Drug Policy Alliance

Friend, simple drug possession is the most arrested offense in the U.S., with one arrest every 23 seconds.

You know it doesn’t have to be that way - and it’s starting to change. With the support of our members, DPA’s work is paying off in places like New Jersey, one of the five worst states in terms of total number of people arrested for marijuana possession each year. In November, voters there approved a measure to legalize marijuana.

The harms of marijuana prohibition in New Jersey were clear: the police made more than 32,000 arrests a year for marijuana possession, disproportionately targeting people of color, at a cost of $143 MILLION.

The Drug Policy Alliance, along with our advocacy and political arm Drug Policy Action, worked for two decades toward marijuana legalization in New Jersey.

You can see how member support has a real, life-changing impact. Please make a donation now to become a member and triple your impact to continue this work.

We need you in 2021 to help dismantle the costly, brutal, and racist drug war that wastes so many resources and destroys so many lives. The work doesn’t end in New Jersey. Please read the attached message from Maritza Perez on where we’re going next.

Thank you for your support,

Joe Salas
Membership Director
Drug Policy Alliance

BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE

From: Maritza Perez
Sent: Monday, December 7, 2020
To: [email protected]
Subject: Great news, Friend! You still have a chance...

MATCH EXTENDED: Join the fight for drug policy reform

Dear Friend,

Great news! The $150,000 match has been extended until 12/31. Your donation will triple your impact on the issues you care about—removing aggressive policing and incarceration as the default tools for dealing with drugs, reforming federal marijuana laws, decriminalizing all drugs in more states, and protecting the freedom and dignity of people who use drugs.

Your encouragement this year has helped drug policy reform win big this November. In arguably the biggest blow to the drug war to date, Oregon decriminalized all drugs and expanded access to treatment and health services. Every single marijuana reform measure on a ballot passed. New Jersey, Montana, South Dakota, and Arizona legalized marijuana for adult use. And Mississippi and South Dakota legalized medical marijuana, huge wins in conservative states. None of this would be possible without you.

But we’re not finished, and we hope you aren’t either. We’re rapidly building momentum in New York and New Mexico to become the next states to legalize marijuana. We’re keeping the pressure on Congress to follow the House’s historic passage of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act by removing provisions added in the final version of the bill that limit resentencing and expungement relief and disallow people with marijuana convictions from potentially fully participating in the industry at the federal level. We will work to pass a more inclusive bill in the next Congress to finally end the war on marijuana

And we’ll continue to fight for alternatives like the Drug Policy Reform Act, our federal legislative proposal to end criminal penalties for drug possession, dismantle the DEA, and move federal resources away from futile law enforcement strategies.

Friend, in 2021, our mandate continues to eradicate this drug war that has destroyed so many lives and ruthlessly targeted Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. But we can only do it with your support.

Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now and your generosity will TRIPLE in value and impact.

Thank you for your support,

Maritza Perez
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance