Aaron Malin on Drug War Propaganda Disguised as Police Training
In Missouri, sworn law enforcement officers are required to take 48 credit hours of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) continuing education every three years. As it turns out, some of the classes offered aren't exactly what you might consider official law enforcement training. At the annual conference this past March, one course was titled, "Marijuana Legalization: The Issues." It was taught by Tom Gorman—a drug cop from Colorado who travels the country on what seems to be a never-ending anti-legalization crusade. Aaron Malin looks at Gorman's history and wonders why the man's personal opinions about maintaining drug laws counts as "training."