I don't think i know anybody who works or has ever worked in the field of law enforcement, except for a neighbour of mine, when i lived in amsterdam, who worked for the military police. I smoked some weed with that guy a couple of times, so it is probably not thát uncommon for people in that line of work, to take prohibited substances every now and then.
But he and i never talked about his work.

So i am curious about, how people in that field, look at things like drug legislation. Or more generally, what is their perspective on the role they play in society? Is it a sort of idealism that drives them, or is it just a job?

Idealism? I do not believe that except for a very, very few.

Do not be surprised if you find out how many of these 'noble' people take drugs. Police officers, lawyers, judges, politicians, you name it. In fact, often they are the worst.

I went to a festival with someone from the police - in his late twenties, early thirties if I remember well. He was helping with the "hard side of life" cases, I guess, I don't know what to call it.
A weird blend, of that and going to psytrance festival and getting loaded with drugs in, imo, not always very respectful ways (- though, I would not say he abused them, just getting loaded at the festival on his Holliday time). He knew this was not well regarded in his profession, we have not discussed how he saw legislation really but I can guess ... He was a very nice guy really, on the return we were approached by Evangelist (nice persons as well, really) but we got bored when they started talking about Jesus and trip reporting their mystical experience saying stuff like "It's not like yoga, that's not right ... It's not like a drug, it lasts for your whole life". We were on a beautiful beach and he just went a bit away and loaded his pipe, smoked some Changa and went on raving about the true beauty of life. I don't like the move but we laughed our ass off really, it was too much! The Evangelists were traumatized.
Still, I was a bit surprised because I thought it had this Catholic desire to help people, or a benevolence that transpired in what he was doing. He said however, he might not do this job for all his life, and might go on the more "eco"-route.

I have also met a policeman at my Aunt's, and I didn't know until later. He was speaking about how the election was cheated and the use of the media in the whole thing was disgusting (which it was). He was a bit ecstatic about the idea that a top-European country like ours could have so much power only by stopping to work, and we could change things like that, with a benevolent massive movement of people. He loved the city by night and was about to graduate a special bike license so he could wander the street under the neon's light.
I have not asked him about drugs but I would say he would not have been against cannabis legalization or the decriminalization of some other substances. He was a bit of the "cool dad", into modernity and stuff.

I don't really know how they saw their role in society. I would venture to say they were perfectly aware that they were working for shitty people. Seeing a friend that is going to the army soon, I can't help but think there is a sort of fantasy driving the Law Enforcement People, a strange sense of duty not always blind but still needing to be fulfilled even if the context of it all seems totally strange.

I have a friend who is a seargeant in the Uk constabulary. It's just a job to him and it's not a job that i would envy doing.
And i am not sure that an idealistic cop is necessarily a good thing as too much idealism can tend to make people overzealous. I'd rather be caught in posession by a policeman that has taken drugs rather than one that has never tried them.

I would imagine that plenty of rank and file policemen know that drug legislation is a joke.



http://www.dailymail.co....iefs-legalise-drugs.html

https://www.theguardian....ional-cannabis-coalition

https://www.vice.com/sv/...t-to-decriminalise-drugs

https://en.wikipedia.org...ement_Action_Partnership

I knew a guy on the local PD... he would just step out of the room when people blazed... and would drink a ton and party... When the cops came, he would handle it no problem. I don't know what his intentions for being on the force were though.

Knew another one who was super cool and like to party, and even hooked the people up with "the weed guy" when they needed somethin... don't know his reasoning either.

My cousin is a narcotics officer... Law enforcement has dramatically changed in the United States. Most of the people they hire anymore are ex-military. These men are use to following orders and will do so whether they agree with something or not.

^ this is what scares me. Humans conditioned to think that following orders is the right thing to do while suppressing their own humanity. That is how we write the worst chapters in our history.

I have never worked for the police myself but I had a funny experience with some "policemen".

About six years ago, a close friend and I decided to go to a goa-party and he asked me if he could bring two friends of him to my place. My answer was "yes" and so we hang out together at my place, had a lot of fun, prepared ourselves and finally went to the trance. At some point at the party and while already tripping, we started to talk about jobs, when the friendly couple told me that they both work for the "MEK", the mobile task force of the german police. While processing this information, I felt "slightly" astonished and different feelings of being surprised, feeling odd, upset, uncertain, happy,.. showed up and changed with my panorama in the tempo of every single bass note, really colourful.

Meanwhile we became friends, went to some more trance festivals.

tseuq

I've been paid to work for the police.


I appeared in an identity parade and got given £5, IIRC.


Some other interactions with the police have cost me far more time and money

Everybody who pays taxes works for the police.