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Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1007 -- 1/26/18
Phillip S. Smith, Editor,psmith@drcnet.org https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1007

A Publication of StoptheDrugWar.org
David Borden, Executive Director,borden@drcnet.org
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"

Table of Contents:

1. EIGHT THINGS THAT DO (OR DON'T) HAPPEN WHEN WE LEGALIZE MARIJUANA [FEATURE] It's been long enough to begin to be able to measure what happens when marijuana is legalized. Things will continue to evolve, but so far the picture is pretty bright.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/25/eight_things_about_marijuana_legalization

2. MEDICAL MARIJUANA UPDATE
Medical marijuana is safe from the Justice Department for another few days, governors in New Jersey and Rhode Island make noises about expanding medical marijuana programs, Georgia voters are ready for a full-fledged medical marijuana law, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/25/medical_marijuana_update

3. THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
The Baltimore cop who accidentally recorded himself planting drugs gets indicted, two Indiana jail guards go down in separate cases in two days, a Pennsylvania probation officer gets in trouble for trying to win sexual favors, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/25/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

4. STOPTHEDRUGWAR.ORG INTERNSHIPS
StoptheDrugWar.org has internships this semester and following in foreign policy, legislative advocacy, writing, nonprofit administration, and technical work.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/26/internship_opportunities_stopthedrugwarorg

5. CHRONICLE AM: VT LEGALIZES WITHOUT SALES, SENTENCING COMMISSION PROPOSES UPPED FENTANYL PENALTIES, MORE... (1/22/18)
Vermont becomes the 9th legal marijuana state, Illinois lawmakers take up legalization, the US Sentencing Commission proposing increasing fentanyl penalties, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/22/chronicle_am_vt_legalizes

6. CHRONICLE AM: TRUMP OPIOID COMMISSION MEMBER CALLS IT A "SHAM," GOOD MI POT POLL, MORE... (1/23/18)
Trump renews the opioid crisis emergency even as an opioid commission member calls it "a sham," things are looking up for Michigan marijuana legalizers, the French parliament will take up drug decriminalization, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/23/chronicle_am_trump_opioid

7. CHRONICLE AM: FL VOTING INIT QUALIFIES FOR BALLOT, NYC SUES BIG PHARMA OVER OPIOIDS, MORE... (1/24/18)
More than a million Floridians would regain their right to vote in November after an initiative qualified for the ballot, California small pot growers sue to stop concentration in the industry, New York City sues opioid manufacturers and seeks half a
billion in damages, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/24/chronicle_am_fl_voting_init

8. CHRONICLE AM: RI MEDMJ EXPANSION PROPOSED, TRUMP'S JUNIOR DRUG CZAR TO STEP DOWN, MORE... (1/25/18)
It's the time of year for marijuana to start popping up in state legislatures, Rhode Island's governor proposes expanding the state's medical marijuana system, Trump's wet-behind-the-ears deputy drug czar is stepping down, a new poll finds support for
criminal justice reforms, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/25/chronicle_am_ri_medmj_expansion

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1. EIGHT THINGS THAT DO (OR DON'T) HAPPEN WHEN WE LEGALIZE MARIJUANA [FEATURE] https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/jan/25/eight_things_about_marijuana_legalization

The great social experiment that is marijuana legalization is now five years old, with six states already allowing legal marijuana sales, two more where legal sales will begin within months, and yet another that, along with the District of Columbia, has
legalized personal possession and cultivation of the herb.

As a number of state legislatures -- including Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York -- seriously contemplate joining the parade this year, it's more important than ever to be able to assess just what impact marijuana
legalization has had on those states that have led the way.

The prophets of doom warned of all manner of social ills that would arise if marijuana were legalized. From hordes of dope-addled youths aimlessly wandering the streets to red-eyed carnage on the highway, the divinations were dire.

So far at least, they were wrong. And while things will doubtless continue to evolve over the long term, as the industry matures, prices possibly drop, regulations change, and familiarity with legal marijuana grows, so far things are looking pretty
encouraging. A report released Tuesday by the Drug Policy Alliance, From Prohibition to Progress (http://www.drugpolicy.org/legalization-status-report), takes a long look at what has happened in the states have legalized it:

1. Marijuana arrests plummeted.

Well, of course. If there's one thing you could predict about legalizing marijuana, this is it. The decline in the number of pot arrests is dramatic: 98% in Washington, 96% in Oregon, 93% in Alaska, 81% in Colorado, 76% in DC. That means tens of
thousands of people not being cuffed, hauled away, and branded with lifelong criminal records, with all the consequences those bring.

