Literally Highway Robbery
Civil asset forfeiture laws need major overhaul
From Reason:
Because the continued federal prohibition of marijuana makes banks and payment processors leery of serving state-licensed cannabis suppliers, many of those businesses rely heavily on cash, which exposes them to a heightened risk of robbery. As a new federal lawsuit shows, that danger is not limited to garden-variety criminals. It includes cops who use federal civil forfeiture laws to steal money earned by state-legal marijuana businesses.
Five times since last May, sheriff's deputies in Kansas and California have stopped armored cars operated by Empyreal Logistics, a Pennsylvania-based company that serves marijuana businesses and financial institutions that work with them. The cops made off with cash after three of those stops, seizing a total of $1.2 million, but did not issue any citations or file any criminal charges, which are not necessary to confiscate property through civil forfeiture. That process allows police to pad their budgets by seizing assets they allege are connected to criminal activity, even when the owner is never charged, let alone convicted.
Read the whole thing. It’s completely disgusting.
Just like with every single other issue we are dealing with at the moment. This too has been a problem that has been growing for decades and ignored for all that time. Nobody cares about anything until they themselves are victims. Then it is too late AND no one else cares because it did not happen to them. Another of the many problems caused by allowing democracy to fly on autopilot.
Respect for private property has disintegrated in the US, which needs to be fought in courts to get it back. Latest example of a win was the Supreme Court striking down eviction bans.