Posted May 9th, 2024 by hiwayhowie
Back in the Saddle:
Coming off vacation, I went door to door this week, asking for the assistant who handles criminal justice. I stopped at all the Members in states which have not YET legalized marijuana. I passed out a one sheet ‘how to’ enforce DUIM (copy below). The issue of how do officers enforce DUI marijuana is still a lively topic, when a state considers legalization. Senior police officials often lie about it to the public, claiming we don’t have a number (like 08 for alcohol) and thus can’t arrest/remove.
This strategy bore fruit. I ended up talking to 16 assistants. Bonus, I had 3 Members who gave me each 4 minutes (that is a lot) to present our POV.
NOTE: During the 12 day cruise I had about 30 people ask why legalize heroin…people are very curious.
This Week:
1 meeting: Grover Norquist
5152 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 16 this week
398 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 03 this week: Greg Pence (R-IN); Kildee (D-MI); Dean (D-PA) – her son is a heroin addict in recovery.
COP stats since inception: August 2009
467 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, …spoke to 0 this week
117 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 this week
101 Radio Interviews: 0 this week
245 interviews and reports in minor media … 0 this week –
34 major conferences attended – CPAC 2024, (3 UN drug conferences in Vienna, Austria), LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Media: Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, OAN, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters, Stern
* Consider being a member of COP at $40 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org ( to donate by Internet)
To send a check:
COP
POB 543
Buckeystown, MD 21717
| DUI of Marijuana Arrest Procedures (or any non-alcohol, intoxicating drug) (pain killers)
Overview: Based on the street experience of the author (400 arrests for DUI or DUID), arresting anyone for non-alcohol related DUI follows closely the same procedures as alcohol-related DUI. The three (3) differences are that on the side of the road, there is no instrument-based test to determine the presence nor the level of intoxication. The second difference is that blood should be drawn before the arrestee is put in jail. The third is the results of the blood test are not known, until after the arrestee has been released from the jail. Regardless of the court outcome, public safety is served.
Steps:
1. Officer observes bad driving or responds to an accident.
2. Officer conducts a field interview (questions and observations) of the driver to determine sobriety.
3. If sobriety is in question, officer has subject perform physical & mental tests.
A. NOTE: In some states, a DRE (drug recognition expert) will also run the suspect through a series of physiological (pulse rate, nystagmus) and performance tests. A DRE is advantageous but not necessary.
4. If these subjective tests indicate intoxication above the legal standard and alcohol is not detected, the subject is arrested and read their rights for a chemical test.
5. The officer requests the arrestee submit to a blood test, as breath would be useless.
6. The arrestee is taken to a medical facility and blood is drawn. Arrestee is taken to jail. Formal charge is DUI of Drugs. The blood is taken to a lab. NOTE: if arrestee declines to take the test, a search warrant is obtained and blood is drawn with or without their cooperation.
7. X Days later the results from the lab are sent to the prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor would then issue a complaint and warrant for DUI of Drugs, if the facts merit such.
A. NOTE: Pennsylvania used to have a 5ng/ml THC/blood standard for DUI but in 2011 amended it to 1ng/ml. Some states set the level at zero (Michigan) or 2ng/ml (Ohio, Nevada). Colorado and Washington are now 5 ng/ml.
8. If a trial takes place, the prosecution uses the following elements to demonstrate guilt to the jury: driving, field interview and the presence of marijuana in the blood (or other intoxicating drugs—note most common in my experience was prescription pain killers).
9. Generally speaking the punishment for DUI alcohol and DUI marijuana is the same.
10. Whereas the federal government has set a national standard of 0.08% for alcohol DUI (in order to receive highway funds), it has not set a standard for marijuana or any other intoxicating drug (cocaine, heroin, Oxycodone, Vicodin, etc.)
Howard
Detective Officer Howard ‘Cowboy’ Wooldridge, Retired
Founder & Drug Policy Specialist of COP Citizens Opposing Prohibition
Co-Founder of Law Enforcement Action Partnership( www.LEAP.cc)
howardwooldridge0@gmail.com
817-975-1110 : Metro Washington DC |
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse also states that “the role played by marijuana in [traffic] accidents is often unclear, because it can remain detectable in body fluids for days or even weeks after intoxication and because users frequently combine it with alcohol.” Though the NIDA adds, “The risk associated with marijuana in combination with alcohol appears to be greater than that for either drug by itself.”
