We already know that the primary reason, or what appears to be the primary reason, that police come into our communities is to look for drugs," he continues. "And marijuana is the number one drug, which is evident because the vast number of drug arrests are for marijuana, by far. And that drives a wedge between police and communities -- especially communities of color. But with regulation, we would see some significant changes, including to racial profiling, which would be greatly affected in a good way if we were to legalize marijuana." As an example, Franklin references a recent event held in Baltimore. "There was a large crowd of community members there," he recalls, "and I told them, 'If I was still an active Baltimore police officer, when this event was over, I could stop any of you and arrest you.' And just like that, the place got completely quiet -- and I was able to articulate to them that 'If I smell marijuana on your person, I can arrest you, detain you and search you, just like that, and the courts will uphold it.'
"That's a power the police don't need," he adds, "and something that needs to be changed. And it's a big reason why we have so many problems with police in our communities inappropriately stopping, detaining and searching people."