Dear John, So much is happening in the world right now. The Law Enforcement Action Partnership is at the center of the movement for significant, systemic change to policing, and that work has taken up much of our time lately. But LEAP’s drug policy roots will always be a big part of who we are: the War on Drugs has played a huge role in the breakdown of police-community relations, particularly in communities of color, where punitive punishment for drug offenses has fostered violence, inequality, and – rightly – mistrust of the justice system as a whole.
 Newsweek recently gave me the opportunity to debate Smart Approaches to Marijuana President & CEO Kevin Sabet, a former Office of National Drug Control Policy mouthpiece whose anti-legalization views I believe to be both misguided and dangerous.
As a LEAP supporter, I thought you’d like to see what Mr. Sabet and I had to say about what marijuana legalization means for the future of our communities. I think you’ll agree that until we legalize on the federal level, archaic marijuana policy will remain a deep crack in the foundation of police-community relationships. Luckily, LEAP speakers move legalization forward: in 2019, we were the only law enforcement organization invited to speak out in support of both the Secure And Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act – which may see a vote in the U.S. House as early as September.
We’re able to support historic legislation like this because of support from partners like you. Can you chip in $25 today to keep LEAP pushing key reforms forward? In Solidarity,  Major Neill Franklin (Ret.)
Executive Director |
|