A February 2015 “Drug and Alcohol Crash Risk” study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did find “a statistically significant increase” in crash risk (1.25 times) for drivers who tested positive for THC. But after the researchers controlled for age, gender, ethnicity and alcohol concentration level, increased crash risk associated with marijuana was no longer significant. This suggests these other variables “account for much of the increased risk associated … with THC,” write the study authors.
There’s also some evidence that medical marijuana laws may contribute to decreasing traffic fatalities. One study published in The Journal of Law & Economics in 2013 reviewed traffic fatalities in the 19 states that had passed medical marijuana laws by 2010 and found that “legalization is associated with an 8–11 percent decrease in traffic fatalities” for the year after the laws took effect. The researchers from the University of Colorado, Denver and elsewhere also found that the decrease is more significant for alcohol-related fatalities at 13.2 percent.
To be clear, there is evidence that “marijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time,” according to the NIDA.
Howard ‘Cowboy’ Wooldridge
Drug Policy Specialist at COP (www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org)
Co-Founder of LEAP – Law Enforcement Action Partnership: (LEAP.cc)
Respice Finem consider the end
The War on Drugs has been the most destructive, dysfunctional & immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow
817-975-1110
Washington, DC
Once Upon a Time in America…sidewalk chats for 3100 miles
Posted May 9th, 2024 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill: Stories from the weeks of March 22, 2024
Slow week. See below for a note I’m sending out to each office regarding the War on Drugs
Next two weeks I will be on a boat to the Caribbean, relaxing.
This Week:
1 meeting: Grover Norquist
5136 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 02 this week
395 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 02 this week: Nancy Mace (R-SC) and CMan Buck (R-CO)
467 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, …spoke to 1 Republican running for US House
COP stats since inception: August 2009
117 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 this week
101 Radio Interviews: 0 this week
245 interviews and reports in minor media … 0 this week –
34 major conferences attended – CPAC 2024, (3 UN drug conferences in Vienna, Austria), LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Media: Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, OAN, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters, Stern
* Consider being a member of COP at $40 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org ( to donate by Internet)
To send a check:
COP
POB 543
Buckeystown, MD 21717
Posted March 17th, 2024 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill: Stories from the weeks of March 8 & 15, 2024
Swamp Creature I am: a gentleman from Louisiana spied my jacket and asked why..good chat and I added that with his new governor (R), Baton Rouge should be able to move the conservative agenda…he asked how I knew so much about LA..”Being a creature of the DC Swamp, we know a little bit about a lot of things. NOTE: personally I rarely support the conservative agenda…that said, I am in Congress strictly to move drug reform bills. I make nice with all persons, if possible. IP…impress and persuade.
Why, Why, Why: Getting up from lunch, a person asked me why legalize heroin…just as I was finishing the 2-minute explanation, another came up and asked why..another 2-minute chat in the middle of a crowded lunchroom (150 or so customers).. I average an audience of about 15 every day who hear the pitch….mostly citizen lobbyists in the Congress for a few days…their curiosity gets the better of them. Marketing 101.
This Week:
2 meetings: Grover Norquist
5134 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 15 this week
393 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 02 this week: DeLauro (D-CT); Mooney (R-WV)
466 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, …spoke to 4 Republicans running for US House
COP stats since inception: August 2009
117 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 this week
101 Radio Interviews: 0 this week
245 interviews and reports in minor media … 0 this week –
34 major conferences attended – CPAC 2024, (3 UN drug conferences in Vienna, Austria), LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Media: Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, OAN, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters, Stern
* Consider being a member of COP at $40 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org ( to donate by Internet)
To send a check:
COP
POB 543
Buckeystown, MD 21717
Posted March 5th, 2024 by hiwayhowie
What a memory: In the barbers’ chair losing what little I have left, a young woman spied my cowboy hat on the coat rack. She asked, ‘Do you have a big buckle and want to legalize cannabis?’ Yes, I replied…she had seen me 10 years ago making a presentation to the SSDP conference. (Students for a Sensible Drug Policy)..we had a lively chat about progress made. The House barber was impressed!
Marketing: About to leave the Rayburn House Building after a good day, I heard a voice asking “why?” Two staffers read my jacket. We had a solid 5 minute chat on why legalize all drugs…and they agreed with COP values in broad principles….small steps…PS it is almost becoming too easy..
