Riverside Police Chief Takes Stand Against Marijuana Legalization

RIVERSIDE, IL - Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel has taken a stand against the legalization of marijuana. Weitzel said he traveled to Chicago to represent the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and to speak in opposition of legalization, but was not allowed to testify at the April 19 state appropriations hearing about proposed marijuana legislation.

According to Weitzel, he spent the entire day waiting to testify and give the position of the ILACP, but no individual who was in opposition to the legislation was allowed to give any statement of testimony.

Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel did submit written testimony.

“It is apparent that the proponents of this legislation, at least at this time, do not want to hear any opposition testimony," he said in the written testimony. "I signed up online with a witness slip like any other individual for verbal testimony and was never asked to testify or give a statement. This is just another example of how our state legislators have very little respect for law enforcement leadership throughout the state of Illinois."

Weitzel said he was there representing the ILACP, which is an organization of over 200 law enforcement executives.

"I believe the actions of our state legislatures are shameful in this case," he said.

Weitzel has submitted what his remarks would have been if he spoke at the hearing, and in his speech, he refers to the negative effects of cannabis and how "it is not as harmless as some think it to be."

In his statement, he also says that using marijuana recreationally has behavior problems that are dangerous and that it could be used as a transition drug.

"No matter how hard we try, we cannot eradicate drugs completely," Weitzel said in a release. "However, I strongly oppose backing drug use as something normal."

Photo provided.