Okay...hold on...wait a minute...

So, I'm watching the "Cops" show (I know, Fox, sue me) and this cop busts this young girl for possession of pot. Now, I realize that pot is against the law. Stipulated. I, personally, disagree with this law. I've never touched pot, never will. Don't care to. So, I have no buy in on pot, either way.

It causes me to think. So, if a pharmacist refuses a "morning after" pill, or birth control, or to sell condoms, based on their personal beliefs, could I, were I a cop, choose to not arrest/charge a person with possession of pot? I mean, my "personal belief" overrides my job, right?

Just curious.

oh wait. :)

i hear ya....

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

ya know some guy I know, him?

Cops let him go on possesion of pot, twice. Long circumstances. But on both occasions, they just looked the other way...

N/T

I'm not sure it's been established that pharmacists have a right to do that. Some have claimed it, and I've heard of attempts to legally establish such a right, but I don't think there's any resolution one way or the other. I'd prefer a law that requires a pharmacist to fill any proper prescription presented.

That said, pharmacists are not public employees, and unless they own their own business, they're certainly risking their own employment if they piss off customers.

Now... THAT being said, cops in fact DO make those decisions every day. I've known people who were discovered to have small amounts of pot and not arrested. A lot depends on the circumstances, the people involved, etc. It's the same as being pulled over and given a warning instead of a ticket.

this isn't about rights. It's about doing your job or getting f'ing fired for not doing so.

Now, what's the difference?

it's not about rights.

I'd just rather a cop have more discretion than a pharmacist. A pharmacist's job, while technical, isn't morally complicated. Just fill the damn script.

Cops will NEVER be able to address every possible crime committed - by necessity they have to choose what's important, and quite often what's right. When I was in high school, I was good friends with the valedictorian. He and another friend got caught smoking a joint. The cop put 'em in the car, gave 'em a good scare and a good lecture and let 'em go. That was the RIGHT thing to do.

So you see the point? Discretion is one thing. Basing one's actions at the time are subject to expertise and proper execution. Broadbrushing an action based on personal belief is a dangerous thing to do.

Let me put it this way, and correct me if I'm wrong, it'd be like me telling you that you can't get your meds because they were tested on animals.

That's bullshit.

if you were caught with a four finger bag the cop would confiscate it and send you on your way. That was it. A different world from now.

not like many of them, but it is not his/her duty to question them! When they take the oath, that is part of the job....

ww

Probably along the lines of the pharmacy tech.

You know, some MDs take an oath, and yet still won't uphold it when it comes to personal beliefs.

guy was drunk. They searched him and found some pot. Instead of busting him for possession they poured the pot onto the ground and told him to go home.

Was it personal belief or professional choice?

cop probably figured it better to let the guy go home to his family instead of making his life even tougher.

Of course it might have been near shift change and he wanted to get home.

... police will choose when to enforce a law and when not to enforce a law. The 'theory' behind "the rue of law" in a liberal democratic society is that - (1) We only pass laws that the ultramajority are (a) willing to freely comply with and (b) willing to report and witness violations thereof. (2) We commit to funding sufficiently to assure fair and balanced enforcement. (That means police, courts, and prisons.)

We have completely lost sight of this, I believe. We deserve the consequences of that folly.

A cop busted a friend of a friend who had pot on him. The cop took the pot, poured it out onto the ground and grounded it into the asphalt with his shoe and let the guy go. I've also seen cops confiscate beer from underage college students without busting them. I assumed the cops had their own happy hour that night after their shift was over. :shrug:

Was it personal belief or professional choice?

to be honest, it didn't occur to me to even ask. At the time I just assumed it was because they didn't want to deal the paperwork or the hassle but it makes sense to not want to ruin someone's life over a little pot...especially when that person is young, has his whole life ahead of him and isn't hurting anyone. Cops must see the absolute worst our society has to offer so some probably don't have any desire to sweat the small stuff.

that some cops will not bust people for small amounts.Even a medium amount once.A couple I know don't because they know it is a victimless crime that should not be illegal in the first place.The others won't arrest because they hate the paperwork hassle for small amounts.
I would all most be willing to bet that the cops on COPS probably would not have arrested the girl if it weren't for the cameras being there.

Was it personal belief or professional choice?

I've been caught with pot 3 times in 25 years. The first time like conscious evolution's friend, the cop dumped it out and made me grind it into the ground. It was about a 1/4 oz. The cop said I was lucky he didn't want to spend hours doing paperwork. The second time, the cop took my shit. Not a surprise as unlike the first time it was a half ounce of killer weed. He also called me lucky, although I think it was him who got lucky. The third time was a state trooper who pulled over to help me when I was broke down. He laughed about it, told me he didn't believe in prohibition and only arrested for pot if another crime was involved. He actually called me a tow truck, let me sit in his warm car while we waited and let me go with my stash. Cops are like anybody else, some are cool, some are not, and some are downright assholes and thieves.

and have had many conversations with law enforcement officials in a certain urban area that consider pot offenses to be a laughable waste of their time. That seems to be their personal belief about their professional duties, and some went further to mention that their first response, assuming the individual has no warrants, was to turn a blind eye.

and while I see the point flvegan is making and agree, I also see a difference in the two, namely the control over one's own body. A pharmacist who refuses to dispense the morning-after or birth control or what have you is enforcing his/her moral beliefs in such a way that it has a direct effect on others' choices and others' bodies and health. A cop who chooses to look the other way (or refuses to enforce the law, I guess) when it comes to pot possession is essentially allowing the individual to make his/her own moral decisions when it comes to the person's body. Of course, I wouldn't suggest that a cop should allow someone stoned to drive just in case, but that's beside the point here, I guess.

Anyway, two Phoenix cops cut me a MAJOR break about 8 years ago when I was living there and I'll be eternally grateful to them. They were mostly making sure that I wasn't driving a stolen car and most certainly knew after talking to me exactly what they COULD have busted me for.

I think there is a difference as well. In this case, I would argue that the officers are preventing harm by not forcing an individual to become involved with the criminal justice system. Whereas with the pharmacist, I would argue that this could cause the individual harm by delaying desired medical care.

And good thing you ran into THOSE cops all those years back, huh? :)

A few other cities have discussed the option, but I don't know if they moved forward on it. In my state, we don't have anything like that yet, but the idea gets its time in the spotlight every few years.

Was she the one who the officer said, "Okay you're free to go. Are you sure there's nothing in your car?" Girl: "No, you can look if you want." :crazy:

DH and I were dumbfounded that she could have got in the car and left but she gave him the opportunity to search her car first. That's when he found the stuff and charged her with a felony.

The cop is a working stiff. He's there to uphold the law. Not his fault that the law's an ass.

what city you're in/what color you are, what you were doing when you got caught with the pot, etc.