In Contrast to America's Harsh Sentences, Police in Scotland Issue Warnings for Cannabis Violati

In America, people (mostly of color) have their lives ruined when they are thrown in jail for years for what many would consider a minor cannabis possession offense. This racist travesty of justice is as much a black mark on the American judicial system as it is a source of pride for backwards thinking republican conservatives, including current Attorney General, Jeff (lock 'em up) Sessions.

And while Sessions has said that "Good people don't use marijuana," police in Scotland have found a better way to deal with a people that are using or possessing small amounts of cannabis: They issue warnings.

As part of a new pilot program, police in Scotland have issued nearly 6,000 warnings for cannabis possession as an alternative to prosecution.

The program, which was introduced in January last year, is used for a range of minor offenses that would previously have been reported to prosecutors.

Police Superintendent Athol Aitken said the programs "is about proportionality and what’s the most appropriate way of dealing with that individual."

Proportionality has been exactly what has been lacking in America's shameful "war on drugs."

“If they are dealt with proportionately and fairly by Police Scotland and the justice system," Aitken said, "then there’s perhaps a chance they can get on with their life.”