To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Congress: Decriminalize marijuana now
The DEA and Obama administration have failed to reclassify marijuana under federal drug control laws––leaving it in the most restrictive category for law enforcement. We demand an immediate reclassification and decriminalization of marijuana to reflect the current reality of medicine and science and stop the perpetual war on drugs that has adversely and disproportionately impacted communities of color. It is time for you to take action where the DEA and president have failed.
Why is this important?
Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally publicized the decision that they will not reclassify marijuana. It remains a Schedule I drug alongside heroine and LSD. This restriction also remains in place for medical marijuana use.[1]
Already, 42 states allow the use of marijuana in some medical instances. The cultural consensus has shifted and more and more Americans don't consider marijuana as a social threat. The DEA has taken a step backwards in rejecting to loosen restrictions on the federal level and refusing to accept that there is ample evidence for marijuana to be used in medical instances. [2]
Besides medical usage, however, one of the most catastrophic impacts of the classification of marijuana has been the leeway it gives to law enforcement and the justice system to incarcerate individuals. In 2014 alone, over 700,000 individuals were arrested on marijuana law violations. 88% of those arrests were for possession alone. [3] Research also shows that there is significant racial bias in marijuana arrests—with Black communities more likely to be targeted for arrests despite equal usage within Black and white communities. States also waste over $3.6 billion dollars in enforcing marijuana laws. [4]
It's time for Congress to heed medicine, science, and the growing national consensus to put the breaks on the failed war on drugs and move to decriminalize marijuana now.
Sources:
1. "U.S. affirms its prohibition on medical marijuana," The Washington Post, August 11, 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/08/10/u-s-affirms-its-prohibition-on-medical-marijuana/
2. "DEA Rejects Attempt To Loosen Federal Restrictions On Marijuana," NPR, August 10, 2016
http://www.npr.org/2016/08/10/489509471/dea-rejects-attempt-to-loosen-federal-restrictions-on-marijuana
3. "Drug War Statistics," Drug Policy Alliance, accessed August 11, 2016
http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-war-statistics
4. "Marijuana Arrests by the Numbers," ACLU, accessed August 11, 2016
https://www.aclu.org/gallery/marijuana-arrests-numbers