DC Police Chief’s bizarre claims about marijuana and violence as a libertarian billionaire shows the way

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Fresh Toast.

During a news conference on July 23rd, Washington DC Police Chief Robert Contee said, “I can tell you that marijuana is undoubtedly linked to violent crimes that we see in our community … if you have something that makes people high Get a reward – you can make a lot of money selling illegal marijuana – and the risk is low, the risk of accountability is very low, this creates a very, very, very, very, very bad situation because these people are being robbed, who shot at, these people are involved in disputes all over our city. “

“Marijuana is undoubtedly linked to violent crimes that we see in our communities.” @DCPoliceDept Chief Contee addressed the recent string of violent crimes in the district.

Full video: https://t.co/bEXP1LiJbJpic.twitter.com/I2YbGK66Ri

– 7News DC (@ 7NewsDC) July 23, 2021

SEE: DC Police Chief Says Illegal Marijuana Selling Is Linked to Violence While Congress Is Considering Unblocking

Of course, most major American cities are grappling with increasing violence, probably related to a pandemic. The drug war continues, however, and according to FBI data, more people were arrested for cannabis in the past year than for all violent crimes combined

Could this number explain the true relationship between marijuana and violence?

Chief Contee is African American, but he still seems to be ignoring the fact that, as Forbes reports, “In addition to those who live in the northeast, those in the black community can also be particularly at risk of arrest for cannabis crimes. A recent ACLU report examined 2018 data and found that blacks are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than whites. This despite the fact that both groups use cannabis at similar rates.

Photo by Matthew Karila via Unsplash

Even in western states with recreational cannabis laws, blacks were 1.5-1.8% more likely to be arrested for cannabis use. States with the worst racial disparities in arrests, such as Montana and Kentucky, were 9.4-9.6% more likely to see black people arrested. In some counties, the differences were so great that blacks were 50 times more likely to be arrested.

Contee, who is 48 years old, is from DC and, as noted, is African American (roughly half the population of DC) and has been with the DC Police Department for his entire adult life. Consequently, despite his confused testimony, it appears to be an excellent choice for his job.

Ironically, he complained, “This is the same movie when I grew up here as a boy.” Yes. It’s been called the drug war, and the marijuana ban is still an important part of it, despite the city’s attempts to legalize it, and despite opposition from the federal government, which ultimately controls DC

“This is the same movie when I was growing up here as a boy. When do we do something else? And what looks different and what doesn’t happen here is accountability. “

Chief Contee expresses frustration with the recent DC shootings.

MORE: https://t.co/YvIHFLJzklpic.twitter.com/qYrKPJspOe

– 7News DC (@ 7NewsDC) July 23, 2021

In 1972, a few years before Contee was born, I visited DC and wandered around and found myself at the RFK Stadium, which was about to be doing a concert by a rock group called The Rolling Stones or something like that. A scalper sold me his last ticket and, as far as I remember, a skinny guy was dancing around on the stage complaining that he couldn’t find satisfaction. Terrible grammar!

I’m a little blurry about the rest, but I’m sure there wasn’t any violence even though 50,000 people smoked marijuana there. I’ve lived in Amsterdam where I’ve never seen marijuana-related violence. I’ve lived in Nevada and California where I’ve never seen marijuana-related violence. Ditto, Austin, Texas. Ditto, Vancouver. Ditto, ditto, ditto!

Photo via Pixabay

Contee complains about the violence associated with black markets. I am sure that the African American leaders in Congress working on legalization will help him issue a “clarification”. Urgently needed.

Meanwhile, to add to the political absurdity, Forbes has a special article Billionaire Charles Koch on why cannabis should be legal.

So, attention MSNBC: White billionaire defends poor African Americans or something like that.

SEE: Biden’s Attorney General Election Offers A Conservative Case For The Federal Government’s Decriminalization Of Marijuana AND: Criminal Justice Reform Must Be Made A Business Of American Business.

Richard Cowan is a former NORML National Director and author of About The Roles Of Stars In The CBD Industry.