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Prosecutors: Colorado sees increase in homicides motivated by marijuana

Μολὼν λαβέ

Si vis pacem, para bellum
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DENVER -- Some prosecutors in Colorado say they're noticing a new trend: An increase in murders motivated by marijuana.

In Aurora, the last 10 of 15 drug-related homicide cases were connected to marijuana.

Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said it's not the big-time dealers who are involved. For the most part, it has been the small-time ones on the streets.

"There is increased crime, sometimes violent crime, associated with legalization of marijuana," Brauchler said. "That's not what you'd expect. You'd expect the harder-core drugs."

Man recent marijuana murder cases involve small-time street dealers getting killed for their marijuana and money.

"If cash is the only way to acquire marijuana, crime follows cash," Brauchler said.

Prosecutors: Colorado seeing increase in murders motivated by marijuana | FOX31 Denver

What happened to the idea that legalizing marijuana would reduce crime?
 
So drug dealers are getting shot and they say the legalization of marijuana contributes to that? I don't get their reasoning.
 
I'm sorry but all I can see is that guy at the end of "Reefer Madness". There are all kinds of legal drugs drug dealers will kill for.
 
I am most skeptical of what any prosecutor has to say, so I am seldom chosen for jury duty.
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066092998 said:
Prosecutors: Colorado seeing increase in murders motivated by marijuana | FOX31 Denver

What happened to the idea that legalizing marijuana would reduce crime?

Yes, no stats or anything conclusive, but some prosecutors said it, so it must be true!

Aurora was always an iffy place before anyway. that's where that theater shooting happened and there's a bit more crime there in general. Could legalized marijuana cause some problems? Possibly. But stats will need to be aggregated and proper correlations made before one can say anything with any amount of understanding.

And street-dealers tend not to be the legal type. The dispensaries are well regulated and safe.
 
Yes, no stats or anything conclusive, but some prosecutors said it, so it must be true!

Aurora was always an iffy place before anyway. that's where that theater shooting happened and there's a bit more crime there in general. Could legalized marijuana cause some problems? Possibly. But stats will need to be aggregated and proper correlations made before one can say anything with any amount of understanding.

And street-dealers tend not to be the legal type. The dispensaries are well regulated and safe.

If street dealers are undercutting the regulated legal trade, I would think crime will still occur from buying/selling pot.

Even if street dealers are selling at competitive prices, we all know what type of crime the drug trade begets, even pot, and its usually not petty larceny.
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066093709 said:
If street dealers are undercutting the regulated legal trade, I would think crime will still occur from buying/selling pot.

Even if street dealers are selling at competitive prices, we all know what type of crime the drug trade begets, even pot, and its usually not petty larceny.

That entire post is built upon "if"....
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066093709 said:
If street dealers are undercutting the regulated legal trade, I would think crime will still occur from buying/selling pot.

Even if street dealers are selling at competitive prices, we all know what type of crime the drug trade begets, even pot, and its not usually petty larceny.

I don't necessarily know of anyway to prevent crime in total. Hell, we even still have tobacco crime in this country. So will it ever be zero? No.

What we have in your article is just speculation. There is nothing to back up the claims. Even with street dealers "undercutting" the regulated trade, many still go to the dispensaries. Those things are churning out tax dollars like they're a printing press, to the tune of 135 million last year. I figured we'd see a spike in things as this is brand new, perhaps a spike in certain crime, but as it becomes more "old hat", that will settle down back into the statistical background. The legal prices aren't very different, and you don't have to go to the hassle of finding a source and meeting up with people and blah...you can just go to a store. It will win out in the end.

As for these prosecutors, well if they can aggregate the data properly then maybe we can see if that area is having some more difficulties. but it is Aurora.
 
So drug dealers are getting shot and they say the legalization of marijuana contributes to that? I don't get their reasoning.
Legalisation encourages use but does the legal supply meet that demand? I don’t believe there are that many legal points of sale, they’ll have various overheads illegal street dealers won’t to push up their prices and there may be concern from some potential customers of government records/monitoring (rational or not). I also suspect there’s actually less threat to the illegal dealers from the police given that legalisation is promoted as an opportunity to reduce the level of resources they put in to it and legalisation means the police would need stronger evidence to investigate someone suspected of dealing since possession of even a significant quantity of marihuana is no longer necessarily illegal.

Over all, I can easily see the current legalised environment supporting a continuing, even increasing, illegal trade. I’d still question some of the assumptions being made in the article, given the relatively low number of cases and the short period of time since legalisation but I don’t find any fault in the underlying logic. The question is what to do about it (which probably should have been answered before the rush to legalisation).
 
I read this thread, and was thinking "just how much does weed cost in legal Colorado?"
Colorado Weed Prices - PriceOfWeed.com
well just ask price of weed .com.
So High quality between $90 and $300 an ounce (Wow).
It sounds like there is plenty of room for the black market to still make a profit,
considering, it could be a home grown operation.
 
