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."
In addition, Franklin feels that decriminalizing pot will revolutionize policing in what he refers to as "a world of post-marijuana prohibition. They'll be able to focus on crimes of violence, crimes of people hurting each other -- robberies, domestic violence, crimes against our children. Instead of spending a vast amount of time enforcing marijuana laws, we can redirect those resources to areas that would greatly improve public safety.