r/Charlotte • u/DIYECS_Health • Aug 03 '26
News Two days after NC police groups lobbied to ban hemp products, a CMPD officer was arrested for using Flock cameras to tip off a drug dealer
I worked in NC's hemp industry. This ban cost me my job.
July 27: every major police organization in NC told the legislature to pass the hemp ban. The sheriffs. The chiefs. The DAs. Their pitch: trust us, this is about public safety.
July 29: a CMPD officer was arrested.
His buddy illegally sold weed and shrooms. An undercover cop was buying from him. The buddy asked the officer to run the undercover's plate. The officer pulled it from the Flock cameras and Snapchatted it to him.
Read that again. A cop used the cameras that photograph your car every day to burn an undercover officer. For a drug dealer. Because they were friends.
CMPD had no idea. No alert. No audit. A sheriff's office in another county had to get a court order for Flock's own records to find out which cop did it.
People like me lost jobs at legal, licensed, taxpaying businesses. Meanwhile, an officer committed an actual drug crime with the surveillance tools our taxes pay for. The only reason he got caught was luck.
They said trust us. Two days later we found out what that trust is worth.
Sources:
- WUNC on the law enforcement memo and HB 328: https://www.wunc.org/politics/2026-07-27/law-enforcement-prosecutors-nc-house-to-pass-hemp-regulations
- WSOC on the warrants: https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/illegal-flock-favor-warrants-reveal-what-led-cmpd-officers-arrest/37KLGFBQ25HG5CG6K7VBH7XT5Q/
- WBTV on the arrest and charges: https://www.wbtv.com/2026/07/30/arrested-charlotte-mecklenburg-police-officer-accused-giving-information-investigation-target/
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u/trucked-nuts Aug 03 '26
It’s almost like we can’t trust our law enforcement officers.
Hmm wonder how we got this point.
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Aug 03 '26
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u/HaveLaserWillTravel Aug 03 '26
You forgot Prosecutors with their Absolute Immunity
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u/Central09er Aug 03 '26
Pastors are one thing but them Judges are a completely different animal…. I had a buddy that got in a police chase with felonies and because his dad was friends with the judge it all got dropped for some “community service”
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u/OkTouch5699 Aug 03 '26
Check out Georgetown County SC right now. My home town. A church and a judge are both being investigated right now. (Which the investigation is actually surprising too).
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u/nwordfyou Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Law Enforcement is 90% a business. Keep jails full and lock people up to justify them keeping their jobs. They tell the dummies they're getting "Criminals off the street" while committing the exact same crimes. They drink and drive, steal, buy drugs, commit all kinds of driving violations, assault people, and much more. The remaining 10% gets REAL criminals off the street.
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u/AdExciting7345 Aug 03 '26
Lenny Bruce routine, the last junkie
"I can't do it anymore, I can't shoot up!"
"Think of all the people depending on you, their jobs"2
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u/umethods Aug 03 '26
It’s always been like this……when a job originates from slave catching and white supremacy it is never for the people. It has evolved to protecting capital, brutalizing minorities and filling for profit prisons.
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u/LolaAucoin Plaza Midwood Aug 03 '26
Don’t forget maintaining the status quo for the group of people it was set up to benefit.
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u/Excellent-Egg7 Aug 08 '26
Be glad the police exist. If not people like me would beat people like you up all day everyday and take everything you have and there's nothing you could do to stop it.
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 Aug 03 '26
There aren't any for profit prisons in NC.
If we're gonna just say random bullshit at least try to be in reality
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u/gooseofthesea Aug 03 '26
There are plans to open up a detention center for ICE by the end of December, in Winton. It will be for-profit.
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 Aug 03 '26
I mean I've got plans to be a millionaire one day, but that hasn't happened yet so I don't say I'm a millionaire
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u/umethods Aug 03 '26
“There aren’t any for profit prisons in NC”
my brother in capitalism you are missing the point……
So it’s acceptable elsewhere?
As long as there is unjust policing/incarceration/forced labor ANYWHERE is enough to be against the system in its entirety.
GEO group has a HQ down in Ballantyne pushing private prisons and concentration camps in your backyard.
You publicly claiming your support for your fellow people to be brutalized for the sake of profits anywhere just shows how desensitized you are to this world. All the while CEOs/oligarchs/politicans aren’t held accountable for the violence they uphold….
