This can not keep happening – Legalize it already

I can’t explain the miserable feeling that I felt when I watched this video of a family crying over the deaths of their dog in a vicious drug raid for the drug known as cannabis.

Marijuana. Pot. Weed, man! Seriously? If you’ll notice, the offender was calm and cooperative the whole time. The only time he raised his voice was when he realized they shot his dogs.

This video is footage of police SWAT team entering Jonathan E. Whitworth’s residence around 8:30 p.m on February 11th, suspecting a large amount of marijuana at the location. The SWAT team encountered a pit bull upon entry and claimed the dog acted in an “uncontrollably aggressive manner,” which is why they fatally shot the dog.

Whitworth was arrested, and his wife and 7-year-old son were present during the SWAT raid when they killed their beloved pit bull.  Their corgi was also shot but thankfully, not killed.

“The family is concerned with what happened,” Hilbrenner said. “We don’t feel like what happened in the home was appropriate. The priority right now for us is the misdemeanor charges.”

Police discovered a –as in just one– grinder, a –again, just one?!– pipe and a SMALL amount of marijuana, Haden said. Because the SWAT team acts on the most updated information available, the team wanted to enter the house before marijuana believed to be at the location could be distributed, she said.

- Columbia Tribune (Tuesday, February 23, 2010)

Notice that they found no scales, baggies, or anything that would lead to the distribution of marijuana. For just a personal amount of a harmless herb, this family was not only traumatized over the gun-blaring experience but they lost a part of their family. It’s not right. They were charged with “child endangerment” for smoking cannabis, yet the SWAT team shot guns around their 7-year-old son. A bullet could have easily passed through a thin wall and hit the child! How is that acceptable? I hate that this is still allowed to happen. Recently, Whitworth entered into a plea agreement to drop the charges for the possession of marijuana and second-degree child endangerment for a guilty plea to possession of drug paraphernalia. We have to put an end to this unsuccessful drug war. We are only hurting innocent people, breaking up families and wasting a lot of money.

Here’s the disturbing-to-watch video of the drug raid.