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Friend,
This Thursday is the 50th anniversary of President Nixon declaring the “war on drugs”, and today we’re taking an historic step toward ending it.
We just held a press conference to officially unveil the Drug Policy Reform Act, a groundbreaking bill that would decriminalize drugs at the federal level.
This unprecedented legislation will be introduced soon: tell your members of Congress to support it and join the fight to decriminalize drugs.
DPA is proud to join Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Cori Bush (D-MO) today to announce their critical bill which we’ve been developing together over the last year.
The Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA) is a bold step toward dismantling 50 years of the failed drug war and repairing its harms by:
- Ending criminal penalties for drug possession at the federal level
- Shifting the U.S. Attorney General (DOJ)’s regulatory authority over to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Expunging records and providing for resentencing
- Incentivizing state and local governments to adopt decriminalization policies
- Reinvesting in alternative health-centered approaches
- Eliminating life-long consequences associated with drug arrests and convictions, including the denial of employment, public benefits, immigration status, drivers’ licenses, and voting rights
Drug possession is the most arrested offense in the country with an arrest every 23 seconds. Ending these arrests is the most vital next step we can take to dismantle the drug war and the devastation it’s causing to Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income communities.
With your help, DPA is leading the fight to decriminalize all drugs so that nobody gets arrested, goes to jail or prison, or faces criminal punishment for using or possessing a small amount of a drug for personal use.
Just last year, we made history when Oregon became the first state to decriminalize drugs. Last week, a new poll showed that a strong majority of Americans believe it’s time to decriminalize drugs and reinvest in health services. And now we’re even making progress at the federal level with the Drug Policy Reform Act.
Momentum for decriminalization is growing rapidly, but the racist drug war rages on. We won’t stand for another 50 years: demand that your members of Congress decriminalize drugs nationwide.
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Sincerely,
Queen Adesuyi
Policy Manager, National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance |
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