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THREAD: So the House just passed the #JusticeInPolicingAct and that's a GREAT THING
While the police reform bill does not look exactly as I would write it (far from it), it does contain many things "professional people" would have said were politically impossible just months ago
While the police reform bill does not look exactly as I would write it (far from it), it does contain many things "professional people" would have said were politically impossible just months ago
In my roles as @NORML's political director, the section prohibiting "No-Knock" drug warrants is a huge win for civil liberties and something that folks like @keithstroup and many other NORML lawyers view as a positive development.
I'll get back to #marijuana police further down
I'll get back to #marijuana police further down
It's important to remember that while the bill would reform many aspects of some of the worst police practices in America, much more work will need to be done federally and even more work at state and local levels in every community around the country.
It's my sincere hope that the "professional people" continue to keep this new found fire in their bellies when it comes to reforming police practices going forward and not just rely on the likely cold reception by @senatemajldr in the Senate to justify future inaction.
But what was completely left out of the conversation was criminal justice reform, you know, the reasons why police have the legal ability to enter into interactions with individuals in the first place.
Here's where the marijuana policy comes into play:
Here's where the marijuana policy comes into play:
Over the last few weeks, I had dozens and dozens of conversations with various Democratic offices about the possibility of including an amendment to the bill to end the federal criminalization of marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.
There was support from offices that ranged the ideological spectrum from members of the progressive caucus to members of the blue-dog caucus.
But the question was: could we slip a single criminal justice reform provision into a police practices bill?
But the question was: could we slip a single criminal justice reform provision into a police practices bill?
No data, evidence, or best practices led to criminalization in 1937.
Rhetoric like "Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men” is.
Marijuana should have never been a pretext for expanding police powers to search, incarcerate & arrest millions of Americans. #Theory
Rhetoric like "Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men” is.
Marijuana should have never been a pretext for expanding police powers to search, incarcerate & arrest millions of Americans. #Theory
The theory was sound: marijuana's criminalization was born purely out of racism and it should have never been prohibited in the first place, thus removing the legal ability of law enforcement to interact with individuals because of marijuana should be considered police reform.
Annually, over 650,000 Americans are arrested for violating marijuana laws. This year the @ACLU, reported “In every single state, Black people were more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession...some states..up to six, eight, or almost ten times more likely to be arrested"
Since marijuana was set as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substance Act in 1970, well over 20 million Americans have been subject to arrest for violation, and untold millions more who have been harassed under the pretense of a potential violation. I.E. #StopAndFrisk
Entire communities have lost generations of citizens to cyclical poverty and incarceration due to the collateral consequences of having a cannabis-related conviction on their record.
Further, marijuana prohibition is routinely utilized by law enforcement as the pretext to shield police from punishment for misconduct that arose during an incident should have never been allowed in the first place, such as the murderer of #PhilandoCastille being fully acquitted
I wrote more about it in @thehill here on June 12th: https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/502489-criminalization-that-never-should-have-been-cannabis
Despite my efforts, an amendment was not offered.
And that's OK.
OK as long as the House takes up a bill to end criminalization this year that is.
Here's the bill to do so - The MORE Act, HR 3884. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3884
And that's OK.
OK as long as the House takes up a bill to end criminalization this year that is.
Here's the bill to do so - The MORE Act, HR 3884. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3884
It's also OK that marijuana wasn't included because it would have been inappropriate for me to argue that it is OK to jeopardize the first real shot at activity addressing qualified immunity.
Many offices felt like it was either-or.
I disagreed. But I'm not in Congress.
Many offices felt like it was either-or.
I disagreed. But I'm not in Congress.
At the end of the day, the Justice In Policing Act wasn't the vehicle to carry the language to end federal criminalization, and it very well could end up being a net positive that it was not, if only because the MORE Act includes a lot of AMAZING things:
The MORE Act has:
Ending federal criminalization
Expunging federal criminal records
Incentivizing the expungement of local criminal records
SBA provisions promoting diverse ownership in the emerging industry
Support for local gov's to create diverse license structures
Ending federal criminalizationExpunging federal criminal recordsIncentivizing the expungement of local criminal recordsSBA provisions promoting diverse ownership in the emerging industrySupport for local gov's to create diverse license structures
And it's politically popular!
Marijuana reform has majority support with:
Democrats
Independents
Republicans
Dog people*
Cat people*
*OK, I don't have polling on the dog or cat people thing*
See a bunch of polling here: https://norml.org/marijuana/library/surveys-polls/
Marijuana reform has majority support with:
Democrats Independents Republicans Dog people* Cat people**OK, I don't have polling on the dog or cat people thing*
See a bunch of polling here: https://norml.org/marijuana/library/surveys-polls/
Thank's to @RepJerryNadler, @HouseJudiciary, @repblumenauer, @RepBarbaraLee, @PramilaJayapal, @RepLouCorrea, @RepJeffries, @NydiaVelazquez, @RepMcGovern, @RepMaxineWaters, @RepRaulGrijalva, and so many others, we have a real chance to pass a bill to end marijuana criminalization
Now is the time to get the @SpeakerPelosi, @LeaderHoyer, @WhipClyburn, @FrankPallone, and @RepRichardNeal to advance the bill to the House Floor and let Americans know the record who supports reform & who supports continued police harassment because of mere cannabis possession.
TL:DR:
The Justice In Policing Act passing is a good thing.
We should also end federal marijuana criminalization.
Send a message to your lawmakers in support of The MORE Act: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/federal-the-marijuana-opportunity-reinvestment-and-expungement-act
The Justice In Policing Act passing is a good thing.
We should also end federal marijuana criminalization.
Send a message to your lawmakers in support of The MORE Act: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/federal-the-marijuana-opportunity-reinvestment-and-expungement-act
