Police search school with drug sniffing dogs, find nothing.
Sniffing dogs alert to car in parking lot.
Sniffing dogs find "an illegal substance was inside a vehicle."
Specifically: "Police found a marijuana joint in a fast-food bag on the passenger floorboard."
The owner of the car, an 18 year old female (an adult), is arrested and charged with possession. Not of fast food. Marijuana.
Now, clearly, marijuana is illegal and fast food is not.
But which substance is actually more dangerous? Which kills more people?
We have data on this by the way. Anyone want to try to find it?
Yet, police are arresting people for the relatively safe substance while ignoring the relatively dangerous one. And the mainstream media almost never question the logic of this policy.
I know, I know, police are "taking a bite out of crime."
Except these arrests literally make no difference in terms of drug use or drug availability.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/02/09/2047990/drug-dog-finds-marijuana-at-area.html
While the smell of the fast food most likely attracted the police dog to the car. The relatively small amount of marijuana found still makes the news. It may be a more/less safe substance, but the last time I checked, marijuana is still illegal. People blame the police for giving people a hard time over such small amounts of drugs, yet they fail to realized that the drugs are ILLEGAL. Good job Lancaster PD!
ReplyDeleteWade, I think you miss the point entirely. As a CJ media class, what the actual laws are isn’t as important (for our purposes) as the coverage of the issue. Even within the context of this tiny story, we have two basic substances; marijuana and fast food. One is illegal thanks to some hardcore propaganda (along with corporate interests) and the other is totally socially acceptable and commonplace to the point that NOT using it makes one a freak of society. (And trust me, I know, as a parent of a 4 year old who has never eaten fast food, I’m actually treated like a child abuser by some people. How dare I deprive my child of something so integral to our experience as Americans!) But one substance is pretty much harmless* (compared to cigarettes, alcohol, and prescription meds, at least) , while the other, used with any regularity contributes to all sorts of health problems. Yet our media makes the marijuana the bad banned substance while making fast food the benevolent one. I by no means blame the police; this is their job. I blame us for not looking for the truth and media for distorting it.
ReplyDeleteThis story is a perfect example of the hypocrisy in what we consider threatening or safe. Probably because fast food has better lobbyists than does pot. (but there are marijuana lobbyists, too! I heard an NPR story recently about one.)
*although it is likely the joint that led the girl to the fast food restaurant in the first place.
I liked bekki's response that "it is likely the joint led the girl to the fast food restaurant in the first place" haha very true. I agree that this story is a perfect example of the hypocrisy of our nation. And yes there are marijuana lobbyists but fast food lobbyists are mega powerful and mega successful.
ReplyDeleteFor example, this 2005 article titled, "The Junk Food Lobby Wins Again" quick summary:
"On Tuesday, Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell vetoed what would have been the nation's strongest school-based nutrition law. With one stroke of the pen, she put to rest an extremely contentious three-year battle to rid Connecticut schools of soda and junk food."
I highly encourage anyone interested to read this article! Another highlighted line from this article, "Similar scenarios are being played out in state capitals all over the nation, where high-paid lobbyists of multi-national corporations such as Coca-Cola are swooping in to foil the efforts of local nutrition advocates, educators."
No, this article is not found on any major news source that I have been able to come across. Instead it was posted on alternet.org, a website I find very helpful and informative!!
So, which substance is actually more dangerous---CLEARLY fast food. (not even a close race!)
I would also like to comment that when I was in high school we had drug dogs come to my school my sophomore year. As a sophomore we were not allowed to park on campus and therefore there was no need to panic at the time! haha. but as the day unfolded kids were running back and forth to their cars and being called to the deans office all throughout the day. Not only was the event publicly humiliating for several of my friends--NOTHING was found! In fact, the ONLY car a drug dog signaled was one of my close friends! She was called on the intercom at school to please immediately come out to her vehicle. And what was found in her car? TYLENOL! yes a LEGAL drug. So not only was my friend humiliated in front of the entire school, she was also a nervous wreck approaching her vehicle in the school parking lot! And for what---NOTHING!
ReplyDeleteneedless to say drug dogs have never again come to my high school campus (a private catholic high school)