Cannabis has never killed anyone. You can’t die from an overdose, and despite what Jeff Sessions might say, cannabis does not cause people to become violent. Cannabis raids have killed people, however. Since 2010, 20 police raids on people suspected of selling cannabis have turned deadly.

Cannabis is legal for medical and recreational use in over half of the United States, but there are still people being murdered by the police over it. In many of these cases, the victims of these raids were suspected of selling dangerous drugs like methamphetamine, and it turned out they were only in possession of a small amount of cannabis.These cannabis raids need to stop. Possessing a plant should not be a death sentence, especially when it’s perfectly legal in neighboring states.

A recent article in the Washington Post names some of the victims and the tragic circumstances in which they were killed, "29-year-old Jason Westcott of Tampa, who was shot and killed by police who stormed his home and observed him with a firearm. Westcott never fired his gun. The police uncovered a total of .2 grams of marijuana at Westcott's residence, not enough to fill a typical joint." What a tragedy. Though some of the families of these victims have received massive settlements from police departments, I'm sure they would much rather have their loved one back. 

While people are being murdered by the police in these cannabis raids, consider this. The Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma (the makers of OxyContin), is worth 14 billion dollars, making them one of the wealthiest families in the world. OxyContin kills tens of thousands of people each year and the number is growing. OxyContin is one of the deadliest drugs in the world. So, why isn’t the Sackler family being raided?

The victims of these cannabis raids are just more casualties in the violent and pointless war on drugs. While 20 raids in six years might not seem like a lot, any number of people killed as a result of police violence is too many. It’s time to end this war on drugs. It’s time for full cannabis legalization throughout the US.

Source: Washington Post

Image Source: Salon

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