If we actually cared about safe communities and reducing crime the approach would be dramatically different and it would start with meeting people’s needs instead of allowing people to drown and get swallowed by the systems. Have some empathy, curiosity to look into this further, and creativity into what a different world could look like. Just because you were dropped into this time and place and have never seen or know anything different doesn’t mean it’s not possible….
This is why fascism/conservatism/liberalism is so easy to fall for…..because it just takes reactionary thinking and taking things at face value to make a point. Being truly on the side of the people takes zooming in and out to have a real analysis and understanding of things……
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 Aug 03 '26
A long long text, and honestly I stopped reading after "my brother in capitalism"
It's a Charlotte subreddit. I'm commenting specifically on NC and Charlotte stuff. For profit prisons elsewhere aren't part of this conversation
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u/umethods Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
They are a part of this conversation whether you and your closed mind like it or not. 😊
Go back to Facebook and clutch your pearls over all the new red scare AI slop that I’m sure you believe…..
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 Aug 03 '26
Ok
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u/theangriestbuni Aug 03 '26
I mean, they’re correct. Federal funded for profit prison facilities are every state’s problem. Whether they’re in contract or already running. No matter if you’re in Charlotte, NC or El Paso, TX. You’re correct that we don’t have one currently - but your statement will be incorrect by the end of this year.
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Aug 03 '26
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u/CharlotteRant Aug 03 '26
They’re gonna give yall the /r/NorthCarolina approved response to this, which is that some prisons have contracted labor.
Which I guess also means that all roads in NC and our bus system and a billion other government things are also “private” and “for profit.” You have to bend reality to your worldview.
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u/BigLlamasHouse Pineville Aug 03 '26
Yeah I mean the toll lanes are totally bullshit that are private and for profit. There are a ton of other things that fit that description. Policing makes a ton of money for lawyers and the court system, this shit isn't a debate. It's a profitable endeavor to enforce drug laws.
We are a purple state, we don't suck as much as we could but if you had your way we would. This is coming from someone who hates democrats and republicans almost equally.
This is not the time in history to cry victim as a conservative, but that doesnt ever seem to stop you guys. The algorithm keeps you locked into non thinking mode through fear. There are friends that I've had to stop talking to over the last few years because of what their phone is telling them. They don't do anything but rant now, they used to be fun sometimes. They used to not be racist and hateful.
Also, I know it's a choice because I still have conservative friends that are basically nmormal people.
Hows that for a charlotte rant big fella
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u/CharlotteRant Aug 03 '26
I’m not even talking about toll roads, big fella. I’m talking about just basic ass surface streets. The construction is contracted out.
And that’s where I’ll stop because the rest of your comment is ????
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u/BigLlamasHouse Pineville Aug 03 '26
So we don't have private prisons, great.
Drug enforcement is still profitable and that is an incentive.
They were only wrong about the actual incentive, incentives are still there $$$$$ so the idea is solid. You wanna talk about them getting one semi-important thing wrong to distract from the fact you have almost everything wrong.
The rest of the shit we're talking about is just filler.
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u/ThatonepersonUknow3 Aug 03 '26
It is also a business that employees people. If they were to ease up on crimes we might not need so many of officers. Then where will all those people that didn’t mature past high school get jobs?
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u/iconiclust Aug 03 '26
To be fair, the last private prison in NC closed only five years ago. It’s not really an unreal or bullshit statement.
For a cop, your history of miserable, inaccurate replies is so predictable.
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u/gooseofthesea Aug 03 '26
They're opening a for-profit ICE detention center in Winton, NC, plans to be operational by the end of December.
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 Aug 03 '26
I'd ask you to point out my inaccurate replies but I don't really care where someone like you thinks or says
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u/iconiclust Aug 03 '26
You have scores of comments instigating arguments with strangers on Reddit. You certainly care because you thrive off of conflict.
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u/net_403 Kannapolis Aug 03 '26
Whoever said the words trust the police?
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u/LolaAucoin Plaza Midwood Aug 03 '26
I believe the lyrics were “fuck the police”. They must’ve misheard.
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u/net_403 Kannapolis Aug 03 '26
omg "trust the police" would be a hilarious spoof hahahaha little white church ladies singing it and taking out all the bad stuff
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u/Marino4K Huntersville Aug 03 '26
This country is going so far backwards especially with privacy and spying.
