what a long and strange trip it has been.

Forget about jobs and the economy; that bitter and acrimonious debate is as full of rhetoric as it is never-ending. For shocking surprises, surreal parallels and unholy relationships, no issue has more political drama than the pre-election flap over legalized pot.

If the road up to this point has …

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Jan.
17th

Some facts to consider in the marijuana legalization discussion

 

Several times over the last few months I have written columns on the controversial topic of marijuana. There’s been a lot to discuss. Legalization. Medical marijuana permits. Enforcement. I-502.

I based much of the writing on both my experiences as a police officer enforcing drug statutes as well as a few recent Trib articles. These stories ranged from status updates on marijuana legislation, a review of both Tacoma and Seattle’s stance on marijuana enforcement, and the results of an investigative piece wherein a reporter successfully applied for a medical marijuana permit.

The comments I

…

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Dec.
11th

The legalization discussion across the border

When I walk through the streets of Vancouver, B.C., where the skyscrapers are more numerous, the waterfront more inviting and the mountains appear to rise right above me, it is easy to imagine that I am wandering the landscape of an amped up, Super-Tacoma. Then I’ll have a chat with one of my brethren in Canadian law enforcement and realize that, despite the visual similarities (mountains, water, umm… marijuana), our American society holds several distinctions from that which exists in the Great White North.

Starting with the cops. Canadian police, I have observed, have less oversight …

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