Laws around the possession and use of cannabis have ruined lives and put peaceful people behind bars, unable to be productive members of society. These laws are outdated, tear families apart, and need to end now. 

The policy of civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement to take your property – be that money, your vehicle, or something else – without due process and without you even being charged with a crime. Anyone can have their assets seized by police as long as the officer claims that they suspect the property was connected to a crime. It is criminal that authorities can simply claim an asset might somehow be involved in criminal activity and can steal that property. We must reject any infringement on a citizen’s fundamental right to due process.

Civil Asset Forfeiture must be ended here in Georgia.

Sovereign immunity is the concept that government and it’s employees are immune from being held accountable for their actions by everyday citizens. Under this doctrine, government agencies can only be held accountable by other government agencies. Citizens must be able to stand up for themselves against an ever-growing government, especially when it’s employees infringe on our rights.

Some on the left say we need to defund the police while the right typically wants to pump more money into law enforcement. I believe that what we need first is a reprioritization of the duties of our police force. We need to throw out the term “law enforcement” and get back to peace officers who are tasked with protecting and serving their communities. Police officers should have no reason to go after non-violent offenders and instead focus efforts on violent crime.

We also need to end the militarization of our police force. We see more and more law enforcement looking like they are ready to be deployed into a war zone. Georgia is not a war zone. Georgians deserve better than to be treated as enemy combatants.