With newly appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions telling people that he thinks newfangled marijuana is the cause of a rise in violence, the chances of federal-led raids on marijuana growers declining disappears. As the Washington Post points out, the raids on people suspected of “drug” crimes is the cause of many more deaths than the actual “drug” marijuana.
Marijuana itself is not a deadly substance. "No death from overdose of marijuana has been reported," according to the DEA. But the deadly raids on suspected marijuana dealers underscore how drug enforcement can become a greater threat to life and safety than drug use itself.
The Times' data shows that drugs are the primary driver of SWAT raids that turn deadly. Among the 85 fatal raids that have occurred since 2010, 61 of them -- or 70 percent -- were initiated on suspicion of drugs.
The Washington Post used this list of law enforcement actions compiled by The New York Times. And they found that around 20 of the reported fatalities occurred during raids where the only crime suspected was marijuana-related. Jeff Sessions may be right about the rise in marijuana-related violence, but it seems, like most of the opinions that Jeff Sessions holds, to be based on how much of a goddamn racist asshole he is.