Former Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief Stephen Downing is among police officers who support the legalization of marijuana and he says that the country is ready for it.
"The polls indicate that the country is ready for it, well over 50 percent . . . agree that it's time to legalize, regulate and control," Downing told Ed Berliner on "MidPoint" on
Newsmax TV Monday.
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In addition, "the polls show that well over 80 percent of the nation believes that it's time to find a new policy, that the one that we're using isn't working," he explained.
The former LAPD deputy chief says that Colorado is serving as good model for the rest of the country, where marijuana became legal for recreational use in January, because the government is then able to regulate it.
"We're seeing in Colorado that handing the regulation and control to government rather than the gangs and the cartels is benefiting society," he explained.
"Look at the results of the first six months' results in Colorado and the sky is not falling, and the control of the substances to minors is 100 percent in compliance, crime is down, taxes are coming in, they're starting to build new school programs," he said.
"Everything in terms of that particular drug with that particular model seems to be working," Downing contends.
"If we start to recognize that drug abuse and drug addiction is a health problem as opposed to a criminal justice problem we're going to have a much better community," he added.
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