MichMash

Thu, Jun 10, 2010 : 2:37 p.m.

Hard Core....If the rest of the world thinks we are nuts...why do we have an invasion of illegals trying to get into this country that everybody suppossedly hates? Typical AA attitude. Move to europe... then you don't have to vote for tax hikes...they're alredy there. BTW, I agree that busting maryjane is a complete waste of scarce resources. In fact, it legalizing and taxing is the simplest of solutions to fund the little things like eduation.

ronn oneal

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 2:55 p.m.

Every time the cops get dope off the street, is a good day and may safe someone from dying or being robbed. thank you police that stop drugs before they get2 the street. thanx

pseudo

Tue, Nov 17, 2009 : 7:08 a.m.

We had a dealer 3 doors down. A2 police were too slow. He was not dealing pot - stronger stuff right on the school grounds. Lawnet got him and put him away. I am not for some silly concentration on busting up the pot trade. We voted to up the $5 pot fine to $25 years ago and the courts have been stupid in their response. I also think that the mandated payments recovery centers for visits is a bit of a racket - again, for the pot stuff. But the other stuff? Sick 'em. The dealers are the slime mold of our society. Bring on LAWNET. I was happy to have a unit to turn to that would go after our punk dealer.

Snarf Oscar Boondoggle

Tue, Nov 17, 2009 : 1:36 a.m.

i am personally nad professionally glad that the the conflation of crippling drugs and non-crippling drugs has been stopped. separating the two (drug types) is essential for the future of re-legalization of non-crippling substances (drugs). the singular reason for the association is the unscientific and immoral conflation of the types.

BikeProf

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 11:40 p.m.

This story is a joke and reads like a PR release for this completely unnecessary undercover unit. Why doesn't AnnArbor.com do an investigation of the waste of public resources and alleged police abuses involved in cracking down on what is, quite clearly from these stats, an overwhelming focus on marijuana? The different ways the drug war works in the student neighborhoods and Ypsilanti vs. Burns Park or Barton Hills? The war on drugs is a war on youth and minorities (most of all), and it is racist in its application if not its intent. Students get caught up in it temporarily because they are concentrated in a college town but most of all it's about extreme racial disparities in arrests, and even more so in sentencing. Marijuana is not a gateway drug, is not even in the same ballpark as alcohol and prescription drugs in terms of its hazards, and is illegal for adults in the U.S. mainly because of an implicit belief that it makes people less than motivated capitalists.

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 5:17 p.m.

John of saline, alcohol can actually effect the part of the brain that controlls reflexes, judgement,and even breathing and heartbeat. and it can even cause death, this is called alcohol poisoning. It's a proven fact that marijuana does not effect these same parts of the brain. no one has ever stoped breathing because of marijuana, nor has anybodies heart ever stopped beating because marijuana effected their brain so severely... They are 2 completely different drugs, that effect the brain in completely different ways. But you guy's seem to keep stating your oppinions as if the 2 drugs are one in the same.

John of Saline

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 4:42 p.m.

"The truth of the matter is that marijuana does cause uphoria, but it DOES NOT cause the same loss of motor skills, reaction time, or reflexes in the same way that alcohol does." Seriously?? I've seen reaction times on the order of 5 seconds--or longer--from potheads. And the slowed reaction time--while not as severe--persists long after the "high." Of course it isn't percieved by the user, who feels perfectly cool driving a car, etc.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 4:36 p.m.

If the problem is that people are afraid that someone will drive while high on marijuana, it seems that the reasonable reaction would be to make driving on marijuana illegal which it already is! There have been studies that show that marijuana affects driving abilities differently than alcohol. I can't find it right now but I remember reading one where they had people smoke marijuana and then drive a closed course. The first hit of pot actually made people *better* drivers but then it fell off after that, eventually impairing the drivers significantly. So it makes sense to keep driving while under the influence of marijuana illegal.

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 4:11 p.m.

I've experimented with both alcohol, and marijuana in my life. And I can tell you from first hand experience, that they do not effect you in the same way. Can you say the same? there have also been studies that confirm this. But I'm willing to play devils advocate...what if marijuana does effect you in the same way that alcohol does? Does that mean that we should reintroduce prohabition of alcohol?

Thick Candy Shell

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 4:05 p.m.

@Atticus F. Do you REALLY believe that "marijuana does cause uphoria, but it DOES NOT cause the same loss of motor skills, reaction time, or reflexes in the same way that alcohol does." If that is the case, there is no way to convince you of anything. I have been around a lot of regular smokers over the years, and I will say it is absolutely obvious if they smoked or not. They are slower in reaction and they can not get many of the simple calculations that come naturally otherwise!

