Marijuana Law Reform
The enforcement of marijuana laws generates some of the justice system’s starkest racial disparities. “The War on Marijuana in Black and White,” a landmark report from the ACLU, details the staggering racial bias and financial waste of our country’s counterproductive fight against a drug widely considered less harmful than alcohol.
In the United States, between 2001 and 2010, a black person was almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person was, despite approximately equal rates of use. In some states and counties, blacks are 8, 10, or even 15 times more likely to be arrested. In addition to its unfairness, the war on marijuana is a colossal waste of resources, with states spending billions of dollars and devoting thousands of hours of police work to it.
Incarceration for simple marijuana possession is common in certain jurisdictions, even though 9 out of 10 adults believe people who possess or use small amounts of marijuana should not face any jail time. Even for individuals who are never incarcerated, collateral consequences that flow from arrests and convictions—such as lost jobs, ineligibility for public housing, suspended driver’s licenses, and restrictions on access to federal student loans—can significantly derail lives. A “criminal history” built on minor marijuana convictions can categorize defendants as “career criminals” for sentencing purposes in subsequent cases, thereby triggering harsh mandatory sentences.
CLRP has fought to implement and protect medical marijuana and decriminalization laws in jurisdictions around the country, helping thousands of people obtain the medicine they need and keeping people who pose no danger to public safety out of the criminal justice system. We also support states’ efforts to tax and regulate marijuana, as in Colorado and Washington. The criminal justice system lags far behind public opinion on marijuana reform, and CLRP is helping it catch up.
Search Marijuana Law Reform
The Latest
ACLU-NJ: Historic Marijuana Vote Signifies Both Progress & More Work Ahead For Legalization to Advance Racial Justice
News/Press ReleaseNovember 26, 2018
Mississippi Sentences Man to 8 Years in Prison for Medical Marijuana He Purchased Legally in Another State
Blog Post - Speak FreelyOctober 22, 2018The ACLU and coalition partners express concerns with H.R. 5634, the Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2018, which expands medical cannabis research but prohibits people with records from being employed by research operations.
LetterSeptember 13, 2018
Mississippi Sentences Man to 8 Years in Prison for Medical Marijuana He Purchased Legally in Another State
Blog Post - Speak FreelyOctober 22, 20185 Reasons Texas Should Decriminalize Marijuana, and One Reason It Shouldn’t
Blog Post - Speak FreelyFebruary 5, 2016Another Needless Death in the Absurd War on Marijuana
Blog Post - Speak FreelyJuly 20, 2018
Marijuana Advocates Explain Why Legalization is the Only Option for Social and Racial Justice
News/Press ReleaseMarch 5, 2018ACLU-NJ: Historic Marijuana Vote Signifies Both Progress & More Work Ahead For Legalization to Advance Racial Justice
News/Press ReleaseNovember 26, 2018Medical Marijuana
Feature