Snitching is bad business, and I agree that the police ought not to ask anyway. It's too easy for the snitches to lie instead of tell the truth. I was going to say that the only circumstances where snitching would be OK would be in a situation where someone's life might depend on it, but I don't really see how life-or-death circumstances would ever be an issue with snitching.

People need to maintain discretion about sources, just like reporters need to maintain confidentiality of their sources and communication between doctors/lawyers and their patients/clients is considered privileged. It's a matter of professional ethics, if you ask me, which some will see as an ironic statement considering we're talking about snitching about an illegal/illicit substance. Still, for me that's what it comes down to.