Learn more about how the drug war harms everyone at UprootingTheDrugWar. Defelonization can be a stepping-stone to decriminalization and provides a snapshot into the potential benefits of full decriminalization.
Defelonization means that drug law violations are reduced from felonies to misdemeanors. The defelonization victory in CA substantially reduced the number of people in prison and especially local jails. Those savings are now being reallocated to provide needed services. However, defelonization does not go far enough. Misdemeanors still have criminalizing consequences, and full removal of criminal penalties — decriminalization — is needed for people experiencing problematic drug use to seek help without any fear of arrest.
A common fear is that decriminalizing drugs would lead to more drug dependency and crime. There is no indication this is true.
Data from the U. Portugal decriminalized drug possession in The disproportionate arrests of Black people for drug possession means that drug possession laws are a major part of the way police interact with Black communities. Part of it may be that drug possession arrests are relatively easier to make than arrests for violent crimes. They can exercise their discretion not to arrest and prosecute certain drug possession cases, or to offer lesser charges or sentences where appropriate.
They can also be more compassionate and recognize that, for people whose drug use is a problem, jail offers no solution. We want to see incentives for police to take people to treatment if they want and need it, or connect them with other services. Click to expand Image. The stats that you quoted were striking, but what really surprised you when you set out to research this?
This report is based on more than interviews, of people prosecuted for drug use in New York, Florida, Louisiana or Texas. And what really struck me was, when people were arrested, how small the quantities of drugs were. I met people who were prosecuted for 0. We found that in Texas almost 80 percent of people sentenced to time behind bars for felony drug possession were convicted of possession of drugs other than marijuana that weighed less than 1 gram.
He lost and got 15 years because he had prior convictions also related to drug dependence. The prosecutor could have charged her with misdemeanors, but instead charged her with two felonies. She was a young mother with three kids at home. She sat in jail for three months and missed her children so much that she finally pled guilty to heroin possession so she could go home to them that year. She said the consequences of this felony charge would be devastating.
It would be challenging to get a job. Also, people who are dependent on drugs may need social services, to help them address other problems in their lives, which are largely unavailable to them outside. Instead of arresting people for possession, the US should make voluntary treatment programs affordable and available in the community. International Alternatives to Detaining Immigrants. Despite its goals to reduce drug use, the War on Drugs was largely ineffective. Overdoses and use of opioids were four times higher in than in The states in which opioid use is the highest, such as West Virginia and Ohio , also tend to have strict drug laws even for less potent drugs like marijuana.
Opioid use is correlated with untreated psychiatric disorders, current substance abuse and social or familial environments that encourage use. There are also socioeconomic risk factors for opioid addiction. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information , at risk groups include people of a lower socioeconomic status, insecure housing and those who did not graduate from high school. It is clear that the solution to drug addiction is not the militarization of the police and tougher penalties for possession.
High levels of incarceration have made already marginalized groups more vulnerable, by straining relationships and breaking apart families. A parent in prison leads to financial instability, feelings of shame and poor school performance. Those with a parent in prison are three times more likely to suffer from behavioral problems and twice as likely to have a learning disability, according to the Population Reference Bureau.
Drug decriminalization could be beneficial to many states, especially those with high rates of drug abuse, deaths by overdose and drug incarceration, like West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and even Wisconsin. Decriminalization saves money by reducing prison costs and prioritizing health over punishment, as those who use drugs are more likely to receive help in rehabilitative programs as opposed to prison.
The benefits of decriminalization can be seen through other countries. The Netherlands , where drug use is also decriminalized, has lower rates of addiction and drug use than the U.
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