As we have reported for over 8 years it is not Big Pharma that stands to lose the most on making #Cannabis #Marijuana Lawful. In a recent report national asset seizure had taken in more money than all robberies and burglaries combined. Here is another example of the the long arm of the law and how a law is enforced with no repercussion.
Rohnert Park police seized more than $2.4 million in cash and other valuables over the past three years — substantially more than any other law enforcement agency in Sonoma County.
A chunk of that money goes straight into the department’s budget.
At least some of the people whose property was seized weren’t arrested or prosecuted.
Moreover, many of them were nowhere near Rohnert Park when they were pulled over by police.
#You might call it policing for profit.#
Officially, it’s known as civil asset forfeiture, variations of which exist in state and federal law, allowing authorities to seize cash, cars and other valuables without proving that the owner committed a crime. Police need only suspect the property was connected to criminal activity, and the burden of proof falls on the owner to prove otherwise.
Excerpts from story;
Other curious incidents included a December 2016 traffic stop near Hopland, when Tatum and another officer seized $65,000 worth of marijuana from Hue Freeman of Mendocino, who said he was en route to make a delivery to a Southern California dispensary and carrying all the paperwork required by state law.
Police quickly secured an order to destroy the marijuana, but didn’t seek criminal charges for four weeks. Prosecutors declined to charge Freeman, saying he was in compliance with state laws. Freeman said he has been unable to recover the seized marijuana. “They stole it from us,” he told Johnson. “That’s what they did.”
In another instance, a Fairfield man said $10,000 went missing from $132,000 in cash taken from his car during a traffic stop by Tatum and another officer near Cloverdale in March 2016. Lucas Serafine, a professional gambler, said he was headed to a poker tournament and to buy property in Humboldt County when he was pulled over. He was never charged with a crime, and $100,000 of his money was returned. Serafine is suing the city, seeking the remainder of the money that was seized.
Link to full article: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/8530723-181/pd-editorial-rohnert-park-must?sba=AAS