ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A veteran narcotics investigator says Maryland would be better off legalizing marijuana, but he says most police oppose the measure because enforcing drug laws is part of their identity.

Neill Franklin, a 33-year veteran of the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department, told the state House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that giving up that identity would be a “hard pill to swallow.” Franklin also says drug enforcement units depend on cash and assets they seize.

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