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 3:37 p.m.

And to thick candy shell, Let me remind you that slavery was at one time legal in this country. So why not give those slave owners a BIG PAT ON THE BACK...After all, they were not doing anything illegal! In other words, the law isn't always right.

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 3:33 p.m.

BTW, I donate both my time, and my money to charity.

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 3:30 p.m.

peihaha, how do you know that her daughter doesn't already volunteer her time to help the homeless. I know that you probably assume that people who use marijuana are incapeable of giving there time to charity. maybe you should just walk into Banfields and insist that everybody there leave the bar immediately and go out to help the homeless/senior citizens...because that's essentialy the arguement you're making. BTW, you also might want to gain some understanding about how marijuana effects the brain in comparison to alcohol before you go making ignorant uninformed statements about getting into car accidents. The truth of the matter is that marijuana does cause uphoria, but it DOES NOT cause the same loss of motor skills, reaction time, or reflexes in the same way that alcohol does.

treetowncartel

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 3:22 p.m.

The prpoperty forfeiture laws really drive this beast. A person may be found innocent but their property does not have the same rights under the Constitution. It is very tough to get stuff back after it is seized and the individual has to pay their way through court. The money and goods, like cars and even houses seized by the police does not go into their operating budget and there is really no say in how it is used in some instances.

gobluefnp

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 2:55 p.m.

C'mon, you must have more than this. This is a fluff story. Give us something that we can mull over. Where are most of the drugs confiscated in our county? Was there an increase or decrease in the drugs confiscated in our county? Is there a specific type of person(s) who are involved? Or do stereotypes apply? No offense, but this reads like an 8th grader's current event report.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 2:53 p.m.

I dont have kids of my own but I make sure to tell my nieces and nephews that doing illegal drugs has risks. Then I make sure to tell them that home grown marijuana is probably the safest drug out there and that our government is just wasting our money with useless enforcement and that there is NOTHING morally wrong with using marijuana or any other drug responsibly and that includes recreational use. I think the "No Drugs" approach is about as useful as any other kind abstinence only educational approach, i.e. not useful at all and about as much as a waste of money as LAWNET appears to be. Yeah sure, not using illegal substances reduces the risk of getting caught with them to zero just like not having sex reduces the risk of pregnancy and not speeding reduces the risk of getting a ticket. That's why I dont use illegal drugs or speed. But seriously, if people had the cops busting in their door followed by several thousand dollars of lawyer fees for drinking a beer at home or whatever, is there anyone who would really think that was a good use of public resources?

peihaha

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 2:30 p.m.

hard core ann arborite, So you think your daughter will be better of smoking pot on her non-working time instead of spending her spare time volunteering helping senior citizens or the homeless?? How much would you spend if your doped daughter kills someone while she drives under drug influence? I am shocked how many adults here commenting supporting drug use while we are trying so hard to tell our children No Drug But Hug! You disagree how the government spend money is one thing, but humiliating LAWNET and supporting drug use is another thing. Don't get confused, please.

Thick Candy Shell

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 2:27 p.m.

This whole argument is solved very quickly.... Don't do things which are illegal! I don't agree with the drug laws, but they do exist and I know enough not to violate them.

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 2:06 p.m.

And to hardcore ann arborite, When LAWNET bust somebody, they are usually prosecuted under state law as apposed to ann arbor law. I was actually told that I was on LAWNET's 'list' back in the mid 90's....which is really scary, considering I have never sold a drug in my life. I have only used marijuana occaisionally. which begs the question, is your name on the list? It might be if you have ever smoked marijuana in washtenaw county in the last 15 years.

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 2 p.m.

dading, it wasn't the cop who was shot...It was the UNARMED suspect that was shot in the back. I dont know if the suspect had ever been convicted of illegaly carrying a gun or not, but I do know he was unarmed at the time. and I certainly I dont subscribe to the shoot first, ask questions later mentality.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 1:54 p.m.

hard core ann arborite's story is terrible. Is this how we want our public funds being spent?

dading dont delete me bro

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 1:33 p.m.

@atticus, that officer was found not guilty. buzz off, that 'unarmed' thug had a history of being armed. if the cop was shot, what would you say then? hunh?!?

hard core ann arborite

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 1:30 p.m.

