For the most part I agree with you. I wouldn't mind marijuana being legalized because it's not anywhere near as 'harmful' as the government makes it out to be. The rest of the stuff should remain illegal though.
I despise the No Knock policy because it seems to me as if it gives the police unlimited powers to break into your home. Just the property damage and the mess they leave behind is bad enough because then you're left to clean it up yourself. Oh sure, they may compensate you for any property damage later but that's after they've determined there are no drugs and the compensation request has gone through all of the proper channels.
Too many times we read about the police getting the address wrong or no drugs are found, etc. Innocent people get killed, injured, have their pets shot and/or have to deal with property damage and a damned oops, sorry.
Why can't they arrest the person they see dealing or buy drugs from and then get a warrant to search the house? Is there such a thing as a probable cause warrant? I really don't know if there's such an animal but it would seem that if they find someone selling drugs at a particular house they already have probable cause to search the house. If the person is dealing out of the front yard then what's wrong with knocking on the door and if entry can't be gained because they won't answer the door, then get a warrant to break in.
What the heck is wrong with staking out a suspected place to see who actually is living there and what kind of activity is taking place. If they'd done their homework they'd have known an elderly woman lived there and just maybe they could have gotten her out of the harm's way before they broke in.
In this stupid War on Drugs people are being presumed guilty without benefit of a trial.
And before anyone accuses me of being a druggy who wants nothing more than to smoke pot, I'm 54 years old and haven't smoked any pot since I was 22. Even back then I rarely smoked it because the only real enjoyment I got out of it was Baskin Robbins Pralines'N'Cream Ice Cream tasted like heaven.
Oh, and I've never been subjected to any kind of a warrant or search either. I just get ticked off when stuff like this happens.
All warrants are supposed to be issued based on "probable cause". It's in the Constitution.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Fourth Amendment, Constitution for the United States.
As far as I'm concerned, breaking down the door in the middle of the night is the very epitome of an "unreasonable search", warrant or no warrant, unless there is probable cause to believe some innocent third party is in grave danger of imminent harm. (Hostage, etc). Otherwise knock on the door and serve your warrent. Don't whisper "Police Search Warrant", a few seconds before, or as, you crash through the door. If you do, expect the Second Amendment to "do its thing".