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Friend,

If you made it to the end of last night’s Vice Presidential Debate, you saw the candidates debate a few things that, quite frankly, are not up for debate. Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence discussed the impact of Breonna Taylor’s death and their plans for criminal justice reform. From Harris’s commitment to only decriminalize marijuana and expunge prior convictions to Pence gaslighting the very real and very stark racial disparity in policing, both candidates came up short.

At Drug Policy Action, the advocacy and political arm of the Drug Policy Alliance, we want to be clear:

Justice for Breonna Taylor was not done. Breonna Taylor should be alive today. Instead, the systems we have in place—as a result of the drug war—robbed her of the bright future she was just beginning. And it robbed her friends, her family, and her community, too.

Had it not been for the drug war—which provides the military-grade equipment to local police departments through military weapons transfer and earmarked federal funds—Breonna would be alive today. And had it not been for the drug war that incentivizes drug arrests with these federal resources, the police likely would have never gone to her home to begin with.

And this is not an isolated incident. Harris asserted that “bad cops are bad for good cops.” But the reality is, these aren’t a few bad cops. It is the result of a system that has been created through the parasitic relationship between policing, the drug war, and racism.

It’s not just an “opinion” that Breonna Taylor had justice denied, as Pence so dismissively claimed. It’s the truth. As long as the drug war remains, people of color will continue to be targeted. And worse, those responsible for their deaths will continue to use drug involvement—whether real or perceived—as a cover for their merciless actions. And that is not justice.

Decriminalizing marijuana does not go far enough. We need the MORE Act. The MORE Act is a necessary step toward justice that would end the federal war on marijuana and begin to undo the damage of prohibition. It will decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, expunge marijuana convictions, reinvest in communities hit hardest by drug prohibition, diversify the legal industry, and end collateral consequences for marijuana use.

Continued enforcement of marijuana prohibition laws is responsible for more than 545,000 arrests in the United States every year, disproportionately impacting Black and Brown people.

A vote on the MORE Act in the U.S. House was anticipated in September but delayed until after the November elections. If members of Congress are serious in their commitment to marijuana justice, then this vote must take place the moment the House is back in session following the elections. Every week this vote is delayed approximately 10,000 more people could be arrested on marijuana charges, based on current averages - most of which could have been avoided. Senator Harris is the Senate co-sponsor of the MORE Act and she must continue to push for passage of this far-reaching bill if she is elected Vice President.

Friend, some things aren’t up for debate. And don’t let either candidate tell you otherwise. We need to stay focused and end this drug war. And together, we will.
Sincerely,

Maritza Perez
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Action




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