[September 19, 2022] For many years of my career in the military, and as part of my duty as a senior commander, I often dealt with the improper and illegal behavior of my Soldiers. One of the more tragic issues was the involuntary discharge of Soldiers under less than honorable conditions. The cause? Illegal hard drug use. In every case, the gateway drug was legalized marijuana.
I personally signed the recommendation to terminate the career of more than a thousand Soldiers. Many of their lives were ruined. Even with legalized marijuana, the propensity to use other, more dangerous and improperly used drugs was almost universal. I call this the disaster of legalized marijuana because using it leads to more extreme uses of other drugs.
There is a very dark side to the growth of marijuana growing and selling. As nearly every state has legalized it, and consequently regulated and taxed it – a selling point to legalization – there has been a growth of illicit shops that offer marijuana at much cheaper prices.
Referring to California specifically, the London Times tells us that wherever marijuana has been legalized, the results have been bad, and are getting worse.
“The [California] state’s well-intentioned experiment to legalise cannabis is failing and has created a thriving black market for untested and unregulated products, all while serving as a hotbed for crime.”
“The illegal market still dominates California, just about everywhere,” Adam Spiker, the co-founder of Southern California Coalition, a cannabis trade association, said.
This always happens. Marijuana is cheap to grow, so if you legalize cannabis, you are more or less legalizing illegal cannabis, which takes over the market. The Times reports that illegal cannabis shops are everywhere in the Los Angeles area, and they are magnets for crime.
And, if you get selling marijuana, a legal drug, illegally, there is little penalty, if any. With the more lucrative “criminal” opportunities, this illegal marijuana has been taken over by gangs.
The gangs of Los Angeles are getting in on the act, according to law enforcement. Two of the area’s largest gangs, Varrio Nuevo Estrada and East LA-13, have opened dispensaries of their own, according to the Los Angeles Times. These shops also sell methamphetamine, heroin and guns, fuelling their rivalry.
Marijuana has always been a gateway drug. If you legalize marijuana, you can be sure that a tidal wave of meth, heroin and so on will follow. Legalizing marijuana means enabling illegal marijuana, and encouraging the sale and use of hard drugs. The inevitable result is violent crime.
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Gen. Satterfield, my thoughts exactly. ✔✔✔✔
I only wish that journalists in America would do an article on this topic without their implicit liberal bias and just study what is really happening and write about it.
Got that right, Billy. But it will not happen. “Journalism” is dead in America. And it is not likely to be resurrected anytime soon.
Eye opening article.
The disaster has yet to be played out in death on the highways and byways of our country. And, in the declining school academic scores. And, the decline in wealth, ambition, church going behavior, and selfless attitude among our youth. This new idea of legalized marijuana is due to the dustbin of brainless ideas.
“Brainless ideas.” Love it. Thanks Yusaf.
Yusaf, you are correct to say the disaster has yet to play out. The question is, “What are we doing to do about it?” That will not be answered any time soon.
You are soooo right, Gen. Satterfield. 👍👍👍👍👍
“The illegal market still dominates California, just about everywhere,” Adam Spiker, Now, honestly tell me, who is surprised this happened? Now, what is California governor going to do about it? NOTHING at all because that is the whole point.
Well said, Kerry. Yeah, let’s just wait and see. Thank God I don’t live in lala land California.
“Marijuana has always been a gateway drug. If you legalize marijuana, you can be sure that a tidal wave of meth, heroin and so on will follow. Legalizing marijuana means enabling illegal marijuana, and encouraging the sale and use of hard drugs. The inevitable result is violent crime.” — Gen. Doug Satterfield. Ouch. Nailed it sir, thanks.
Great to hear from you Army Vet. Please write another article for Gen. Satterfield’s website.
Hi Army Vet, great to see you on today and reading Gen. Satterfield’s blog. Of course, I would love to have you write another blog post for us. Please! Whenever you can, of course. ✔
I agree. If you’ve not read his articles then click this link for more: https://www.theleadermaker.com/?s=ARMY+VET
Hey appreciate it, Liz. Well done. I for one am a unapologetic fan of Army Vet and read and often re-read his articles because they make sense in a topsy turvy world that spins on spin and denies reality that is right in front of it. Yet, one day, and that day may be soon, that reality will not be kind and it will destroy you. So, if you do deny reality, be prepared to take a big hit on your life, very very soon.
Great article. And, at an important time as many states and communities look to legalizing marijuana. Use t his argument when you go to their meetings, stand up and say so.
Thank you, Gen. Satterfield for hitting us with a touch of reality (others noted this too) but I want to say that this is one of the reasons I keep coming back to your leadership blog. Writing about it will not put you in good stead with the university intellectuals or the snowflakes that go there but “who cares?” I for one love your website.
Pow, got that right …. wait, someone else said that too.
This is no surprise!
Of course, I predicted it long ago and now look where we are. The politicians however are turning their logic away from reality and only see being “compassionate.” That is a gross failure.
Yep, and no amount of reality will intervene. 😉
Ha ha ha ha ha….. ha. This is what we have to contend with all the time in crazy town LA.
That is something only real people can understand. Legalized marijuana actually had some unintended, and bad, consequences. Any sane person could see it coming. Gen. Satterfield told us about it long ago.