Booker: America should legalize marijuana

For decades, the failed War on Drugs has locked up millions of nonviolent drug offenders, especially for marijuana-related offenses. This has wasted human potential, torn apart families and communities, and squandered massive sums of taxpayer dollars.

Currently, over half of all drug arrests in the United States are due to marijuana—the majority for simple possession. Police now arrest more Americans for simple possession of marijuana than for all violent crimes—murder, sexual assault, and armed robbery—combined.

It’s time the federal government follow the lead of many of our states and our nation’s capital, and begin to take meaningful steps to reverse mass incarceration and address the gross injustices of the failed War on Drugs. It’s time to legalize marijuana in the United States of America.

That’s why I’ve introduced the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017, a bill that if passed will legalize marijuana at the federal level, and incentivize states to legalize it at the state level. The bill would also retroactively apply to those serving time in federal prison for marijuana-related offenses, providing for a judge’s review of their marijuana sentence.

Our federal marijuana laws have not made our country safer—in fact, by enforcing our existing marijuana laws on predominantly low-level, nonviolent offenders, police are forced to take away precious resources from fighting violent crime in our communities.

Marijuana-related offenses are also not enforced equally across race and class. It’s a disturbing fact that while blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates, African Americans are almost 4 times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana.

The War on Drugs has failed all Americans, and has had a disproportionately devastating impact on Americans of color and the poor. Legalizing marijuana across our country is the right thing to do for public safety, and will reduce our overflowing prison population.

If you agree that our marijuana laws have been ineffective and that we can make our criminal justice system more just by legalizing marijuana, please join me in supporting the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017.

Thank you for your support.

Cory

Letter: United States & Mexican Pursuing Futile Strategy Against "War on Drugs"

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:


Dear Editor,

As a qualified expert in criminal law and international relations, it is quite clear to me that the "War on Drugs" has not worked.

The United States and Mexican authorities are pursuing a futile strategy in (likely temporarily) re-capturing Joaquin Guzman (aka El Chapo), the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The "War on Drugs" strategy has caused far more harm than the substances themselves would have, had they been sold in a legal way, similar to alcohol or cigarettes.

We have lost the War on Drugs. When a war has been lost, it is irrational to behave as if it has been won. Defeat must be accepted, graciously, even if it may go against other principals that we hold dear.

The United States and Mexican governments should negotiate with Mr. Guzman, in the same way as with U.S. banks that have been caught laundering drug money such as Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) (source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/03/us-bank-mexico-drug-gangs):

Like Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) let Mr. Guzman pay fines, and agree to setup a charitable trust fund to help addicts recover, in exchange for a deferred prosecution agreement, that ends this bloody conflict.

Under the terms of such an agreement, the United States, Mexico, and the Sinaloa Cartel should come to an agreement to end the illegal sale and trafficking of drugs in the United States, in exchange for the Sinaloa Cartel and Mr. Guzman personally being given an ownership share and director position, in a new lawful enterprise that can distribute psychoactive substances under government license.

Sinaloa Cartel "hitmen" and others who have served as the armed wing of the cartel should be given the option to work as U.S. military contractors fighting against ISIS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East.

Americans have voted for illegal drugs to be available, by continuously purchasing them. We can no longer ignore the truth, at the expense of public health and safety.

Such an agreement must be pursued quickly, lest there be any powershift that could fragment the Sinaloa Cartel's empire, into smaller, less predictable organizations.



Eric Hafner
Ocean Grove, NJ