A few days ago I sent this message to Congress about smart ways to deal with the drug problems. We must DE-CRIMINALIZE drug use and use public health strategies to help people.
Nixon’s “War on Drugs” was DESIGNED TO BE RACIST AND CRUEL — a way to score political points for DEMONIZING “THE OTHER.”
The “War on Drugs” has been going on for HALF A CENTURY. It has NOT solved problems. Instead, it has
– Seriously disrupted millions of people’s lives
– Broken families apart
– Promoted racial injustices
– Filled our jails and prisons with people who need health, not punishment
– Wasted billions of our tax dollars.
MANY EUROPEAN NATIONS USE SENSIBLE, HEALTH-BASED WAYS TO DEAL WITH DRUGS.
NOW CONGRESS MUST GET SMART AND USE SENSIBLE, HUMANE, NON-RACIST, COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS!!!
DE-CRIMINALIZE DRUGS and take other positive steps.
Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Cori Bush (D-MO) just introduced the Drug Policy Reform Act (H.R. 4020).
The bill would end criminal penalties for drug possession at the federal level, shift the regulatory authority from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), expunge records and provide for re-sentencing, and invest in alternative health-centered approaches.
The bill also eliminates many of the life-long consequences associated with drug arrests and convictions, including the denial of employment, public benefits, immigration status, drivers’ licenses, and voting rights. Here’s a summary of the bill: https://drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/dpra_summary.pdf
The drug war has failed and a new poll shows that Americans agree (poll: https://drugpolicy.org/press-release/2021/06/50th-anniversary-war-drugs-new-poll-shows-majority-voters-support-ending). 83% believe the war on drugs has failed and 65% want to end it. 63% say drug use should be treated as a public health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. And 66% of voters support “eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession and reinvesting drug enforcement resources into treatment and addiction services.”
It’s time for Congress to act on drug decriminalization. After decades of harm from the failed drug war, I hope you will listen to the vast majority of Americans like me and work to end it by supporting federal drug decriminalization and co-sponsoring the Drug Policy Reform Act.
Thank you.
