More and more people are against the drug war, but apparently, the authorities do not agree. FBI released its most recent Uniform Crime Report this Monday, and it appears that drug arrests reached a worrying number. There were over 1.5 million arrests and more than 75,000 arrests for marijuana.
Criminalizing drug use does not help the society
While marijuana is not the most dangerous substance out there, even if you compare it with legal ones, it is still one of the drugs targeted by the police constantly. This also has devastating effects on minority communities since they are usually affected by the racially biased arrest. “Criminalizing drug use has devastated families across the U.S., particularly in communities of color, and for no good reason. Far from helping people who are struggling with addiction, the threat of arrest often keeps them from accessing health services and increases the risk of overdose or other harms,” said the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Maria McFarland Sánchez Moreno.
Additionally, people caught with small amounts of drugs are treated like criminals even after they are released from prison, which can affect their entire future. And when it comes to marijuana this thing has less logic since it is not that dangerous of a substance.
“Arresting and citing nearly half a million people a year for a substance that is objectively safer than alcohol is a travesty. “Despite a steady shift in public opinion away from marijuana prohibition and the growing number of states that are regulating marijuana like alcohol, marijuana consumers continue to be treated like criminals throughout the country. This is a shameful waste of resources and can create lifelong consequences for the people arrested.” Declared Morgan Fox, the MPP communications director.
