25 signatures reached
To: State Legislators
Stay Woke: Decriminalize Drug Addiction
Create drug courts in every jurisdiction, eliminate jail and prison time for minor possession, create diversion programs, and allocate funds for treatment.
Why is this important?
The "war on drugs" has led to a the incarceration of millions of Americans with at least a million more incarcerated every year. Many of these people are drug users with an addiction and punishing them with jail or prison time will not break the addiction, but treatment might.
In some states, a first time offender can get 10 years in prison for simple possession while in other's, one can get a 20 year sentence for possession. A decade in jail for having an addiction is not the right answer. Our families are being torn apart by drug addiction, and harsh prison/jail sentences are not helping to resolve the problem. Addiction can be defeated with treatment, not prison.