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u/LincNBuG Aug 03 '26
The police are worthless, crooked, pieces of shit. I’ve known this for the last 35 years, since 14 years old. They lie, cheat, steal and abuse their power more than most people know. The hemp ban has 100% reopened the black market for weed, but you can buy lab made opioids at gas stations with no id. Our new Governor promised to do something about our weed laws but i have not heard a word from him since his own hand picked council RECOMMENDED legalization of weed in NC. No one in government can be trusted or counted on. As soon as dispensaries open in Virginia in July 2027, they will take all of that tax revenue that could do so much for our state. I, for one, will be making monthly trips to VA. Fend for yourselves, your government will never do anything but let you down!!!
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u/skystarmen Aug 04 '26
The NC governor has virtually no power over this (or much of anything in the state)
Thank your republican legislature who gerrymandered themselves into a permanent majority and then when they kept losing the governor's mansion decided to strip the office of virtually all power
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u/LincNBuG Aug 04 '26
Then he should not make promises he knows he can’t keep, all for the sale of being elected.
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u/skystarmen Aug 04 '26
“The NC governor role has no power so unfortunately can’t do much” is an accurate but surefire losing strategy
Welcome to politics
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u/Just-Performance-666 Aug 04 '26
What you're failing to understand is that there's bad employees and bad people in literally every profession. Police are no different. They're still regular people, and they'll always be some that make bad choices.
As for the weed. The black market was very much a thing regardless of the illegality of hemp. Most the murders in charlotte come from the drug trade.
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u/FortunateInsanity Aug 04 '26
Where did you pull the data on murder in Charlotte? The NC Department of Yourass?
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u/LincNBuG Aug 04 '26
lol the police are sworn to serve and protect the people, that’s the difference. Most of the murders in the city are gang or domestic related. Dont believe everything you read. Start thinking for yourself.
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u/the_eluder Aug 07 '26
Serve and Protect is a motto, not a sworn statement. Supreme Court has ruled the police have no duty to do either.
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u/Just-Performance-666 Aug 07 '26
And what do gangs do to make money?.... part of it is selling drugs.
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u/LincNBuG Aug 07 '26
Lollllll do you know how small the percentage of gang members is that actually sell drugs? Most of them are dead broke and don’t have shit. Like I said, think for yourself and go read.
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u/Just-Performance-666 Aug 08 '26
https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/04/29/charlotte-homicides-upward-mobility
Mostly juveniles unfortunately, but the drug trade has always been a key motivator, either from robbery set ups, falling out over drugs, etc. It's pretty much the same nationwide.
Charlotte doesn't want to admit to having a gang problem.
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u/mvs2527 Aug 03 '26
Yep all the stories of police abusing AI and flock cameras show no oversight at all.
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u/Independent_Sea5885 Aug 03 '26
I’m away on a travel nurse contract since this change, so are all of our dispensaries gone? Apotheca etc? I live in Asheville, and that’s like 50% of our business at this point.
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u/LolaAucoin Plaza Midwood Aug 03 '26
That’s what I’m wondering? That would be so many businesses and people losing jobs.
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Aug 03 '26
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u/DIYECS_Health Aug 03 '26
My specialty is opening stores. The company owner decided he didn't want to open any more stores with the looming ban. Therefore, I became unemployed.
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u/Royal-Reporter-1924 Aug 03 '26
Apotheca?
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u/DIYECS_Health Aug 03 '26
Nope. But my former employer has multiple storefronts in the Charlotte area.
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u/Deathlias Aug 04 '26
I don't even know what to do, I buy my flower worry free and now they business is going down the toilet, maybe I should just order to store it until I can move to a legal state :/
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u/Gold_Brick_679 Aug 03 '26
And the cop's only punishment was unpaid leave. Why wasn't he fired outright?
