According to statistics, 1 in 5 European citizens use cannabis. So thats 1 in 5 citizens, 1 in 5 teachers, 1 in 5 politicians (but we already know this), and yes, 1 in 5 police officers, on average, have used cannabis in their lives, and before you start flinging e-mails at the Canna Zine please remember we don't create the statistics, but simply tell you about them.
Almost every single week we read about a Police officer getting busted for cannabis, (or marijuana, as the majority of them seem to emanate from the US or Canada).
For instance, remember Officer Edwin Sanchez? He was the US police officer who was busted turning over street dealers, and keeping the confiscated drugs for himself. He was also the officer who called his own Police department number when he had a panic on (read:Whitey) as a result of consuming too much stolen cannabis in some brownies his wife made.
Regular users of cannabis smiled wryly, as they knew Sanchez was in absolutely no mortal danger, no matter how uncomfortable him and his wife felt.
In Canada, published only today (July 4th 08) The Canadian Press reports two Toronto police officers and three correctional officers were among almost two dozen people arrested Thursday after 63 search warrants were executed in a crackdown on marijuana grow-ops.
Toronto's Chief of Police Bill Blair said he was very disappointed to learn that two of his officers were allegedly involved in a drug trafficking operation that involved marijuana, ecstasy, steroids and money laundering.
A little closer to home and the Metropolitan Police in London have caught one of their own officers in a sting operation, stealing cannabis seized as evidence from the custody Suite at Holborn Police Station in London.
Former met Police Officer Paul Smith repeatedly found excuses to visit the custody suite area of the police station and surreptitiously pocketed small amounts of the Class C substance which had been confiscated from suspects.
Smith's colleagues became suspicious used CCTV and a bag of the drug covered with invisible dye to catch him out.
The married father of one, who has since resigned from the Metropolitan Police, was arrested and the cannabis used as bait was found in one of his warrant card compartments.
He escaped a jail sentence.
But not all Police officers hide their cannabis use. January 1st 2008 saw a new rule brought into being in the Amsterdam Police Department.
The Amsterdam Police force were told in the Autumn of 2007, as of January 1st they would no longer be allowed to consume cannabis whilst off-duty.
Not such a strange instruction when you bear in mind Hollands liberal attitude to cannabis, but the government decided they wanted Amsterdam's Police to totally abstain, and didn't they (the police) ever complain about it?
And not without good reason, as retiring president of Hollands largest Police Federation Hans van Duijn stressed just prior to his retirement in May when he said "The cultivation and use of cannabis should become legal in the Netherlands. At the same time the government should organise the controlled distribution of hard drugs to addicts."
"Only under these circumstances can the police make a serious effort to fight drug criminals", he continued.
So in answer to the question "How dangerous is cannabis"?
According to Police officers all over the world, not very! Canna Zine - Daily zine for the global cannabis scene - Join us!
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