Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers
A couple of years ago, I retired after more than 25 years as a police officer. Much of that time was spent with a metropolitan police department, but I also spent the early part of my career with a couple of departments in rural Oregon. Over the years, I have met many, many people. I have seen people under the influence of a lot of things—alcohol, prescription pills, hard drugs like meth and heroin. But, at no point in my quarter-century as a cop did I think that marijuana use posed a serious threat to the community.
I’ve never smoked marijuana, and when it does become legal, I don’t plan to start. I have never had any interest. But I know a lot of adults who do choose to consume marijuana. I don’t call them criminals—I call them my friends, my family members, my neighbors. Almost everyone I know who chooses to use marijuana does so because they enjoy it. In the way I enjoy a good craft beer, the people I know who consume marijuana do so responsibly.
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Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers
