The governor of Delaware and members of the state’s congressional delegation are speaking out after Georgia police pulled over a bus of college lacrosse players over an alleged traffic violation and searched their personal belongings in a fruitless attempt to find marijuana or other illicit drugs. The incident happened as the Delaware State University women’s lacrosse team was making their way back home following a tournament. Students believe the black bus driver and players were racially targeted as officers threatened incarceration if they turned up any illegal narcotics. In the end—even after going through the personal items and bringing a drug-sniffing canine on the bus—police did not find any controlled substances, as student newspaper The Hornet first reported. But advocates say the situation reeks of racial discrimination, with law enforcement using drugs as a pretext for what some are calling an unlawful search without probable cause. As the story has gained national attention, Delaware Gov. John Carney (D), a rare example of a Democratic governor who still opposes cannabis legalization even as lawmakers in his state move to enact the reform, said that the video of the encounter is “upsetting, concerning and disappointing.”
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 05/11/2022 17:11:00