The Top Five Special Interest Groups Lobbying To Keep Marijuana Illegal

[marmar]

from 2493, via AlterNet:



The Top Five Special Interest Groups Lobbying To Keep Marijuana Illegal


Last year, over 850,000 people in America were arrested for marijuana-related crimes. Despite public opinion, the medical community, and human rightsexperts all moving in favor of relaxing marijuana prohibition laws, little has changed in terms of policy.

There have been many great books and articles detailing the history of the drug war. Part of America’s fixation with keeping the leafy green plant illegal is rooted in cultural and political clashes from the past.

However, we at Republic Report think it’s worth showing that there are entrenched interest groups that are spending large sums of money to keep our broken drug laws on the books:

1.) Police Unions: Police departments across the country have become dependent on federal drug war grants to finance their budget. In March, we published a story revealing that a police union lobbyist in California coordinated the effort to defeat Prop 19, a ballot measure in 2010 to legalize marijuana, while helping his police department clients collect tens of millions in federal marijuana-eradication grants. And it’s not just in California. Federal lobbying disclosures show that other police union lobbyists have pushed for stiffer penalties for marijuana-related crimes nationwide.

2.) Private Prisons Corporations: Private prison corporations make millions by incarcerating people who have been imprisoned for drug crimes, including marijuana. As Republic Report’s Matt Stoller noted last year, Corrections Corporation of America, one of the largest for-profit prison companies, revealed in a regulatory filing that continuing the drug war is part in parcel to their business strategy. Prison companies have spent millions bankrolling pro-drug war politicians and have used secretive front groups, like the American Legislative Exchange Council, to pass harsh sentencing requirements for drug crimes. ......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/907001/the_top_five_special_interest_groups_lobbying_to_keep_marijuana_illegal/

[msongs]

1. not to worry long as Obama's prez. btw where is the cotton lobby on that list because....

if smoke weed is legalized and/or regulated there will no longer be ANY reason not to allow widespread growing of industrial grade HEMP, which is a big threat to the cotton lobby. hemp needs less water and fertilizer, has fewer if any natural enemies, and can be made into anything cotton can plus more

[nineteen50]

2. He forgot to mention the court system including lawyers

[hootinholler]

12. You have amazing insight

Tremendous analysis skills too.

Please, tell us more!

[SunSeeker]

4. So THAT's who was bankrolling No on 19. A-holes!

And really stupid of the police unions. If we legalized pot in CA, the taxes on pot sales would probably make up for any budget cuts to their departments. I guess next time we try to put a pot initiative together, we should include a provision that a nice chunk of the revenue from taxing pot goes directly to police departments, like the way a slice of lottery sales revenues go to schools.

As for the private prisons, they're just evil. Stoners make the perfect inmate: easy to catch and once caught, not dangerous in prison. Their innocuousness is another reason why stoners shouldn't be arrested.

[joshcryer]

5. The prison industrial complex will be hit hard by legalization.

Really hard.

[Dawson Leery]

6. Police unions: Bust Em'!

[Lasher]

7. That is totally corrupt.

Cops love the easy arrest.

[Blue Owl]

8. Of the 5 lobbyists, by the 5 lobbyists, and for the 5 lobbyists

Aint democracy grand.

[midnight]

9. "Just a decade ago, private prisons were a dying industry awash in corruption

and mired in lawsuits, particularly Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation’s largest private prison operator. Today, these companies are booming once again, yet the lawsuits and scandals continue to pile up. Meanwhile, more and more evidence shows that compared to publicly run prisons, private jails are filthier, more violent, less accountable, and contrary to what privatization advocates peddle as truth, do not save money. In fact, more recent findings suggest that private prisons could be more costly."http://www.salon.com/2011/12/01/how_private_prisons_game_the_system/

[Initech]

10. Police unions = bust 'em. Prison corporations = incarcerate 'em.

[JackRiddler]

11. They left out the CIA, PMCs-PSCs, and money launderers (banks).

[Festivito]

18. Indeed. /nt

[libodem]

13. That's an eye opener

Those big red bloodshot eyes.

[duhneece]

14. California's Corrections Officers unions

were hugely responsible for their cannabis legalization legislative loss, I understand. Job security.

[Uncle Joe]

15. Topped out by #3 Alchohol and Tobacco

#4 Big Pharma and #5 the prison guards' union.

Thanks for the thread, marmar.

[JNelson6563]

16. K&R

[limpyhobbler]

17. more evidence the system is broken and corrupt

[freshwest]

19. Unfortunately, all five groups are financially benefiting from harming other citizens. Sad & Scary.

Add to that the MIC and that influence in these groups and it's a lot of people allied against legalization, more than the categories listed at the link.

It's not always just the 1% against the 99%, although the 1% benefit. More like 50% against the other 50%.

Yet we gladly do this to each other.

Good, clear information, may make some think.

[mdmc]

20. ..

[McCamy Taylor]

21. 1,2 and 5 are an extortion racket. 3 and 4 are actual competitors, so their opposition makes

sense. The prison industrial complex and the nation's police force should be ashamed of themselves. This is like making lefthandedness illegal, so that all the lefties can get tickets and go to jail. Or making it illegal to be Black, so that all Black people can get tickets and got to jail---oh, wait, they already have that one. Never mind.

[Overseas]

22. Sad K&R.

[otohara]

23. ALEC

figures.