I read this thread, and was thinking "just how much does weed cost in legal Colorado?"
Colorado Weed Prices - PriceOfWeed.com
well just ask price of weed .com.
So High quality between $90 and $300 an ounce (Wow).
It sounds like there is plenty of room for the black market to still make a profit,
considering, it could be a home grown operation.

300-400/ounce is about illegal values. 300/ounce if you had a good friend.
 
That entire post is built upon "if"....

Colorado law enforcement officials interviewed by the Police Foundation are convinced that the black and the gray markets are thriving in Colorado primarily through unregulated grows, large quantities of marijuana stashed in homes, and by undercutting the price of legitimate marijuana sales. In fact, police have stated that legalized marijuana may have increased the illegal drug trade. Low-level drug dealers, looking to profit from access to an abundance of marijuana, have an open market to grow illegal amounts of marijuana and sell through the black market. Or they can purchase excess marijuana from caregivers growing marijuana for patients but divert their excess crop illegally – the gray market.

http://www.nccpsafety.org/assets/files/library/Legalized_Marijuana_Practical_Guide_for_Law_Enforcement.pdf
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066092998 said:
Prosecutors: Colorado seeing increase in murders motivated by marijuana | FOX31 Denver

What happened to the idea that legalizing marijuana would reduce crime?

Man recent marijuana murder cases involve small-time street dealers getting killed for their marijuana and money.

"If cash is the only way to acquire marijuana, crime follows cash," Brauchler said.

The solution is obvious. Buy pot with plastic, just as we buy everything else. The problem isn't the marijuana, but the cash.
 
The solution is obvious. Buy pot with plastic, just as we buy everything else. The problem isn't the marijuana, but the cash.

That is certainly an interesting proposal.
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066099752 said:
Another big Gubment supporter...

Legalizing pot and allowing it to be sold like any other commodity is "big gubment" in whose parallel universe?
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066092998 said:
Prosecutors: Colorado seeing increase in murders motivated by marijuana | FOX31 Denver

What happened to the idea that legalizing marijuana would reduce crime?


Codswollop.


"Some prosecutors" miss the **easy income** generated from marijuana "offenses" that are no longer offenses. :coffeepap


I live in a state where recreational use is legal. I don't know a single person that goes to a "street dealer" anymore. Why would they? Particularly when, at the dispensary, you can order off a menu & get exactly what you pay for? Heck, some of these places are downright swanky...

Farma - Modern Medicine | Portland Dispensary
 
Legalizing pot and allowing it to be sold like any other commodity is "big gubment" in whose parallel universe?

No, supporting the elimination of cash is embracing big government/big brother.
 
Codswollop.


"Some prosecutors" miss the **easy income** generated from marijuana "offenses" that are no longer offenses. :coffeepap


I live in a state where recreational use is legal. I don't know a single person that goes to a "street dealer" anymore. Why would they? Particularly when, at the dispensary, you can order off a menu & get exactly what you pay for? Heck, some of these places are downright swanky...

Farma - Modern Medicine | Portland Dispensary

So your experiences are comprehensive enough to reflect what's going on in Colorado? I highly doubt it.
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066108008 said:
No, supporting the elimination of cash is embracing big government/big brother.

No one is talking about eliminating cash, only about allowing the use of plastic. You can still buy gas with cash, but you can also use credit cards. Were gas to be purchased with cash only, then any gas station/mini mart would be known to have large amounts of cash on hand and would therefore be targets for thieves. The same thing happens with pot stores that have to deal in cash.

Anyway, the government does not issue credit or debit cards.
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1066108079 said:
So your experiences are comprehensive enough to reflect what's going on in Colorado? I highly doubt it.


Look at my location. Oregon.

And yes, living in one of 5 states that actually has it legalized, I do feel qualified to comment.

My parents live in Georgia, I went to college in Atlanta. There is a world of difference between states that have legalized it (even just medically) and those that haven't. You may as well be in a different country, practically speaking.

Counties/cities/states collect a ton of revenue for bull**** possession charges. They don't want to give that up.

It's not rocket science
 
Look at my location. Oregon.

And yes, living in one of 5 states that actually has it legalized, I do feel qualified to comment.

My parents live in Georgia, I went to college in Atlanta. There is a world of difference between states that have legalized it (even just medically) and those that haven't. You may as well be in a different country, practically speaking.

Counties/cities/states collect a ton of revenue for bull**** possession charges. They don't want to give that up.

It's not rocket science

Plus they can seize assets - trucks, cars, boats, real property, whatever - by claiming that the property was used in the drug trade. It's an unconstitutional license to steal.
 
Plus they can seize assets - trucks, cars, boats, real property, whatever - by claiming that the property was used in the drug trade. It's an unconstitutional license to steal.



Oh sweet baby Jesus... Asset forfeiture is the biggest racket I've ever seen. And they can do it **before proving guilt in court.**

It's hideous, the "War on Drugs" is more than a simple failure. It's a living lesson in hypocrisy.

/rant ;)
 
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