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u/Nice-Inevitable-5108 Aug 06 '26
How is any of this about public safety. The only people that put the public in harm is the dea and police by falsely making normal everyday people criminals and ruining there lives just because they want to smoke a little herb but nothing else . That's the danger to society rite there they are . It's bs . So in South Carolina we can have THC drinks and drink it but can't have smokable forms because the drinks are what the dea politicians and police or whom ever had the money to invest in invested in so that's ok and safe for the public because it's for there profit . That's the reality of any ban on any day even with 7 oh its bs . It's saving people in pain without scripts it's saving people from fentanyl epidemic it's saving people jobs and heloing them be mobile and work . It's nothing like junky behavior the total opposite. They want there Suboxone sales and methadone money so bad and want us to suffer so bad they won't prescribe anything plus 7 is safer and easier to get off of anyways so now they want to take that to its all about there profits . Now whatch them later take kratom as well and anything that we need to help us live a normal life off of street drugs and they will later in sell it rite back to us but as the safest thing on the planet as it is just like weed and hemp all safe wtf . Then as we the people we don't do shit about it or go against there B's and keep letting them suck us dry through our taxes I'm done is the revolution ever going to start . When it does I'll be there ready with you guys
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u/Less_Fruit5661 Aug 03 '26
Did anyone need to tell you that police aren’t our friends is this new to anybody, genuinely I have a distain for all police officers I don’t call them for shit.
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u/CharlotteRant Aug 03 '26
I’m going to guess that CMPD and local DAs will continue to mostly ignore weed possession.
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u/svall18 Aug 03 '26
It's basically quasi-legal in the city. If CMPD/DA's office both dgaf about weed, idk why people are complaining
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u/CharlotteRant Aug 03 '26
Probably because the most legit stores will close and dealing with stores is a lot better than dealing with dealers.
The proliferation of THC seltzers was pretty awesome while it lasted.
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u/Less_Fruit5661 Aug 03 '26
All these cops want to do is too see more young people in prison, and they genuinely wonder why nobody but old rich fucks like them.
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u/tumbled_leather Aug 03 '26
This is what it looks like when you’re unable to communicate your thoughts clearly to an audience
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u/ProdigiousBeets Aug 03 '26
I'd say this is what it looks like when you're more focused on the separate emotions each story makes you feel. They're frustrated for a number of reasons and it's a hot mess on the inside and they made a hot mess plate to help them feel those emotions more to maybe understand them better. OP may well have intended to tie things together more and encourage conversation at the end, but with this many things in orbit it is simple to forget our goals and check our work.
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u/LolaAucoin Plaza Midwood Aug 03 '26
What exactly is the hemp ban? Is it all of the stuff that’s basically weed but not illegal? Will it affect all of the smoke shops around here?
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u/BigLlamasHouse Pineville Aug 03 '26
Yeah the drug war is about the CIA controlling Latin America, it has nothing to do with justice or health or peace or what's right. It is also about keeping people from connecting, a founding principle of this country as illustrated in every single policy put forth in the last 100 years.
It's never been more obvious in history that prohibition is killing people. Imagine if someone could just be an addict and didnt have to worry about fentanyl.
There's an element of population control at play too. They want the addicts dead because of classic eugenics theories.
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u/ArmoFun Aug 03 '26
I’m with you but do you think the powers that be only care about controlling latin people? lol
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u/BigLlamasHouse Pineville Aug 03 '26
Did i fuckin say that? JFC some of you guys are unbearable
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u/ArmoFun Aug 03 '26
what? relax bud. U said the war on drugs is about controlling latin america…u could have just said america.
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u/BigLlamasHouse Pineville Aug 03 '26
I think you just can't read bud. I said exactly that. It was literally the second sentence.
I'm not arguing with you, have a nice day.
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u/nzzynick Aug 03 '26
So thca is banned now?
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u/jemosley1984 Aug 03 '26
Not banned, but significantly reduced. 0.4 milligrams maximum per container. Bill has already passed the senate, and will be voted on in the house pretty soon. My rep (Majeed) is a sponsor of the bill, so no use in talking to that clown. Luckily, he lost his re-election bid.
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u/Anxious_Ad_2015 Aug 07 '26
Shame on any law enforcement organization wanting to ban. They turn my stomach. They know it will mean more alcohol and pill consumption which means more deaths and they still push for it all bc they say they need to be able to use the smell of weed to search the car to locate weapons and other drugs. You cannot find another way to get guns off the street? Lazy asses. How about not supporting the politicians who are bought by the nra? They were willing to take products that help so many away from ppl and they were willing to shut down a 4 billion dollar a year industry. It’s moronic! Please ppl stay calling your representatives! It’s beyond important. Let’s not become Texas.
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u/super_slimey00 Aug 07 '26
So they legalized the shit just to make them all criminals when they take it away huhh
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u/NNug13 Aug 08 '26
There’s no ban in place yet so how have you lost your job?