The savings in human dignity, liberty and potential are inestimable, but the savings to state criminal justice and correctional systems are not: The report puts them at hundreds of millions of dollars.

2. …But the racial disparities in marijuana arrests have not ended.

While marijuana legalization dramatically reduces the number of people arrested for marijuana offenses, it clearly does not end racially disparate policing. The vast disparities in marijuana arrests remain, even in legal states. Black and Latino people
remain far more likely to be arrested for marijuana offenses than white people, despite similar rates of use and sales across racial groups. There is work to be done here.

3. A tide of teenage weed heads is not unleashed upon the nation.

High school kids in the earliest legalization states smoke pot at rates similar to kids in states that haven't legalized it, and those rates have remained stable. In the later legalization states, rates of teen use vary widely, but have mostly stabilized
or declined in the years leading up to legalization. And in those latest states -- Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, California -- regulatory programs are either not yet in place or so new they're unlikely to have effected youth use rates.

4. The highways remain safe.

In the earliest legalization states, Colorado and Washington, the total number of arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs is down, and the crash rates in both states are statistically similar to states that haven't legalized it.
In fact, there seems to be no correlation between legalization and crash rates.

5. States with legal marijuana have lower rates of opioid-related harms.

In Colorado, an upward trend in overdoses began to decline after 2014, the first year of retail pot sales in the state. Other positive indicia come from medical marijuana states, which report a nearly 25% drop in overdose death rates, a 23% reduction in
opioid addiction-related hospitalizations and a 15% reduction in opioid treatment admissions.

6. Marijuana tax revenues are big -- and bigger than predicted.

Legalization states have collected more than a billion dollars in pot tax revenues -- and that's not counting the monster market in California, where recreational sales just began this month. Likewise, slow rollouts of taxed and regulated marijuana
commerce in Maine and Massachusetts, mean no tax dollars have yet been generated there. In the states that do have legal pot sales, overall sales and tax revenues quickly exceeded initial estimates.

7. Marijuana tax dollars are going for good things.

Like $230 million to the Colorado Department of Education in two years to fund school construction, early literacy, school health, and bullying prevention programs. Likewise, schools in Oregon get 40% of the pot taxes and schools in Nevada will get $56
million in wholesale pot tax revenues. Oregon also allocates 20% of pot taxes for alcohol and drug treatment, while Washington kicks in 25%. In Washington state, 55% of pot tax revenues fund basic health plans.

8. Legal marijuana is a job creation engine.

The legal marijuana industry has already created an estimated 200,000 full- and part-time jobs, and that's before California, Maine, and Massachusetts come online. As marijuana moves from the black market to legal markets, weed looks like a growth
industry and job generator for years to come.

"Marijuana criminalization has been a massive waste of money and has unequally harmed black and Latino communities," said Jolene Forrman, staff attorney at the Drug Policy Alliance and author of the report. "This report shows that marijuana legalization
is working. States are effectively protecting public health and safety through comprehensive regulations. Now more states should build on the successes of marijuana legalization and advance policies to repair the racially disparate harms of the war on
drugs."

In addition to reforming police practices to reduce racial disparities, the report also says there is more work to be done on fostering equity within the marijuana industry and points to models for doing so, such as the California provision that having a
prior drug conviction can't be the sole basis for denying a marijuana license.

Having places where people can actually smoke legal marijuana also remains an issue, the report noted. Public consumption is not allowed in any of the legal states. It's a ticketable offense in some and a misdemeanor in others. Public use violations are
also disproportionately enforced against people of color, and the imposition of fines could lead to jail time for poor people unable to pay for the crime of using a legal substance.

And what about the kids? The report notes that while legalization has generally resulted in reducing historically high numbers of young people being stopped and arrested for pot offenses, these reductions are inconsistent, and in some circumstances,
young people now comprise a growing percentage of marijuana arrests. A model could be California, where kids under 18 can only be charged with civil infractions.

Legalizing marijuana may be necessary for achieving social justice goals, but it's not sufficient for achieving them. As this report makes clear, how we legalize marijuana matters, and that's still a work in progress. But so far, it's looking pretty good.



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                                         ___________________

                                          It's time to correct the mistake:
                                        Truth:the Anti-drugwar
<http://www.briancbennett.com>

                                      Cops say legalize drugs--find out
why:
<http://www.leap.cc>

                                       Stoners are people too:
<http://www.cannabisconsumers.org>
                                       ___________________

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      It is by theobromine alone I set my mind in motion."
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