Marijuana arrests are the engine driving the U.S. war on drugs. Nearly half of all drug arrests each year are for
marijuana-related offenses, the overwhelming majority of which are for personal possession. These arrests fall disproportionately on blacks and Latinos, although whites consume marijuana at the same rate or higher. Many of those who are arrested are saddled with a criminal conviction that can make it difficult or impossible to vote, obtain educational loans, get a job, secure housing, or even adopt a child. Additionally, the huge number of marijuana arrests each year usurps scarce law enforcement, criminal justice, and treatment resources at enormous cost to U.S. taxpayers.
Marijuana prohibition has also caused incalculable violence and destruction by fostering an illegal marijuana market. Organized crime, drug cartels, and gangs are the greatest financial beneficiaries of marijuana prohibition. In Mexico, illegal marijuana sales have contributed to the loss of tens of thousands of lives.
The Drug Policy Alliance aims to reduce the number, racially disproportionate nature, and potential collateral consequences of marijuana arrests, as well as other harms resulting from marijuana prohibition.
Urge NY State to end unlawful marijuana arrests now!
Major Online Advocacy Campaign Features Powerful Video Testimonials; Hundreds Traveling to Albany to Pressure State Leaders
Drive to Pass Bi-Partisan Legislation Comes on Heels of Cuomo, Bloomberg and Kelly Announcing Support for Closing Major Loophole in State’s Marijuana Decriminalization Law
NEW YORK: On the heels of the announcement by New York Governor Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly of their support for ending the practice of arresting individuals for possessing small amounts of marijuana in public view, a major coalition of local and national organizations is launching a massive effort in the final weeks of the legislative session to win reform.
New York’s marijuana arrest crusade undermines fiscal responsibility, racial equity and our constitutional rights.
Advocates Applaud Governor’s Leadership
Coalition Planning Massive Push for Next Two Weeks to Pass Marijuana Reform Law; Includes Major Online Advocacy Campaign Featuring Powerful Video Testimonials, and Hundreds Traveling to Albany to Pressure State Leaders
DPA Statement: Obama’s Candor Was Commendable, But Hypocritical Escalation of War on Marijuana is Costly Political Miscalculation
A forthcoming biography on President Obama is making headlines, with new details about the president smoking marijuana with his teenage friends in Hawaii.
Event will Highlight the Negative Human and Fiscal Consequences of Marijuana Prohibition
Denver, CO—On Tuesday, May 22, from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at Cleo Parker Robinson’s Dance Studio, 119 Park Avenue West, the Drug Policy Alliance and other allies - including the ACLU of CO and the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition - will host Neill Franklin, former narcotics officer and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), to raise awareness and support for ending marijuana prohibition in Colorado.
Advocates Say Fair and Common-Sense Legislation will Save Money and Prevent Injustice and Hardship
Trenton, NJ—On Monday, May 21st, the Assembly Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on Assembly Bill 1465, which would make possession of one-half ounce, or 15 grams, of marijuana a summary offense similar to a parking ticket. The hearing will convene in Committee Room 12 at 10am in the State House Annex.
White People Use Nonviolent Civil Disobedience to Block Entrance to One Police Plaza, Drawing Attention to Racially Biased Policing Practices;
Police Refuse to Make Arrests as City Council Members Watch Action
Under Bloomberg and Kelly, Nearly 400,000 Mostly Young Black and Latinos Arrested on Low-Level Marijuana Charges, Despite Marijuana Being Decriminalized and Whites Using Marijuana at Higher Rates
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