A shout out to my former wife Karen who used the line (when asked wearing the shirt: Moms Say Legalize Pot)…”the police can protect your children better, if they don’t waste time on MJ”…after seeing her message being so well received, I adopted it…this was about 10 years ago.
This Week:
1 meeting: Grover Norquist
5119 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 08 this week
462 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, 01 Republican running for US House
COP stats since inception: August 2009
391 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0 this week:
117 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 this week
101 Radio Interviews: 0 this week
245 interviews and reports in minor media … 0 this week –
34 major conferences attended – CPAC 2024, (3 UN drug conferences in Vienna, Austria), LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Media: Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, OAN, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters, Stern
* Consider being a member of COP at $40 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org ( to donate by Internet)
To send a check:
COP
POB 543
Buckeystown, MD 21717
Posted February 27th, 2024 by hiwayhowie
CPAC 2024:
Resistance is crumbling:
See URL below for an in camera interview.. I come in at about minute 25..
Lots asked why, including reporters..standard answer: “I can do a better job of protecting you and your family, if I don’t waste time on drug users…Let them and their families take care of it.” Boom…I wish I had a secret camera going, so I could show you the look on their faces. As you can see, the statement is clear, concise, and correct…and the listener knows it. Almost no push back from anyone of any age, except the woman who works for the DEA!
Dwindling Numbers: Pre-covid attendees were a steady 10,000 each year with lots of press, foreign and domestic..80% were young people 20-30..this year..maybe half or less of the press, 1/3 less radio/TV and worst: almost zero young people…everyone was 35 + (not my target audience) Previously I had many dozens of kids have their picture taken with the LEGALIZE. This year 4-5…
Last Year: Thus, this was my last year. The money is modest…motel, parking, entry, food was $900. COP also plays the long-game…The last hard drugs won’t be legalized for at least a decade…No kids= no sense in going…I spoke to another 4-5 who have gone every year and they also said The End.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/10478086/fentanyl-deaths-drugs-donald-melania-trump-letter/
This Week:
1 meeting: Grover Norquist
CPAC for 4 days…Conservative Political Action Conference (DC area)
5111 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 02 this week
101 Radio Interviews: 02 this week
117 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 01 This week. German TV
245 interviews and reports in minor media … 14 this week –
461 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, …member of Canadian Parliament
34 major conferences attended – CPAC 2024, (3 UN drug conferences in Vienna, Austria), LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 01 this week
COP stats since inception: August 2009
391 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0 this week:
Media: Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, OAN, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters, Stern
* Consider being a member of COP at $40 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org ( to donate by Internet)
To send a check:
COP
POB 543
Buckeystown, MD 21717
CPAC 2024:
Resistance is crumbling:
See URL below for an in camera interview.. I come in at about minute 25..
Lots asked why, including reporters..standard answer: “I can do a better job of protecting you and your family, if I don’t waste time on drug users…Let them and their families take care of it.” Boom…I wish I had a secret camera going, so I could show you the look on their faces. As you can see, the statement is clear, concise, and correct…and the listener knows it. Almost no push back from anyone of any age, except the woman who works for the DEA!
Dwindling Numbers: Pre-covid attendees were a steady 10,000 each year with lots of press, foreign and domestic..80% were young people 20-30..this year..maybe half or less of the press, 1/3 less radio/TV and worst: almost zero young people…everyone was 35 + (not my target audience) Previously I had many dozens of kids have their picture taken with the LEGALIZE. This year 4-5…
Last Year: Thus, this was my last year. The money is modest…motel, parking, entry, food was $900. COP plays the long-game…The last hard drugs won’t be legalized for at least a decade…No kids= no sense in going…I spoke to another 4-5 who have gone every year and they also said The End.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/10478086/fentanyl-deaths-drugs-donald-melania-trump-letter/
This Week:
1 meeting: Grover Norquist
CPAC for 4 days…Conservative Political Action Conference (DC area)
5111 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 02 this week
101 Radio Interviews: 02 this week
117 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 01 This week. German TV
245 interviews and reports in minor media … 14 this week –
461 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, …member of Canadian Parliament
34 major conferences attended – CPAC 2024, (3 UN drug conferences in Vienna, Austria), LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 01 this week
COP stats since inception: August 2009
391 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0 this week:
Media: Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, OAN, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters, Stern
* Consider being a member of COP at $40 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org ( to donate by Internet)
To send a check:
COP
POB 543
Buckeystown, MD 21717
