Why is the police academy empty? Recruits would rather smoke weed than be cops, police chiefs say

Although cannabis is already legal in many states in America today in various capacities, some with both medical and recreational permits, the “drug” remains illegal at the federal level, creating inconsistencies in state and federal laws and also raising problems for the Federal Law Enforcement.

There is a serious national deficit in authorized law enforcement officers. In Portland, Oregon, this is critical and not a budget issue. Police Department’s 2022 budget ($249 million) is large enough to hire $65,000 recruits, including a $5,000 starting bonus, so that’s actually a lot of money. Put simply, there aren’t enough takers.

Although there are differences in police officer numbers between states, there is a clear trend that law enforcement agencies are struggling to fill their ranks. The country’s 660,288 full-time police officers have fallen by around 50,000 since 2013, according to 2021 Statista research. “Deep and complicated,” according to the National Police Support Fund, describes the recruitment shortage.

Portland’s shortage of police officers is not the result of “police defunding”; Rather, the budget for the police department is stable and will reach $249 million in 2022. The problem is that despite a better economy, the bureau has long struggled to fill officer posts, much like police forces across the country. In 2020 there was a hiring freeze and a wave of early retirements.

DRUG TESTING COULD BE GUILTY

An applicant wishing to work for the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) must have abstained from cannabis use for a full year before applying to the department. The PPB website advises that even if marijuana has been legalized in Oregon and certain other states, it is still illegal to possess or use it.

HOW CAN THE SITUATION BE SAVED? PORLANDERS OFFER SOLUTIONS.

An opinion piece published in Portland’s Willamette Week suggested that police officers should be allowed to do what other Oregonians have been legally allowed to do for years: take the day off, relax on the couch, and smoke a joint, and the country wouldn’t be first, after all country that would do so in the Union.

New Jersey police officers are not subject to penalties for off-duty marijuana use.

Police officers in New York City have a law against drinking even when they are off-duty. Although past marijuana use does not automatically disqualify applicants for police posts.

The same is true in New Orleans, where the year-long review of marijuana use by recruits was scrapped in September. Incidentally, the situation in the NOLA is dramatic: for the first time in decades, the police force has fewer than 1,000 officers as a result of the pandemic.

THE POLICE CHIEF’S OPINION ON THE MATTER

The International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP) is concerned that drug testing and cannabis bans are reducing the pool of potential recruits and that authorities are struggling to replace retired police officers.

According to a recent study conducted by the IACP, “Strong attempts to hire, recruit and retain personnel are becoming increasingly important at a time when the value of officers’ mental health is being widely recognized”. Without lowering the standards that their peers and communities expect of public officials, law enforcement agencies need to make conscious changes to their hiring and recruiting practices.

According to the IACP study, recruitment innovations include facilitating candidate disqualification. Because younger generations have a different culture than older ones, and some agencies have recognized that this makes it difficult to fill vacancies.

Some organizations even choose not to discuss a candidate’s past drug use with them at all, while other organizations no longer automatically disqualify candidates for certain drug use cases.

The police chiefs and residents of Portland should actually agree on that.

CANNABIS IN PORTLAND

In July 2015, the state of Oregon legalized recreational use and possession of cannabis for those over the age of 21. The production, sale and use of cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, although Measure 91 declared possession and use of the drug legal in Oregon.

Although it is legal to use cannabis in Oregon, there are still some restrictions that must be followed. To begin purchasing and using cannabis in Oregon, one must be at least twenty-one years of age. The use of cannabis in public is also prohibited. This bans smoking marijuana in public places, and it’s also technically illegal to carelessly light a joint while crossing the street. In addition, smoking of any kind, including cannabis or tobacco, is prohibited in many hotels and apartment complexes. Unless you’re staying in a vacation rental, hostel, hotel room, or some other place that’s clearly advertised as 420-friendly, don’t light it up.

Portland, Oregon has always had a slightly wild side and has a reputation for being a place where free spirits can go and stay. Keep Portland Weird is the slogan the city uses, and for good reason. Recreational use of marijuana in Portland, Oregon fits well with this culture.

The oversight of cannabis regulations in Portland, Oregon occurs in an environment that is widely regarded as progressive. The city’s Office of Community and Civic Life established a Marijuana Policy Oversight Team to “offer diverse stakeholder perspectives on cannabis-related public policies. The board’s mission is to research and create regulations that provide a fair… Promote access and fair outcomes for the cannabis sector, marijuana users, and all residents of the city of Portland.

FINAL EFFECT

The rule that citizens or prospective police recruits must not use cannabis for a full year before applying to be part of the force has been seen as an absurd rule by citizens and some police officers alike, as it makes them relinquish their normal civil rights, to consume cannabis. Portland’s Cannabis Oversight Team could be the one issuing new regulations to affect this rule.

POLICE AND LEGAL CANNABIS, READ MORE…

YOU CAN NOW SMOKE POWER WITH OFF-DUTY COPS IN NEW JERSEY!