Stumble/bumble Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson inadvertently makes the case for marijuana legalization. Here is a press release she issued this afternoon:
Criminal Justice Center 1201 Franklin, Suite 600 Houston, Texas 77002-1901
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 20, 2014
Contacts: Jeff McShan 832-317-1067
HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
DEVON ANDERSON
Harris County District Attorney Responds to President Obama
Houston– Devon Anderson, Harris County District Attorney, issued the following inresponse to President Obama’s remarks regarding the use of marijuana:
“I adamantly disagree with the President. According to a 2012 Drug Use and Health survey, marijuana is the number one drug that citizens over the age of 12 are addicted to or abuse. The negative effects of marijuana use on a developing brain can be permanent, and our President is recklessly giving what amounts to parental permission to our most impressionable citizens to break the law. Marijuana is creating deadly situations right here in Harris County. I welcome the President to come to Houston to review the same Capital Murder cases I did just last week that were the result of marijuana drug deals. Maybe then he will see that the most effective way to keep our law-abiding citizens safe is to obey all laws that our legislators put on the books at our State Capitol.
“I am acutely aware of the high price society pays for the misuse of alcohol. This is not a debate about whether alcohol or marijuana is more dangerous. The President’s comments notwithstanding, marijuana is illegal under the Texas Penal Code, and we vigorously prosecute drug possession and alcohol related offenses in Harris County.”
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So she disagrees with President Obama. Surprise, surprise, surprise. But look at her argument, or lack thereof.
I welcome the President to come to Houston to review the same Capital Murder cases I did just last week that were the result of marijuana drug deals.
Dear District Attorney, if the drug laws prohibiting marijuana were not on the books, there would have been no drug dealers arguing over money to pay for the marijuana and thus, NO CAPITAL MURDER cases for you to review.
Sheesh.
Another disingenuous effort…like not presenting certain key witnesses and evidence to the grand jury that investigated her fellow Blakemore client, Judge Denise Pratt. Kind of hard to get an indictment if you don’t share all the evidence.
One doesn’t necessarily follow the other.
Even if weed is legalized, there will still be a sales price for it. And as long as there are stupid people, they will do stupid things to get something they want.
I represented a man once who was doing a life sentence for a robbery that netted $29.
But Mrs. Anderson will be speaking at Greater Houston Pachyderms on Tuesday. I’m sure she would welcome a question from you about legalizing weed.
I’m Tom Zakes and I approve this message.
Have I mentioned how nice the weather is here in Colorado? After 42 years, $1 trillion dollars wasted, and demonstrable harm to society, cannabis remains readily available even in Texas, and even to kids. Black market retailers don’t ask for ID. Colorado pot shops do.
At the store I visited, they checked IDs outside the door, and all purchases were required to leave the premise in child-proof containers, which were conveniently offered for sale at the store. The oddest part of my first legal cannabis purchase was that my change included coins. City, State and local taxes were ~27{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}.
Tax, regulate, educate. Just like alcohol.
Toldya they would legalize it once they could figger out how to tax it. Oth…. It still violates federal law and not enforced. But I digress……
Gosh, Bob, you’re right! Because I know for a fact that child-proof containers keep kids from abusing legal drugs. And ID checks are perfect for keeping kids from purchasing alcohol and tobacco products.
Hey, that story I read the other day about a couple of the Mexican cartels moving to take over the “legal” cannabis trade in Colorado, I’m sure that was a myth – those cartels don’t really mind giving up a Billion dollar market, they’ll probably just retire and go fishing or something.
Bob, I really hope you like Colorado enough to stay there – beautiful scenery and all the pot you can get your hands on, I’m sure you’ll be much more appreciated up there than you are here in conservative Texas. Another thing Bob conveniently forgot to mention is that the price of legal (?) pot can go for as much as $700/oz and on the black market it’s going for about $400/oz, wonder how long it take for the pot heads to figure out that going to the black market is cheaper. Yeah, the cartels are happy beyond belief – built in clientele and the authorities won’t be able to touch them until the threats start against the regulated pot shops, the kidnappings start and guns starts blazing, which will happen. Anyone who thinks the cartels are going to give a $37billion a year business and go quietly into the sunset needs to have their heads examined.
Wonder what she was smoking when she released that press release?
We’ve tried aggressive prohibition for over four decades. It’s irrational to conclude that it will suddenly be effective tomorrow. It won’t. You seem to criticize the concept of ending prohibition because because it doesn’t result in a drug free utopia.Too bad. It is folly to attempt to regulate that level of individual behavior. Decriminalization and legalization are superior policies compared to the war on a plant.
filmmaker, What about the for profit prison cartel, and the lawyers that supply them? Bet they will fight legalization in Texas,
So much for supporting the Party during an election cycle… Also, I find it disturbing that your site is running an ad for Wendy Davis’ campaign and asking for donations; you should be better than both of these instances.
Big Boy,
If you are reading BJP expecting me to support bad candidates that the Republicans have given us, don’t hold your breath. Remember, we had no choice whatsoever in who is on the ballot for DA. Stumble/bumble is a nice word.
As for Wendy Davis ads, I suggest you learn who Google Ads work. What you see is a combination of what we write about on BJP (Texas politics), what you search for on your own computer, and who pays the highest rate. We don’t take money at BJP from any candidate or group.
Janet Thomas, I’ve been working in CO for most of the past 14 months, and will be moving here ASAP. Yes, I do like it here.
As far as your “predictions” regarding pricing and cartels go, neither is a positive argument for perpetuating the violent and immoral “Texas conservative style” of prohibition that is an abject failure in every measure.
I’m not sure where you got your pricing numbers from, but the quarter ounce of very high quality cannabis I purchased last week cost a little under $100, including all taxes. The black market offers little competition for quality, and no selection. At the pot shop, I had my choice of three different strains, and very high quality.
Legalize, Tax, and Regulate is the superior policy. Texas can have its prohibition and it’s seedy compressed Mexican ditch weed.
(P.S. Go Broncs!)
If somebody’s paying $700 or $400 per ounce for weed, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell them. That’s way, way out of line.
The question is decriminalization, not legalization, and do we want to ruin some adolescents chances at college, or future employment? A marijuana arrest can lead to incarceration and arrest on many instances. Do we want are jail over crowded with non-violent offenders. We have some great experts working in this area and I suggest reading Marc Levin http://www.texaspolicy.com/center/effective-justice?f%5B0%5D=field_experts{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}3A5960