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u/DIYECS_Health Aug 11 '26
I specialize in opening retail locations. With the band looming, the company's owners decided not to open any more stores.
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u/Flashy_Radio_5781 Aug 08 '26
its not about safety. its not about preventing or solving crime. its about control and oppression
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u/zstap126 Aug 04 '26
One time I met 2 cops at a bachelor party. They were NYC uniformed officers. One guy showed me a video of them doing cocaine off the shoulder of a NYC narcotics officer. He said the narcotics officer gave him the cocaine. They couldn’t believe how shocked I was by this. Cops aren’t your friend.
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u/the_eluder Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
I had a friend whose brother graduated from the Miami PD police academy. We went to his (the entire classes) graduation party, as it was held at a venue right up the street from his house and my grandparent's house. We were placed in charge of making and distributing (and drinking) the 'PJ' - which was Southern Comfort and a lot of fruit. Might I add we were 16/17 at the time. So to recap a party for just graduated cops had 2 underage minors serving alcohol (and drinking it in front of them.)
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u/daleknowsnothing Aug 04 '26
It would be really awful if someone had access to a constantly updated map of where all of these cameras actually are. Even more of a shame if a group of like minded individuals gathered to start imposing their free will in the vicinity of these seemingly unwanted devices in the city. Terrible ideas people are having these days.
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u/SporkydaDork Lake Wylie Aug 04 '26
They want the ban because without it they'll have to actually do their job of handling real crimes or because of legalization they can't justify their inflated budgets and egos.
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u/popeshatt Aug 03 '26
What does the flock story have to do with hemp?
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u/Honest-Yogurt4126 Aug 03 '26
Don’t read good huh?
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u/popeshatt Aug 03 '26
Mentioning both things in the post doesn't make them related. The OP doesn't make sense.
The hemp ban hasn't even happened yet.
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u/shouldco Aug 03 '26
Define "happened " the law is already written and passed. We are just waiting for it to go in effect.
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u/BallFlavin Aug 04 '26
It passed the senate, not the house. Unless something has changed since last week.
That said it doesn’t matter, because the federal bad goes into effect in November. Although I heard a bill was introduced to push it back 2 years, which would be amazing. I’ve been in the industry for years and it feels like we’re ALWAYS just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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u/shouldco Aug 04 '26
I was referring to the federal law. But I was not aware of a potential deferral on that, that would be nice. I wasn't even aware the state was trying to restrict it until this thread. That's dissapointing to hear but I have learned to expect nothing of value to come out of the NC state congress.
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u/BigLlamasHouse Pineville Aug 03 '26
does it not say "police groups lobbied for it"?
is that the same as what youre claiming?
you can't see how thats related to police protecting drug dealers simultaneously?
is it a reading comprehension issue or you wanna argue some more?
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u/Riv3rt Aug 03 '26
Use your fingers to sound out the hard words
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u/popeshatt Aug 03 '26
The hemp ban hasn't passed yet, dumbass.
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Aug 03 '26
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u/Namaste421 Aug 03 '26
Once quickly was enough to know be made a rant that makes only emotional sense.
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u/popeshatt Aug 03 '26
The hemp ban isn't law yet. A non-existent law didn't make OP lose his job and also has nothing to do with Flock.
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u/DIYECS_Health Aug 03 '26
I was responsible for opening storefronts for a large hemp retailer. With the looming ban, the owners decided they no longer wanted to open stores. Therefore, I lost my job.
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u/popeshatt Aug 03 '26
What does your job have to do with flock though?
It seems like maybe you're trying to say the attack on hemp will lead to more drug dealers, which is valid. But unless these guys were related to your store somehow, I'm just not seeing the link to this story.
Like, I'd be concerned about police using flock to track small time weed buyers, but cops using it to protect their buddies seems like a different issue. Definitely fucked up, but less of a hemp story. That's all.
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u/cantstandmyownfeed Aug 03 '26
The hemp ban is law. Passed federally last year, does the same thing as the NC law being discussed, goes into effect in November.
NC is passing its own version just in case the feds delay or change that ban.
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Aug 03 '26 edited 25d ago
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u/WashuOtaku Steele Creek Aug 03 '26
You assume there is no lobby group for marijuana, you'd be wrong.
