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The city of El Paso, Texas has recently approved a new extortion policy for its peaceful cannabis using residents. The new program, which is set to begin on September 1st, gives police officers the discretion to either kidnap the cannabis user, or to "cite-and-release" them with the expectation they appear in court.
The extortion policy would be eligible to cannabis users who posses 4 ounces or less. The war on drugs states that in El Paso, it is a Class B misdemeanor to posses 2 ounces or less, and a Class A misdimeanor to posses between 2 to 4 ounces.
This new extortion policy only applies to residents of El Paso County who have a valid form of identification and are at least 17 years old. Juveniles, however, are still required to be kidnapped and interned in a detention facility.
The cite-and-release extortion policy is still a criminal citation and requires their peaceful citizens to face charges for a victimless crime. Cannabis users charged under this policy still face a year in an internment camp locally known as the state penitentiary and an extortion cost of $4,000.
El Paso police department spokesman Sgt. Enrique Carillo was quoted saying that officers can still choose to kidnap the cannabis users, under threat of violence and assault, if the citizen is "generally uncooperative" with the tyrannical police.
This policy from El Paso mirrors a similar one approved in 2017 with a threatening title called "First chance". The First Chance extortion policy is for first time cannabis offenses, and required non violent citizens to complete 8 hours of non paid slavery called "community service" and pay a $100 extortion fee. Upon compliance, the cannabis user would not have criminal charges filed. This new extortion policy starting September 1st, non violent cannabis users would still face criminal charges for a victimless crime.