It’s time for the United States to end the war on marijuana. Despite $20 billion in annual government spending to fight the inflow of cannabis and maintain ever-increasing incarceration rates, the usage of marijuana remains virtually unchanged over the past decade.
Fortunately, as scientific investigation continues to prove the efficacy of medical marijuana, public opinion is finally starting to turn against prohibition. 14 states have decriminalized recreational amounts of marijuana, and last year voters in Colorado and Washington state legalized marijuana outright. As the nation looks to those two states as model for how to proceed, Washington, D.C. must grapple with its own marijuana problem.
Despite similar usage rates between D.C. whites and blacks, nine out of ten arrests made for possession involve blacks, according to an ACLU report issued this summer. While this phenomena occurs everywhere in the country, it is the second most egregious in the District.
Although this disparity highlights the effects of socio-economic inequalities that the District has grappled with for decades, the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana would allow the time, energy, and resources of law enforcement to address more pressing matters.
This summer, the D.C. Council admirably considered a bill that would replace criminal charges for illegal possession with civil fines. A majority of council members cosponsored the measure. At the time, Mayor Vince Gray said he wanted the District to finish implementing its long-awaited medical marijuana program before taking up the cause of decriminalization.
On July 30, D.C.’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened for business and served its first patient. According to a poll released in April, 75 percent of D.C. residents support decriminalization. Georgetown students should enthusiastically support D.C.’s effort to curtail the needlessly harmful drug war, especially in light of the fact that over 200,000 students have lost eligibility for federal financial aid because of a drug conviction.
Some community activists are considering launching a ballot initiative campaign as early as 2014 in favor of outright legalization, another measure students should wholeheartedly endorse.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to correct an error.
