SC Sheriff who threatened Phelps charges mocks critics
Critics have accused Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott of trying to grab his 15 minutes of fame while investigating U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
So Monday, Lott took a few of those minutes — to ridicule the comedians, dopers and pundits who lampooned his probe of the gold medalist, shown in a newspaper photo with a marijuana bong at a Columbia party.
Donning a messy blond wig — a nod to Newsweek’s error in describing him as having blond hair — a bulletproof vest and three bronze medals, Lott set the record straight at a Columbia Rotary meeting, to standing ovations.
“If I wanted 15 minutes of fame, I could have gotten about 35 hours,” joked Lott, noting he turned down national airtime with Jay Leno, Geraldo Rivera, Diane Sawyer and Larry King.
Despite talk of marijuana being harmless, he said, it can lead to other drugs and wasted lives. His best school friend began smoking it, became a trafficker and is dead, he said.
“Don’t give that b.s., ‘it doesn’t hurt anybody,’ ’cause it does.”
American hunger for marijuana is financing a brutal drug war in Mexico, he added. “People in Mexico are dying every day because of us,” he said, speaking of young people who smoke marijuana.
“How could I just ignore this? … What kind of a message is that going to send to kids?”
The article link also includes video of the above.
Related:
Michael Phelps news
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1
He has a point, you know. The drug war in Mexico is all about marijuana trafficking. The whole country is teetering on the edge of collapse.
Comment by Clark — February 24, 2009 @ 8:27 am
2
[...] Related: SC Sheriff who threatened Phelps charges mocks critics [...]
Pingback by More on Phelps and the SC Sheriff in the blond wig — February 25, 2009 @ 9:01 am
3
Clark: If that’s true (and I’m not denying it is), then wouldn’t one solution be to decriminalize or legalize pot, and allow it to be grown and regulated in the U.S.?
It’s amazing how quickly law enforcement and legislators forget the disastrous experiment of Prohibition and how it helped organized crime establish itself in this country. Same policy, different substance: History is just repeating itself now.
Comment by Chamomiles Davis — February 25, 2009 @ 5:12 pm
4
Here’s an idea. How about we legalize marijuana the same way we did alcohol (since they are no worse or better than the other) and then the drug war will be over in Mexico and our government can benefit from taxing it. It is prude’s like this sherrif who keeps us in the dark ages.
Comment by Dave — February 25, 2009 @ 5:14 pm
5
It’s pretty obvious that the solution to the marijuana issue is legalization. Marijuana would become a huge cash crop in this country and could be taxed. It would give people jobs and free up space in the jails that are overfilled.
Comment by Jared — February 25, 2009 @ 5:23 pm
6
He is making the peoples point against himself. The drug war in Mexico is a result of the War on Pot. It was the same way during alcohol prohibition, Al Capone was a result of the War on Beer.
He just doesnt get it, its only a matter of time before every state declares pot legal. Look at the past few states.
You can end inner city gangs/violence in a second with the legalization of drugs. People dont do drugs because they are legal or not, the do them because they are stupid or make stupid decisions.
Comment by Guy — February 25, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
7
Except it’s not. The drug wars in Mexico are largely fought over more profitable drugs, like cocaine and heroin, whose spread money wasted on marijuana enforcement could help to curtail.
Comment by Buzz — February 26, 2009 @ 8:51 am
8
He should be cleaning out his locker by the end of Friday. This behavior is totally unprofessional.
Comment by Jack — February 26, 2009 @ 9:18 am