Remember the $5 marijuana law? It's a distant memory now. After LAWNET broke down my daughter's front door, made her and her boyfriend stand naked in handcuffs for an hour while they tore the place apart, found a couple of grams of marijuana on the coffee table, and wrote them a ticket and left, the outcome was anything but a $5 fine. The ticket was $125, the court costs were over $500, they each got a year probation (which costs) plus community service plus Dawn Farms (who charge for each court-mandated visit and have an obvious money incentive to insist on repeat courses). I got my daughter an attorney for $1500, and the entire debacle cost over $4600 not including pay lost when she had to take off work to do the community service and "rehab" courses. It also doesn't include repairing the damage the LAWNET gestapo did to her apartment (I was able to re-mount the front door on its smashed-in frame). There is Ann Arbor's fabled liberal attitude and "$5 fine for marijuana" for you. LAWNET was apparently looking for some drug dealers, as they did the same thing to a number of my daughter's neighbors over a period of weeks. The fact that it happened multiple times says they were wrong multiple times, too. The so-called war on drugs is a farce. It's just alcohol prohibition all over again, with the same tragic results. When will it be repealed so the police can concentrate on real criminals and people with drug problems can get real help? No wonder the rest of the world thinks Americans are nuts.

goblue7182

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 1:10 p.m.

STOP LAWNET!!! These guys are a group of lawless macho thugs! I have heard countless stories of these guys doing rip and runs, illegal property seizures, and over the top "raids" on unarmed students in Ann arbor. Use our money somewhere else! Why is there no annarbor.com investigation into how this group operates? Just some vague quote from lawnet saying any questions into their operations would interfere with investigations. Shady, shady, shady...

Otto Mobeal

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 12:12 p.m.

It would be interesting to see how the police resources are used by category. It would also be interesting to use the same units (you know pound, kilogram, etc) or change to percentages when comparing fed vs state numbers. HEROIN: I hear that heroin is so cheap and plentiful that kids are using it to buy cigarettes. Wasn't there a big heroin bust in Livingston County this year? PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: Seems like a small amount considering they are all over campus. Why aren't all prescriptions entered in a tracking system so abusers and sellers can be stopped and those who really need these drugs can get them safely? MARIJUANA: It can be a problem, but a small one. LAWNET certinally doesn't buy into the old "gateway drug" theory do they? Keep bust'em, but only as part of a larger bust. CRACK/COCAINE/LSD/METH/etc.: DANGEROUS! Keep away! Keep busting'em, make it expensive to be in business. The only way to correct this is to offer REAL rehabilitation programs for users to reduce demand. ALCOHOL: Now that you mention it, pour me another - this time make it a double!

Woman in Ypsilanti

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 11:41 a.m.

Ugh. This LAWNET is just another example of how we are perfectly happy to waste government money on pointless things. *sigh* I wonder what their budget is and how many more deserving programs there are out there. I would rather law enforcement were working on stopping crimes with victims.

Atticus F.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 11:16 a.m.

I'm suprised there was no mention of the unarmed suspect that was shot in the back and killed by LAWNET.

kenj

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 11:07 a.m.

The 3,766 Kg of Marijuana should be given to the many legal medical users that cant afford to buy the (illegal to sell) medication. Remember Marijuana is legal for medical use in Michigan but it remains illegal to sell? Let law allows each patent to have up to 12 plants, but many people do not have the ability to grow their medication.

Mumbambu, Esq.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 10:38 a.m.

How is Rich Rod not to blame for this?

David Briegel

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 10:06 a.m.

So, Alan, How's that "war" on Meth working out? While we starve the beast of every social program that might help, Meth is gaining! Another foolish failure!

davidb

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 9:01 a.m.

this was linked from 'home', and is empty.

kunzorama

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 8:58 a.m.

You've got a bad link in your email notice that references this story. It displays a headline, but no content.

davidb

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 8:45 a.m.

your 'chart' is really 2 tables.

Awakened

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 8:21 a.m.

AAPD has pulled all but one officer out of the unit. It looks like a wise choice. Now if we could pull that one to work on break-ins.........

Craig Lounsbury

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 7:39 a.m.

The war on drugs is eerily similar to my war on mosquitoes. I won't bore anyone with statistics on how many mosquitoes I killed last year, but rest assured I won't stop till all the mosquitoes are gone. If all you tax payers could kindly send me some money I'm sure I can increase my quota next season. Better yet send me enough money so I don't need to take the winter off. I'll go to Florida and kill them down there.

David Briegel

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 7:35 a.m.

The story is the miserable failure of the war on drugs! The story is the harrassment of a very few people to justify the existence of swat teams and Lawnet. The story is that this is just another American folly! If Pfizer could patent Marijuana and Cocaine they would be legal! Do a story on Billy Tauzin, Big Pharma's 2 million dollar a year bribe recipient. Legal bribery, the American Way! All the hoopla about Congressman Jefferson while Billy Boy is FREE! That is a fine example of American InJustice!

Michele Shannon

Mon, Nov 16, 2009 : 7:18 a.m.

Where's the story?