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| Friend, Last Friday, the annual budget was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. Unfortunately, it maintains much of the drug war status quo with harmful policies that fall short on funding for syringes and harm reduction, extend class-wide scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, and prohibit D.C. from regulating marijuana. We’re deeply disappointed in House and Senate leadership for allowing this version of the bill to move forward and neglecting this rare federal opportunity to roll back the drug war and address the overdose crisis. We must hold Congress accountable. Tell your lawmakers that this budget does not go nearly far enough and demand an end to failed federal drug war policies. Despite overwhelming public support for ending the drug war and treating drug use as a health issue instead of a crime, Congress has once again pursued policies that prioritize criminalization and punishment at the expense of proven, health-based solutions. With overdose claiming more than 100,000 lives in 2021 alone, it’s unconscionable that Congress isn’t fully funding the evidence-based harm reduction services that are needed to save lives. Instead, they continued the ban on federal funding for syringes and even with the small funding increase for other harm reduction services, it’s inadequate for addressing the enormous public health challenge of ending the overdose crisis. Drug criminalization has poisoned the drug supply and is responsible for leading us to record-high overdose deaths. Extending the class-wide scheduling and harsh penalties for fentanyl-related substances will only exacerbate this crisis, expand mass incarceration, worsen racial disparities in the criminal legal system, and further fuel the cycle that punishes people rather than helping them. And even with marijuana legalization being one of the most strongly supported issues among the public, Congress is continuing its ridiculous ban that has prevented D.C. from using its own money to regulate marijuana for adult use and ignoring the will of D.C. voters who legalized marijuana eight years ago. It’s very clear we have a lot of work ahead of us to get lawmakers on the right side of history. But we can’t do it without you, so please take action now to keep fighting for federal reforms that will roll back the drug war and address the overdose crisis.
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