Finally, a voice with reason
California is free to make its own drug laws
There are plenty of reasons to support AB 390 apart from the estimated $1.3 billon it would add to the state’s coffers. It would allow law enforcement the time and resources to actually prioritize public safety. In the last 20 years, while arrests for all criminal offenses in California dropped by 40%, arrests for marijuana possession have more than doubled. These arrests (about 78,000 occurred in 2008 alone) constitute a waste of precious resources that could have been spent protecting Californians from violent crime.
AB 390 would also rectify the discriminatory enforcement of California’s drug laws. African Americans make up about 7% of the population in California, and, according to federal government statistics, they do not use marijuana at a higher rate than whites do. Yet of those arrested for marijuana offenses in California, nearly one-fourth are African Americans.
Children would also find it more difficult to buy marijuana under AB 390. Currently, kids can — and do — easily obtain marijuana illegally without anyone checking ID.
The state’s existing marijuana laws are an example of destructive and reactionary public policy. They are largely responsible for the horrific drug-related violence in both California and along our border with Mexico. Thankfully, we aren’t stuck with this destructive marijuana policy.
Damn straight. Thank you, Tamar Todd.
