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July Newsletter
DPA Victory: House Votes to Block Justice Department from Interfering in State Adult Use Marijuana Programs
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of a legislative amendment that will protect states’ adult-use marijuana programs from federal intervention. The amendment, sponsored by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Tom McClintock (R-CA), represents a major victory for the Drug Policy Alliance.

“The end of marijuana prohibition has never been closer. When the Drug Policy Alliance and a small band of allies first worked on this amendment in 2015, we were told that we didn’t stand a chance,” said Michael Collins, director of national affairs for DPA. That year, the amendment failed to pass by just nine votes.

“But we convinced members this was the right thing to do, and four years on, victory is sweet. Now is the time for Democrats to pivot to passing legislation that will end prohibition through a racial justice lens, making sure that the communities most impacted by our racist marijuana laws have a stake in the future of legalization. To do anything less would be to repeat an injustice.”

The Blumenauer-Norton-McClintock amendment, which passed by a vote of 267-165, outlines that the Department of Justice cannot spend money to prevent states from “implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of marijuana” for adult use.

While we are immensely proud of this victory, we will not rest. To become law, the Senate must also pass the amendment. Senate approval would be a groundbreaking milestone for our movement—adult-use marijuana legalization has never been affirmed in federal law. It’s only a matter of time until we make history again.
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DPA Victory: Florida Authorizes Groundbreaking Expansion of Syringe Access Statewide
In June, the governor of Florida signed the Infectious Disease Elimination Act, authorizing syringe exchange programs across the state in an effort to fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and to prevent drug overdose fatalities. DPA played an instrumental role in the expansion of this program, working with our local partner, the IDEA Exchange, to secure support in the state’s legislature.

“Florida is showing tremendous leadership by allowing the expansion of syringe exchange programs, which have proven to be highly effective health interventions,” said Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, DPA’s executive director. “Particularly at a time of skyrocketing overdose rates, it is critical that policymakers adopt compassionate and evidence-based policies to protect the health of people who use drugs and others.”

Syringe exchange programs have been proven to significantly reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and other infectious diseases by providing sterile injecting equipment, and can reduce drug-related deaths by teaching people about safer injection practices and how to respond to an overdose. They are also the only point of access to healthcare for many people who inject drugs.

Approximately half the states in the U.S. have either no syringe exchange program or only have programs available in one or two cities in the entire state. The Florida bill is a remarkable victory to increase access to these lifesaving programs.


Learn More.
DPA Clips, Podcasts and Stories
New York Legislature Approves Marijuana Decriminalization and Arrest Expungement, but Stops Short of Legalization

In June, New York lawmakers passed a bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Under the new measure, individuals can avoid criminal penalties for possessing less than two ounces of marijuana – at the discretion of law enforcement officers – if they pay a fine of between $50 and $200. The law also establishes procedures to expunge the records for people previously convicted of marijuana possession, the first time expungement has been codified into state law.

While these reforms will prevent thousands of people from being arrested and clear the criminal records of hundreds of thousands, they do not go far enough. Governor Andrew Cuomo and the legislature failed to pass a bill that would have legalized marijuana and enacted a range of provision to repair the harms of decades of prohibition and unequal enforcement.

“Decriminalization alone is not enough to deal with the full impact of marijuana prohibition and just gives law enforcement discretion…While it is disappointing that our leaders have once again failed to prioritize racial justice in New York, we will continue to fight” said Kassandra Frederique, the New York state director for DPA.

Kassandra and her team waged a heroic campaign this legislative session—in the final three weeks alone, they held hundreds of meetings with elected officials, jammed the phone lines of Governor Cuomo and key legislators with 20,000+ calls, earned excellent press coverage, secured new support from the New York Farm Bureau and business and labor leaders across the state, and even flew in two legislators from Illinois who just helped their state legalize marijuana.

These efforts built the pressure necessary to pass this historic decriminalization bill, and set the stage for next year, when we intend to win once and for all. We will not stop until Governor Cuomo and the legislature equitably legalizes marijuana and rights the wrongs of New York’s history as the marijuana arrest capital of the world.

Learn More.
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House Passes Ocasio-Cortez Amendment that Reduces Funding for DEA

An amendment put forward by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to reduce funding for the Drug Enforcement Administration and reallocate the money to a public health program successfully passed the House of Representatives. In her remarks on the House floor, Ocasio-Cortez gave a shout-out to DPA for our work on the issue.

Learn More and Watch the Video.

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DPA’s Sheila Vakharia Connects the Dots between Harm Reduction and Social Work

Sheila P. Vakharia, a researcher in DPA’s Office of Academic Engagement, discusses the professional journey that led to her becoming a leading voice in harm reduction and social work – in the latest episode of our podcast Drugs & Stuff.

Listen Now.
Drug Policy in the News
The New York Times: Marijuana Legalization Isn’t Dead Yet in New York
Associated Press: New Mexico requires co-prescription of opioid reversal drug
Governing: Why Illinois' Marijuana Legalization Law Is Different From All Others
Think Progress: Maine repeals its failed TANF drug testing requirement
Medical Xpress: Incarceration and economic hardship strongly associated with drug-related deaths in the US

Forbes: Why Further Cannabis Decriminalization Is Not A Win For New York

Mic: 6 minority-owned cannabis companies that are addressing inequality in the industry

Register Now: International Drug Policy Reform Conference
Registration is open for DPA’s International Drug Policy Reform Conference, which will be taking place in St. Louis from November 6-9, 2019. This biennial event attracts more than 1,500 people representing 80 countries, all eager to listen, learn, and strategize about local, state, national, and international drug policy issues.

There are still rooms available at the Union Station Hotel. Be sure to take advantage of our reduced rate by reserving your room directly through this link.

Register now.

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