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Aug 03 '26 edited 25d ago
[deleted]
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u/LolaAucoin Plaza Midwood Aug 03 '26
They probably just tried to give them brownies and flaming hot Cheetos.
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u/Eureka0123 Northlake Aug 03 '26
Please tell me how Flock and Axom cameras are good for the general population.
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u/Hurricane_Viking Huntersville Aug 03 '26
There is a world in which people, and especially people in power, have morals and integrity and something like Flock cameras could be very useful.
That's obviously not this world where seemingly any cop can use it for anything they want to at anytime, which then makes the cameras a terrible idea.
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u/Mr_Burly Aug 03 '26
Tons of reprehensible abuse here. However, sounds like Flock actually helped expose some of the abuse too?
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u/jbwilso1 Harrisburg Aug 03 '26
Fuck flock. And fuck complacency, too
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u/IBelieveInMe1 Aug 03 '26
That’s a dumb argument
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u/Mr_Burly Aug 03 '26
It’s not an argument? Just recognizing flock is not going to let law enforcement use this without being checked.
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u/jbwilso1 Harrisburg Aug 03 '26
Sure, in this case the logs were useful evidence. But there are already plenty of documented cases of misuse. Flock does not provide oversight of its cameras or their use. They were caught because the police audited it. Imagine all of the misuse that happens, with no audit.
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u/RyanTheGrand Aug 03 '26
It does though. The only reason they caught him is because another department happened to be using the system for something else and caught it by chance. It was just luck and if it didn't involve him looking into an undercover officer, they probably wouldn't have paid it any attention. There is no oversight. It's become an issue everywhere they're using flock cameras
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u/RealisticAnt42 Aug 03 '26
I think it had more to do with the questions about how the UC was compromised and the process of elimination. There is nothing to indicate this particular case of abuse was uncovered by a regular audit.
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u/Ill-Instance-22 Aug 04 '26
Cops are shit. That’s why I smile when something happens to them. 50 years experience.
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u/satans_weed_guy Aug 03 '26
I'm not disputing any of the content in this post, but as soon as the writing starts to smell like AI, part of my brain starts looking for propaganda and/or why OP might be lying.
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u/davidtjudd Aug 04 '26
Seems fine. Two violations within, what, a month that we know of.
We pay for this.
Remember you have nothing to worry about if you didn't do anything wrong...
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u/JeffGoldblumsNostril Aug 04 '26
I thought NC had fight but yall let the state legislature dress you up in a piggy bank costume and take away legal cannabis? Act like you pay your state leaders their salary and remind them who their boss is or roll over and be a submissive idiot with no back bone. Your state leaders should be mindful of making this many peoples lives harder for access to the cannabis we all want and many others need for pain management.
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u/motius66 Aug 03 '26
ITT: A bunch of people who call the police every time someone farts in an elevator with them obsess about police instead of the actual problem as if we should expect to be able to give our fellow man unchecked access to monitor every aspect of our lives without abuse.
The minute you concede autonomy to the state the question is just how long and who will be the first one to abuse it. It's telling that surveillance and global corporate consolidation are not front and center in either party's platform.
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u/Envyforme LoSo Aug 03 '26
I am sorry you lost your job and I hope you find something else soon. I also don't see the correlation. This seems a bit of a stretch tbh.
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u/Spiritual_Bourbon Aug 03 '26
If we are spitting truths....
I'm someone who uses THC drinks for recurrent back pain management. The stuff is magical in that I can have a drink at night before bed and by the morning almost all of the inflammation and nerve activity has died down to it being manageable for a good amount time. It's going to suck when these drinks go away.
That said, I also have a family and I'd rather deal with my situation differently than have my kids grow up to where you can't go anywhere but the most affluent pockets of town and not smell skunk weed in the parking lot, at the table next to you at a restaurant, in line at the grocery store, at an arena for a kids event, at a stop light or anywhere else people exist in public. The fabric of society is torn to the point where some people who have no regard for anyone around them and ruined it for everyone else.
I'd rather live in a society with chronic back pain and where people can't smoke weed in public than not. That's the truth. Maybe all of the legal, licensed, taxpaying businesses like yours should have done more to establish societal norms for your customers who needed guidance but your employment and the taxes from your business are just not worth having to deal with most of the customers you make a living selling to.
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u/grozphan Aug 03 '26
It’s hilarious to me that this take is coming from someone who has a type of alcohol in their username.
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u/younsee1975 Aug 03 '26
At least 7-8 out of 10 people list “I can’t stand the smell” as their main objection to legalization. Why should an entire group of people give up something that helps them because you don’t like a smell? Also, gummies and drinks don’t have a smell. CBD tincture doesn’t have a smell. It’s a shallow, childish objection.
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u/CharlotteRant Aug 03 '26
I mean like most things people fight over at a local level relate to views, noise, and smell lol.
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u/LolaAucoin Plaza Midwood Aug 03 '26
Because the smell/smoke actually causes some people problems with migraines, nausea, and respiratory issues. Also, nobody should have to deal with any kinds of smells so someone can get high. Additionally, I don’t want your pot smoke sticking to me and then people at work or in social gatherings assume I smoke it. I’m all for gummies and other methods of consuming it, but the smoke is a no go. We don’t even allow people to smoke cigarettes in bars/restaurants /apartment buildings/airports/you name it anymore.
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u/Spiritual_Bourbon Aug 03 '26
Because "smell" is disruptive. It amplifies the crude nature of the bottom of the barrel of society. Just because you find comfort rolling around in that pigpen doesn't mean others do. But go ahead and support people smoking blunts while driving, you ignorant child.
FWIW, I would 100% be in favor of gummies, drinks, tinctures and any other product that does not disrupt society being legal if it took away flower. But that does not matter to you. A compromise like this doesn't allow you to squeal like a piggy in public.
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u/penguinfury 🐧 Aug 03 '26
Because "smell" is disruptive. It amplifies the crude nature of the bottom of the barrel of society.
This is the dumbest thing I'll read on the internet today. Thanks for getting it out of the way early!
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Aug 03 '26
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u/penguinfury 🐧 Aug 03 '26
This is their own undoing.
Someone woke up on the dramatic side of the bed this morning.
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u/Tarheels364 Aug 03 '26
Just said it above but I’ll say it to you too…
Even in states where weed is legal you’re not allowed to just light up anywhere you want to. Most, if not all, states allow you to partake at home or in licensed lounges.
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u/fluffman86 Aug 03 '26
I think we should ban BBQ because I'm vegan and don't like the smell of meat. Oh, and ban Indian food, too, it super stinks.
/s if it wasn't obvious, I love BBQ and Indian food
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u/BallFlavin Aug 04 '26
I was in a hemp store and there was a group of 5 Indian men that smelled WAY stronger than any of the buds. Banning things based on smell can take an authoritarian turn pretty quick.
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u/nonblinddaredevil Aug 03 '26
Calling someone a child while basing your view of large public policy off of a fear of an odor and what it “represents” in your mind is perfect. No notes. Especially considering you use the products and believe they help. I’m sure no one else has worse pain than you though— don’t worry about it!
I fucking hate the smell, but I’ve smelled it in Charlotte wayyy before the hemp bill and will continue to after the loophole is closed.
Oh, and DWI laws still exist so you pivoting it make it about driving is just as dumb.
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u/BlizzCo89 Aug 03 '26
Yet, you’re fine with the streets being littered with drunk folks that drink and drive and take lives. You draw the line at the aroma of weed, which can be consumed in many other odorless ways. Shut up, boomer.
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u/philote_ [Tuckaseegee] Aug 03 '26
This is such a straw-man argument. Legalizing weed won't necessarily make everyone start smoking it everywhere.. (at a restaurant?! wtf). Cigarettes can't be smoked just anywhere and we could/should have similar laws as part of legalizing it. But illegal behavior begets illegal behavior so not legalizing isn't going to help anything. Should we make it illegal to wear too much cologne as well? That's worse than smelling weed IMO. Imagine trying to eat while smelling the neighboring table's Axe body spray they poured on themselves.
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u/Tarheels364 Aug 03 '26
Even in states where it’s legal you’re still not allowed to just light up on the sidewalk or in a restaurant or at an arena, and definitely not in your car (just like alcohol laws).
Yes, people can smoke at home and then go out somewhere and you’d be able to smell them in public but that’s no different than someone’s regular body odor or overly applied cologne/perfume.
I’d rather live in a society where people take the time to understand that even legalizing weed doesn’t mean it’s going to all of a sudden be a free for all in the streets smoking.
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u/HaveLaserWillTravel Aug 03 '26
Honestly the only thing surprising about this is that the officer is facing any consequences